Silent Computer - Onwards and Upwards

[David Taylor]

I've implemented 1 of the ideas in my old post [3]. The idea of
moving the box into another room. I'll discuss that here. It is
*the* solution, if you have good ears, and are repulsed and sickened
by computer noise. In that situation, I'm than happy to spend a
little, and put it in another room.
The idea being, not only that you won't be able to hear it, but also,
that it's you can still work on quietening it in the other room, and
then move it in when you're happy with it. Thereby allowing yourself
psychological peace. Not sacrificing everything whilst trying to
quieten the computer. The next post will probably be attempts made at
making it quieter whilst it's far away from me using what look like
perfect solutions like the silentmaxx and theatronics things mentioned
in the previous post.

I'll discuss the way I moved my box out of the room, and then some
other ways.

First, I'll mention that for me, this solution is well worth the cost.
Less than £200, far less cost than trying hundreds of methods that
just make your computer a bit quieter.

2* Belkin PS2 KEYBOARD/MOUSE Extenders to boost my Ps2 signals past
the limit of 5m, to 250m (happens to be far more distance than I
need). [1]

A long VGA cable 50m (far more than I need).

A USB KVM. It boosts the USB signal 100ft.

With those, I can put my box downstairs, and bring my
Monitor,Mouse,Keyboard,USB devices upstairs.

the USB KVM is expensive £135=$216(uk price) and it's USB1 not USB2.
Having a USB KVM saves you from running dowstairs to change a CD. So
it's well worth it.
http://www.nti1.co.uk/usbc5.html
There are 2 green lights to indicate that the device is connectedthe
powered.
Sometimes the power light goes off. Just unplug and the power cable
from the device and put it back in. No big deal. It's right next to
me, and a rare occurrence.

As I don't trust USB mice and keyboard on my legacy machine (it still
supports ps2). I chose not to use a usb mouse and keyb. Had I trusted
Usb mouse and keyboard, I'd have plugged them into the great usb kvm
it would have probably been ok. But i really don't trust usb mouse and
keyb yet.

A Ps2 KVM costs a fortune. KVM stands for Keyboard Video(Monitor)
Mouse. It extends all 3. Instead of buying the PS2 KVM, I chose to
buy a long 50m vga cable (no booster required). And Ps2 boosters and
long ps2 cables. It worked out cheaper.
Novatech provided the 2 Ps2 extenders
To get the cables, I used Belkin+netshop
Belkin sent the cables to http://www.netshop.co.uk/ and I ordered
them from there.

The PS2 boosters have a green light that give no indication that
they're on. it's just for show, never lit. On first using them, I
often found that the mouse or keyboard would stop working. Usually
both at the same time. So I would just plug the adaptor out, and
back in, to the booster. This was a nuisance, even though the
boosters are next to me. Now for some reason I don't have that
problem anymore. It seems that all boosters, be they USB, or PS2,
sometimes need the power cord to be unplugged and plugged back in from
time to time. When it stops working, don't unplug and replug anything
else, Just the power cord. It doesn't give you the pain of having to
diagnose the problem.

Just a minor note about he 7v fan mod based on what i wrote in my
previous posting "silent computer - advice" in the main part, and in
the summary.

[1]
Belkin's product F1D087
http://web.belkin.com/config/Search/SearchResults.asp?search=F1D087&catID=1
Belkin PS2 KEYBOARD/MOUSE Extender
Part #: F1D087
Sellers Found: 12
Lowest Price: $36.99

[2]
I wouldn't bother with the 7v fan mod. (e.g. 2* 7v fans). Solely
because it's not a totally noiseless solution, and the silentmaxx psu
(mentioned in my previous posting) claims to be 0db - it has no fans
and hopefully no hums.
Regarding the 7v fan mod. electronic enginners say that it's
dangerous. I've heard you "will get some odd feedback loops" "on the
GND wire, current is supposed to go from fan to PSU. You're sending
current the other way, toward the psu. That's bad for the power
supply". Practically, i've never heard of any problems. There is an
article somewhere on the web about how it's bad and why. But i can't
find it. Soembody on irc linked me to it. I have no idea what he
googled to find it.

[3]
In my previous post I wrote a whole load. Ir's very rambly. If you
want to read it, I suggest skipping to the summary at the end, if
you're really obsessed, I still don't suggest that you read the whole
thing. Just the summary at the end. You don't need to read the
previous post in order to read this post though.
http://groups.google.co.uk/[email protected]&rnum=1

 

[Hank]

Hey that's pretty cool, I like that!! But you know what's going to happen
now don't you? Your going to get so used to the solitude that the sound of
the CD whirling away is going to start driving you crazy. Better work on it!

Hank

 

[Jay Chan]

I tried something like that more than 4 years ago. And I really don't
like the result:

- It costed a lot, and almost all the investment was wasted when a
new technology replaced the old technology. For example, I cannot use
the key board extension cable when new PC uses USB keyboard. The same
happened to the KVM booster. Hardly anything can be re-used.

- The long cable may act as an antenna that can pick up a lot of
noise (such as the audio cable).

- I could not fix the problem of getting "washed out" color in my
SVGA screen. I had tried high quality video extension cable, video
signal booster. None worked. Actually, this was what killed the whole
idea back when I tried it.

I think building a thick-and-heavy enclosure to box-in the noise from
the PC probably is a better idea. Put a medium size quiet fan in the
box to help circuate the air. I haven't actually tried this idea. But
I think the box probably can last for a couple generations of PC
without being outdated.

Another idea is turning on the Hi-Fi to block the noice from the PC.

Jay Chan

 

[Billy_Bat]

Try www.silentpcreview.com for some good ideas and new quiet cases, fans,
etc. For myself, I have an adjustable fan on my cpu, and a quiet, (but not
silent) psu. I run the cpu hotter than I would like, but it is soooo much
quieter.

 

[Jay Chan]

Try www.silentpcreview.com for some good ideas and new quiet cases, fans,

etc. For myself, I have an adjustable fan on my cpu, and a quiet, (but not
silent) psu. I run the cpu hotter than I would like, but it is soooo much
quieter.

You are quite right to point out that there are other devices in the
market that can keep the noise down at the "source". The options were
quite limited back then when I tried to silent my PC.

In my opinion, this is a much better idea to cut down the noise at the
source instead of trying to use extension cables to stay away from the
noise. Using quiet components such as fan, hard drive, and power
supply is one way to cut down the noise at the source. Another way to
do this is to use a "quiet" case or an encloseure.

I am currently using a Dell PC that is quite noisy. I always turn on
the TV when I use the PC in order to mask the noise.

Which quiet power supply do you use? Do you order from that web site
or do you get it off the shelf from stores such as CompUSA?

Jay Chan

 

[scott]

I've implemented 1 of the ideas in my old post [3]. The idea of
moving the box into another room. I'll discuss that here. It is
*the* solution, if you have good ears, and are repulsed and sickened
by computer noise. In that situation, I'm than happy to spend a
little, and put it in another room.

But some of us have good eyes too. I'm running another machine about 15
metres from my main machine using a high quality VGA cable (about £80) and
the screen is still not quite right. Sometimes individual lines of pixels
will wobble very slightly back and to, and the small text is blurry. I
guess if I'm using 1600x1200x60 Hz then this is always going to be a
problem!

What have you done about sound? Surely you can't run a standard audio cable
that far without it losing quality?

Does anyone know how far DVI cables can go and still work correctly?

You could always try a cordless mouse and keyboard if it is close enough.

Cheers

Scott

 

[Billy_Bat]

You are quite right to point out that there are other devices in the
market that can keep the noise down at the "source". The options were
quite limited back then when I tried to silent my PC.

In my opinion, this is a much better idea to cut down the noise at the
source instead of trying to use extension cables to stay away from the
noise. Using quiet components such as fan, hard drive, and power
supply is one way to cut down the noise at the source. Another way to
do this is to use a "quiet" case or an encloseure.

I am currently using a Dell PC that is quite noisy. I always turn on
the TV when I use the PC in order to mask the noise.

Which quiet power supply do you use? Do you order from that web site
or do you get it off the shelf from stores such as CompUSA?

Jay Chan

I use a Zalman ZM400A-APF. It cost $99 at a computer show, but I am sure it
is available online. I don't use any other case fans, the psu is temperature
controlled, and does a decent job. Maybe some of my components won't last
for ten years, but should last until they are obsolete.

The Volcano 9+ that I use for my XP2100 cpu stays turned down to about the
minimum while idle, but I crank it up while gaming. It is a bit on the loud
side then, but the noise of gunshots and explosions let it all blend into
the backround. While doing any video editing I can turn it up to about 2700
rpms, where the fan pitch hits an acceptable level, not a high whining
sound, just a steady whoosh. My steady idle temperature is 50 C, when
cranked up and gaming, it is actually lower, around 47 C. The case
temperature will rise then from an idle of 28 to as high as 34. Ambient is
generally 70 F, 21 C.

My system:
Generic $30 Mid-Tower
Soyo Dragon+
Zalman 400W PSU
Athlon 2100 XP (palamino)
Volcano 9+ CPU Cooler
2 x 512 Crucial PC 2100 DDR
MSI Ti4200 (128 MB) video, 45.23 drivers
WD 80 GB (jb) HD
Lite On DVD Burner
TDK 24/10/40 CDRW
using SB Extigy external sound board ( I had crackling problems using the
onboard sound)

Hope that helps!
BB

 

[Spajky]

Hey that's pretty cool, I like that!! But you know what's going to happen
now don't you? Your going to get so used to the solitude that the sound of
the CD whirling away is going to start driving you crazy. Better work on it!

what a word of wisdom; I have a practically inaudible machine now (see
my site) running fans on 5V, but there is a problem with Audio ! CDs
when listening to the music in the background: I can hear vibrations
of a CD in a drive & this refers mostly to recorded ones which is not
normally a case with original ones (they are thicker made of 2
identical layers of plastic & well ballanced normally...)

.... so to silence the machine too much, can be contraproductive ...
) [ I am already thinking of making a felt cover on the CDdrive´s
plate cover] )))

-- Regards, SPAJKY
& visit site - http://www.spajky.vze.com
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

 

[Jay Chan]

I use a Zalman ZM400A-APF. It cost $99 at a computer show, but I am sure it

is available online. I don't use any other case fans, the psu is temperature
controlled, and does a decent job. Maybe some of my components won't last
for ten years, but should last until they are obsolete.

Thanks for the pointer on a quiet power supply. It surely is more
expensive thatn a regular ATX power supply. But it is actually cheaper
than what I paid for my old Silencer power supply from PC Power and
Cooling many years ago.

Jay Chan

 

[David Taylor]

What have you done about sound? Surely you can't run a standard audio cable

that far without it losing quality?

I don't notice any decrease in sound quality (though i'm not a sound
man)
and the guy at cablestogo.com said it would work, no boosters
required.

http://www.cablestogo.com/product_l...age=1&list_PagingMove=Next&row=11&cat_id=2002
27407 100ft 3.5mm STEREO AUDIO CABLE M/M $27.99
13796 100ft 3.5MM STEREO AUDIO EXTENSION CABLE M/F

Does anyone know how far DVI cables can go and still work correctly?

I haven't got a clue about DVI, so thank google.
extract from https://www.btx.com/dvi/default.asp?page=/dvi/pages/faq.asp
"5. What is the maximum distance I can run with DVI?
The specification is 5 meters (16.5 feet). However, our unique
selection of products can go as far as 20 meters (65.6 feet) on copper
cable. We can also get you as far as 500 meters (1640 feet) on a
single fiber optic cable."

You could always try a cordless mouse and keyboard if it is close enough.

I looked into that a year ago, infra red, radio, none of it seems to
go far. It's quite expensive, and the solution is probably going to be
unstable at a long distance. Also, I doubt the bios would support it,
so I couldn't press DEL and go to setup. Or when using windows (the
shame) F8 command prompt only. I can just forsee problems if I go
down that road.
KVMs are very very stable. And it's actually very expensive to get a
radio mouse and keyboard with all the antennas to go the distance. May
as well go KVM.
My solution is closer to rock solid solution, and it is 100%
noiseless. I'm relying on Ps2 boosters and an expensive usb kvm. I
can always buy new boosters. And I can't see my usb kvm breaking any
time soon. Not at that price anyway. It's even got lights to show all
is well. I like it.

 

[David Taylor]

Hey that's pretty cool, I like that!! But you know what's going to happen
now don't you? Your going to get so used to the solitude that the sound of
the CD whirling away is going to start driving you crazy. Better work on it!
Hank

Not a problem. The PSU,CPU fan,case fan noises are a problem because
they're continuous,constant, and repetitive, and last as long as
you're on the computer. Cd drive noise is awful, but it only lasts as
long as there's a cd in the drive, compared to PSU,CPU fan noise that
lasts as long as you're at the computer, 4h, 8h, (10h!?). Nobody
would ever need to have a cd in the drive for more than 10 minutes.
Copying/writing takes 10mins max, doesn't bother me. If it did
bother a person, they could always leave the room. Or put it in their
internal cd drive 100ft away from them rather than the external cd
drive next to them. And nobody would ever need to run anything off a
cd. You can always run it off your HDD, either by copying it on, or if
that fails, by using one of those "fake cd" programs that 'fools' the
software, making the software access the drive instead of the cd.

 

[David Taylor]

- It costed a lot, and almost all the investment was wasted when a

new technology replaced the old technology. For example, I cannot use
the key board extension cable when new PC uses USB keyboard. The same
happened to the KVM booster. Hardly anything can be re-used.

It's not wasted. You can get an adaptor turn your usb socket into 2
ps2 sockets.
http://www.mysimon.com/KEYBOARD_AND_MOUSE_CONVERTER_USB_TO_PS2/4014-6595_8-1742950.html?tag=lst&q=
Also, note that there is the more expensive option of getting USB
repeater/booster cables, or a USB KVM. Remember, i'm using a USB KVM
and ps2 extenders/boosters. The ps2 boosters are cheap. I can chuck
them out when I get a computer that doesn't support ps2. That's
precisely why i didn't buy a ps2 kvm. Though as i say, a ps2 kvm isn't
a waste at all, thanks to the adaptor.

I bought an adaptor like that from 2ndchancepc.co.uk, it worked.
Though i cna't see it in their online catalogue.
I've had good luck with usb-->2*ps2 adaptors. Do beware of usb-->ps2
adaptors. I've found that only the usb-->2*ps2 adaptors work. i.e.
the adaptors that convert 1 usb to 2 ps2. The usb-->2*Ps2 adaptor is
a larger beast that is detected by windows and you're prompted to
install drivers. Unlike those single usb-->ps2 adaptors, from my
experience, they do jack shit.
I've tried them from different sources, on diff computers, given them
to diff people to try on their computers. None of them have worked. I
think they're just theatrical props.

- I could not fix the problem of getting "washed out" color in my
SVGA screen. I had tried high quality video extension cable, video
signal booster. None worked. Actually, this was what killed the whole
idea back when I tried it.

darn, that's strange. I must have got lucky.
I bought a 50m or maybe it was 100ft svga extension cable from
2ndchancepc.co.uk, my picture is perfect. I'm running 800*600 16-bit
colour,
"Default monitor on NVIDIA GEFORCE4 MX440" As I've set monitor to
default, i can't change the refresh rate. It's happy, probably at the
default 60hz (though affect how washed out it is). The monitor is a
philips.
I have never experienced that problem, but maybe if you select
unknown/default monitor so the refresh rate is the low default of
60hz, set the resolution down to 800*600, lower the colours to 16-bit,
thereby putting less demand on the cable, it may work. Though i'm
sure you tried that. I must have got lucky with that one.

I think building a thick-and-heavy enclosure to box-in the noise from
the PC probably is a better idea. Put a medium size quiet fan in the
box to help circuate the air. I haven't actually tried this idea. But
I think the box probably can last for a couple generations of PC
without being outdated.

Building a sound proof box with air coming in and out. Not a task i'd
undertake, especially since i've sorted my comp noise out. IT would
be expensive to buy, i'm thinking thousands. On my journey, I tried
putting my computer in a cupboard and ripping off the back of the
cupboard so air could be released. I could still hear it loud and
clear. Then there are computer cases , that have a sound muffler.
built in where the PSU fan is. The fact is, that all these solutions
are not noiseless. The more you try to quieten it, the more you'll
notice it. My solution is noiseless. Not just 'silent'.
If noise is a problem, enough of a problem to be worth a couple of
hundred. Then
move the comp out of the room. After that, take on the mammoth task of
trying to silence it. Personally, i'm taking a break from that mammoth
task. I may resume one day, and try out the fanless PSU and fanless
CPU fan, but with the comp out of the room. Until i have a noiseless
computer, i'll keep the box out of my room.
There are really 2 types of ppl trying to silence their computer
a)people that want the perfect computer
b)people that are seriously bothered by the noise, psychologically
tortured
(it's not a prob in an office, as the noise is broken by office
noises)
For type b, the world is full of bad advice. The best thing for type b
to do, is
move the computer out of the room. If type b is a techie and not a
neo-luddite
i.e. if he's a technological techie rather than a back to basics
techie, then once the computer is out of the room, he can work on the
perfect computer.
I'm more of a type b, back to basics techie.

Another idea is turning on the Hi-Fi to block the noice from the PC.

Jay Chan

I tried that. I could hear the Cd spinning in the backgrond of the
music(prob a cheap hifi). And I'd like the option of silence.
I also tried ear plugs but the wax melts and becomes uncomfortable,
computer in cupboard with back removed(could still hear the computer),
ear defenders(tip of ears hurt afterwards for some reason, and prob
bad for ears if worn for 8h)
extending PSU wires (took ages to extend about 40 wires, and research
to make sure it was safe, and then i found out that it could spike my
computer, so only used it once). I also tried all the other so-called
'silent' components. And the via eden computer with the fanless PSU
card that hums loudly.

All my AC-DC adaptors are silent enough for me (I chucked the noisy
ones). Even with my ear right next to them, I struggle to hear them.

Fortunately the radiator noise doesn't drive me nuts. It switches off
sometimes, and is quite gentle.

Trust me when I say that moving the comp out of the room is the best
option for people that find noise a problem.

I've actually got a noiseless comp now, as I've removed monitor noise
(my monitor actually had a volume control hidden away in the menu
options).
The speakers make a tiny background noise, but i can turn them off
when i'm not listening to audio.

 

[David Taylor]

It is near impossible to make the source noiseless. If you're happy
to just decrease the noise as much as possible at the source, then I
can give you some advice, though i would not do this myself, as i
don't believe in half solutions.

Dealing with PSU by replacing it
The quietpc PSU had good reviews, though i tried it and found its
noise aweful.
As it was more high pitched than others. I may still have a wav file
of it playing, I sent the PSU back, with the wav file as my reason.
Let me know if you want me to send it to you. The man at quietpc said
nobody has ever returned an item saying it was too noisy.
Expert Scott mueller author of many authoritative HW books,
recommended the PC power and cooling silencer PSU, many others have
recommended it too. I tried it, found it noisy.
The nexus power supply has had good reviews.
Costs aside, If I wanted to try an alternative perfect solution to the
one I have, I would try the silentmaxx as I don't want 1/2 solutions.
Most silent computer consumers aren't that serious, and would get any
of those semi-quiet ones. I've mentioned all this in previous posts
though. Like the summary at the end of that huge post "Silent Computer
- Advice" post.

Dealing with CPU fan by replacing it
The zalman flower cooler, it has a fan, but is well reviewed as quiet.
And with the via c3, some people have turned the fan off and said it's
fine.
Costs aside, I would try the tsheatronics fanless heatsink. As it's
promising as a perfect solution to cpu heatsink noise. However, the
average person, seeking 1/2 a solution, could go for the zalman flower
cooler.

HDD noise. There is no complete solution. The 1/2 solution would be
seagate barracuda hard drives in silence enclosures. You can see the
DB rating of the HDDs on the seagate website. You could use a laptop
HDD and a 2.5"-3.5" IDE adaptor cable. I tried this, but found they
were still too noisy for me.

I must stress. I think all 1/2 solutions are shit. In time, i'll try
the silentmaxx and tsheatronics, maybe when a prospective HDD
noiselessness solution arrives, I'll go for another round and work on
making my computer noiseless at the source. I'm in no rush. Words
cannot describe how happy I am to not hear my computer anymore. And
the last thing I want to do is to start going down that road of
wasting money trying dozens of solutions that turn out to be a load of
shit.

I have seen a refrigerator case to keep the CPU cool (below 0). I had
thought it would be silent, as my small refrigerator is silent. Though
the guy on the phone said "it's noisy, as noisy as a refrigerator". So
I guess the little case refrigerator is as noisy as a large
regrigerator.
There are water-cooled cases. Though i've been told, and i've verified
it with many people, that they all have 'silent' fans. Similarly,
there are water-cooling kits for cool CPUs, as before, they have
'silent' fans.

 

[Spajky®]

Costs aside, I would try the tsheatronics fanless heatsink. As it's
promising as a perfect solution to cpu heatsink noise. However, the
average person, seeking 1/2 a solution, could go for the zalman flower
cooler.

a lot of times it is enough to put a Cpu fan to min.5V, if it is a
powerful one maybe @ 7V; @5V you do not hear it ...

HDD noise. There is no complete solution. The 1/2 solution would be
seagate barracuda hard drives in silence enclosures. You can see the
DB rating of the HDDs on the seagate website. You could use a laptop
HDD and a 2.5"-3.5" IDE adaptor cable. I tried this, but found they
were still too noisy for me.

you should check my site under comp/mods ... ))

& now I run all fans in my setup (6 of them incl. 2fan Psu ones) @ 5V
= inaudible machine practically! no watercooling really needed!
(well took me a lot of spent time & experiments to achieve that!)

-- Regards, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, SPAJKY ®
& visit my site @ http://www.spajky.vze.com
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

 

[Jay Chan]

It's not wasted. You can get an adaptor turn your usb socket into 2

ps2 sockets.

Thanks for the info about one way of re-using my investment on old
keyboard extension and mouse extension cables. I may need that if my
PC-in-abox idea cannot keep the noise down enough.

I am planning to add another hard disk into my Dell PC (for capturing
video and playing around with video editing). The Dell PC is already
quite noisy. I can imagine the additional noise that I will get if I
add the second hard disk into it. This is the reason why I am looking
around for a way to keep the PC noise down.

darn, that's strange. I must have got lucky.
I bought a 50m or maybe it was 100ft svga extension cable from
2ndchancepc.co.uk, my picture is perfect. I'm running 800*600 16-bit
colour,
"Default monitor on NVIDIA GEFORCE4 MX440" As I've set monitor to
default, i can't change the refresh rate. It's happy, probably at the
default 60hz (though affect how washed out it is). The monitor is a
philips.
I have never experienced that problem, but maybe if you select
unknown/default monitor so the refresh rate is the low default of
60hz, set the resolution down to 800*600, lower the colours to 16-bit,
thereby putting less demand on the cable, it may work. Though i'm
sure you tried that. I must have got lucky with that one.

As I said, I tried that more than a couple years ago. New video
extension cables "may" be much better than what were available back
then.

At that time, I used a shorter video extension cable; that was around
50-ft if I remember this correctly. And I use a ATI SVGA video card
(that PC-Magazine recommended back then) at 800x600 resolution and low
refresh rate (60hz?). At that time, I researched this
"washed-out-color" problem in PC hardware forum, and I found that this
was a common problem with using video extension cables. The
recommendation that I got at that time was to use a proprietary
video/keyboard/mouse combo cable plus a transmittor and a receiver.
Those were VERY expensive. Therefore, I ended up sticking with the
"turning-on-my-hi-fi" approach.

I am glad to hear that you have good result with your video extension
cable. But I am afraid that it "may" be a "hit-or-miss" kind of thing.
If I want to try this, I will definitely get one from a vendor that
has very good return policy.

Building a sound proof box with air coming in and out. Not a task i'd
undertake, especially since i've sorted my comp noise out. IT would
be expensive to buy, i'm thinking thousands. On my journey, I tried
putting my computer in a cupboard and ripping off the back of the
cupboard so air could be released. I could still hear it loud and
clear.

It should be quite cheap to make one if you don't mind its appearance.
I think a couple MDF boards (MDF is heavy, dense, inexpensive, and is
available in Home Depot), some wood glue, some weather sealing strips
as gasket, some foam stuffings, some wood blocks for supporting the
corners, and some screws. If we don't have a power tool to saw the MDF
board, we may need to hand saw it, and this is probably the only
difficult part. BTW, we may need to find some sound absorbent form or
such as linings to put on the inside of the case (I don't know where
to look for such thing though).

After saying this, this can get expensive if we want round corner,
nice finished "furniture" look with cherry color ...etc. And I may do
just that -- only _after_ I am done with finishing my basement... oh
well...

But I must say that we will still hear some noise even if we put the
PC inside an enclosure. Therefore, this will not be a good solution to
someone who wants absolute silent. Because you have already got good
result by using extension cables, you have no need of using an
enclosure.

b)people that are seriously bothered by the noise, psychologically
tortured
(it's not a prob in an office, as the noise is broken by office
noises)
For type b, the world is full of bad advice. The best thing for type b
to do, is
move the computer out of the room. If type b is a techie and not a
neo-luddite

I am type-b kind of people. After having bothered by noise in the
office for one day, I really want to get back to something quiet at
home. Moreover, I have "ringing in the ears" problem, the high pitch
noise from some of the hard disk and power supply can worsen the
problem. In my case, I don't need the PC to be totally quiet. As long
as it is not noisy, and it doesn't have high pitch sound, I am OK with
that. Actually, some background noise is good for me because it can
mask the "ringing in the ears" problem. This is one more reason why I
turn on the TV when I am computing. This is also the reason why I
don't need a "totally-silent" PC.

I tried that. I could hear the Cd spinning in the backgrond of the
music(prob a cheap hifi). And I'd like the option of silence.
...
Trust me when I say that moving the comp out of the room is the best
option for people that find noise a problem.

Good that this works for you.

The following is not directly address to you. I just mention this here
to warn other people who follow this message thread:
Please don't go to the extreme in pursuing total-silent. When we
reduce one source of noise, we may unmask another source of noise that
was previously covered. This can become an endless pursue. The problem
is that the more attention we pay on one particular noise, the more
apparent the noise will appear to us. Our brains can be trained to be
very sensitive to that noise; hence, this can make the problem worse.
By the same token, our brain can be trained to ignore that noise;
hence, this renders the problem to be a non-issue. And this is exactly
how I "learn" to live with "ringing in the ear". The more attention
that I paid to that problem, the more suffering I would get.
Sometimes, the way to handle a problem is to ignore it.

Jay Chan

 

[David Taylor]

a lot of times it is enough to put a Cpu fan to min.5V, if it is a

powerful one maybe @ 7V; @5V you do not hear it ...

What CPU do you have, fan, and temp? I'd like to see a P4 with a cpu
fan at 5v or 7v below 40 degrees C.

& now I run all fans in my setup (6 of them incl. 2fan Psu ones) @ 5V
= inaudible machine practically! no watercooling really needed!
(well took me a lot of spent time & experiments to achieve that!)

I actually bought the tools to add 2 fans to my PSU. But researched a
little and asked many ppl in electrical stores, and in the irc
electronics channel. People said it was bad for the PSU. One even
linked me to a technical article on harm done.
I never read the article, and sadly, now I can't find it anywhere on
the web.
You're potentially sending data up a cable in the wrong direction. The
5v PSU cable is supposed to send 5v from PSU to fan. By connecting
the 5v cable to the GND on the fan, the fan could send current up the
5v cable. Which i'm told is bad for the PSU. I don't know jack about
electricity, so i'm just telling you what people have told me.
I'd be happy to use my drill and hacksaw, or rotary tool, or - if i
had one - a holesaw, and start cutting metal, but fate sent me in a
different direction.
I know that the modding websites don't seem to have any complaints
about the 7v fan mod. But I also know that the modders aren't
electricians and they don't know how PSUs work.

 

[David Taylor]

-- Regards, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, SPAJKY ®

& visit my site @ http://www.spajky.vze.com
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

I like your site, for related material,
check out
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/
clicking "Videos"..."Hilarious Videos" gets this great collection:-
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fmovies6.shtml
Check out
"fart within the matrix" on page 2
but beware of "walrus jerk" page 5.

make sure you hoover the floor first, in case you literally start ROFL.

 

[Spajky®]

What CPU do you have, fan, and temp?

It´s down @ the sig. running right now @ 44°C from onDie diode
(room temp 19°) with all 6 fans @ 5V ... inaudible machine
(Cpu consuming 36W approx. @ idle now)

I'd like to see a P4 with a cpu
fan at 5v or 7v below 40 degrees C.

very dificult if revealed from onDie diode properly & not being in
Alaska ... , but the temperature till 65° onDie is not at all
problematic for P4 ...

-- Regards, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, SPAJKY ®
& visit my site @ http://www.spajky.vze.com
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

 

[Spajky®]

I like your site, for related material,

thanks, I am trying to keep it interesting ...

check out
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/
clicking "Videos"..."Hilarious Videos" gets this great collection:-
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fmovies6.shtml
Check out
"fart within the matrix" on page 2
but beware of "walrus jerk" page 5.

Thanks I will bookmark that for later viewing

make sure you hoover the floor first, in case you literally start ROFL.

no need to; here mometary blows up to 100km/h dry cold wind (outside
almost 0°C; I need just to open all windows & doors for a minute, the
wind will blow all dust away, no need of vacuuming! )))

-- Regards, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, SPAJKY ®
& visit my site @ http://www.spajky.vze.com
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

 

[David Taylor]

I am planning to add another hard disk into my Dell PC (for capturing

video and playing around with video editing). The Dell PC is already
quite noisy. I can imagine the additional noise that I will get if I
add the second hard disk into it. This is the reason why I am looking
around for a way to keep the PC noise down.

Some Dells are very quiet, partly because the PSU fan is on the
inside.
The face of the PSU that is over the CPU has a fan sucking air in.
If you're got ringing ears(tinnitus), and you're turning the TV/HiFi
up.
I suggest that you move the comp out, as a temporary solution. Just
get that USB-2*ps2 adaptor.
I don't have tinitus, but I found I got ear ringing since the computer
noise had started to bother me. I started getting 1 noise in 1 ear,
and another noise in the other ear. I started hearing noises whilst
sleeping, and had to cover my ears to see if it was me or an outside
source. As soon as I got my computer silenced, the ear noises went.
In your case, where you have real tinitus, i can understand why you
don't want complete quiet. You may be interested in this paraphrase
"The vitamin bible" p.122 "Manganese pottassium deficiency can cause
ear noises. Sources of manganese pottassium include
banans,watercress,all leafy green veg,citrus fruits,sunflower seeds"
Whether you believe the advice or not. Sunflower seeds are a really
easy supplement to add to food, and they've got lots of nutrition.
Maybe you can get a "manganese pottassium supplement" from a chemist.

When I wrote about he cupboard idea I tried. I should have mentioned
that the noise which wasn't loud before, did halve in volume. It's a
little cupboard, about 2ft high that fits under the desk below my
chair.

I researched this
"washed-out-color" problem in PC hardware forum, and I found that this
was a common problem with using video extension cables. The
recommendation that I got at that time was to use a proprietary
video/keyboard/mouse combo cable plus a transmittor and a receiver.
Those were VERY expensive.

I thought you said you tried a KVM extender. They are still very
expensive, but
if you've already got one, it's not a problem The PS2 KVM
extenders today extend with an ethernet cable between transmitter and
receiver. Maybe an ethernet cable carries the signal better and if a
PS2 KVM gave a washed out screen, then it would get a bad review.
I could be way off on this, but maybe silver foil around the cable (if
it's acting as an aerial). Try emailing http://www.avsforum.com/ and
check out this link http://www.bettercables.com/ .I haven't used
either of them, but they look ok.

It should be quite cheap to make one if you don't mind its appearance.
I think a couple MDF boards (MDF is heavy, dense, inexpensive, and is
available in Home Depot), some wood glue, some weather sealing strips
as gasket, some foam stuffings, some wood blocks for supporting the
corners, and some screws. If we don't have a power tool to saw the MDF
board, we may need to hand saw it, and this is probably the only
difficult part. BTW, we may need to find some sound absorbent form or
such as linings to put on the inside of the case (I don't know where
to look for such thing though).

email Dynamat they may be able to help. Quietpc sell something.

Please don't go to the extreme in pursuing total-silent. When we
reduce one source of noise, we may unmask another source of noise that
was previously covered. This can become an endless pursue. The problem
is that the more attention we pay on one particular noise, the more
apparent the noise will appear to us. Our brains can be trained to be
very sensitive to that noise; hence, this can make the problem worse.
By the same token, our brain can be trained to ignore that noise;
hence, this renders the problem to be a non-issue. And this is exactly
how I "learn" to live with "ringing in the ear". The more attention
that I paid to that problem, the more suffering I would get.
Sometimes, the way to handle a problem is to ignore it.

Jay Chan

Absolutely, couldn't agree more. However, total silence is possible by
moving the box out. But yeah, anybody today, trying to acheive total
silence by silencing the computer at source, is making a big mistake.
Sadly, that well written advice you've given does not appear on any of
the main websites, because they're all trying to sell something.
I have mentioned some possible perfect solutions to various
components. The only component that i can't see a possible perfect
solution for is the HDD. Once you get perfect solutions to each
component, you've got the whole computer sorted.
I'll repeat here,
silentmaxx PSU may be the perfect solution for PSU noise
tsheatronics may be perfect solution to CPU cooling
There are other near-perfect solutions. I mentioned a load of them in
the summary section of my "silent computer - advice" post.

note:
I probably forgot to mention the ear plug, ear defender, and comp in a
cupboard with back removed solutions, in that summary. Also, they're
far from perfect. And at that time, I hadn't solved it by moving the
computer out of the room