Ultra Silent PC upgrade

[musicjam19]

My aim is to have a really quiet PC for gaming. I've upgraded my PC with a Fractal Nano S case and a Be Quiet Shadow Rock LP CPU cooler instead of the stock junk, but the two included fans for the case result in the PC still being quite loud. To combat this, I got the Noctua NA-SRC10 fan resistors, and this significantly reduced the noise.

 

Wanting to see how far I can go with this, would it be worth swapping the rear exhaust fan (Fractal GP12) for a Be Quiet Silent Wings 2 120mm fan? It costs about £10/$13USD

The front fan has got some ModuVent covers and dust folters so I'm not too worried about that right now

Also, since the Noctua SRC10s are just resistors, would it be safe to put two of them in series for the rear fan to make it even quieter?

 

Thanks all

[Zando_]

Why not just go full passive? Or an AIO/custom loop with low-rpm 140MM fans (that'd be expensive though).

[Himommies]

sure but your best bet is to just coat it with sound foam

[Minbari]

For reducing fan noise, upgrading the fans is a good start. Look into a fan hub that allows you to undervolt them all for lower rpm, or try using the bios to tune the fan curve. Other than fans, getting some acoustically absorbent material/deadener would help reduce noise. Make sure not to get a material that reflects sound waves as this will amplify within the case itself. 

[musicjam19]

1 minute ago, Zando Bob said:

Why not just go full passive? Or an AIO/custom loop with low-rpm 140MM fans (that'd be expensive though).

That would be a great idea for a possible future upgrade, but right now I'm just looking for small, quick fixes

[musicjam19]

8 minutes ago, Minbari said:

For reducing fan noise, upgrading the fans is a good start. Look into a fan hub that allows you to undervolt them all for lower rpm, or try using the bios to tune the fan curve. Other than fans, getting some acoustically absorbent material/deadener would help reduce noise. Make sure not to get a material that reflects sound waves as this will amplify within the case itself. 

Thanks, I will get that be quiet fan then. I considered a fan hub, but then went with the fan resistors since they're much cheaper and I don't plan on regularly changing fan speeds.

The sound absorbing material is a good idea, but I already have some ModuVent sound absorber from the case 

[Minbari]

1 minute ago, musicjam19 said:

Thanks, I will get that be quiet fan then. I considered a fan hub, but then went with the fan resistors since they're much cheaper and I don't plan on regularly changing fan speeds.

The sound absorbing material is a good idea, but I already have some ModuVent sound absorber from the case 

Take it step by step because it's too easy to get carried away spending money on quietness!

[knightslugger]

6 minutes ago, musicjam19 said:

Thanks, I will get that be quiet fan then. I considered a fan hub, but then went with the fan resistors since they're much cheaper and I don't plan on regularly changing fan speeds.

The sound absorbing material is a good idea, but I already have some ModuVent sound absorber from the case 

i've considered selling the two SW3 140's i have that i use for intake through a rad. they don't produce enough static pressure to cool it through a filter though, so i could be persuaded to let them go...

[musicjam19]

17 minutes ago, Minbari said:

Take it step by step because it's too easy to get carried away spending money on quietness!

Waay too easy lol

 

12 minutes ago, knightslugger said:

i've considered selling the two SW3 140's i have that i use for intake through a rad. they don't produce enough static pressure to cool it through a filter though, so i could be persuaded to let them go...

Unfortunately shipping from the US to the UK is enormous 

[thedons1983]

On 8/11/2017 at 5:46 PM, musicjam19 said:

Thanks, I will get that be quiet fan then. I considered a fan hub, but then went with the fan resistors since they're much cheaper and I don't plan on regularly changing fan speeds.

The sound absorbing material is a good idea, but I already have some ModuVent sound absorber from the case 

https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/6622/6/tested-71-case-fans-of-140-mm-round-up-big-fans-test-results-the-mostnsilentncasefans

 

Read this before buying that Bequiet fan!  They are great fans, but there are always other, maybe better, options out there all things considered.  You've got to look at the data unfortunately!

 

I actually just spent all afternoon deciding between the Fractal Design Dynamic GP-14 and the Bequiet Pure Wings 2.  In the end I decided to go with the Bequiet fans as they were not only slightly cheaper but also offer slightly better performance, albeit at a slightly higher noise level.  I did consider the Bequiet Silent Wings 3 fans, but they are twice the price of the Pure Wings 2 fans and aren't really twice as good.  In the end I went with price to performance I guess.