Silencing your System

[cluelessgenius]

is there a way to keep your system as quiet as possible without going full custom water loop. some of you may racall that i was planning to go nuts on watercolling but this is for a different build and id like to hear your suggestions.

 

backstory: a buddy of mine asked me to do a build for him as he liked what i did with mine. but he would like to spend money on the components and not so much on a custom water loop.

 

so now i was wondering what you guys think would be a good way to ensure his system keeps quiet but without spending too much on cooling.

 

his specs so far are pretty similar to mine: i got him the h440 as he liked it seeing mine and i also got him the corsair rm850, samsung evo and also a 770 from msi. the only diiference beeing that i got him a asus z97 deluxe and a 4790k. oh and 16 gigs of ram.

 

basicly the only thing i havent decided yet is the cpu cooler and wether or not to switch the case fans but obviously if you have any suggestions beyond that theyd be greatly appreciated as i could still send some stuff back. 

[WoodenMarker]

Get a fan controller to undervolt quieter fans and sound dampen quieter hdd's if not going full ssd. 

Also, mod the graphics card fan and/or replace them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhkYrzST7V4

[Ivyk]

Less fans = Less noise.

[Phage]

Get a H80 or H100 with some Gentle Typhoons

[Guest]

Sound dampening for the case + really quiet fans + vibration dampening on everything that moves. That's the best you can do. I'd get a case with pre installed sound dampening, but I think there are upgrade kits for that as well (or simply get some soft foam). Obviously change the stock fans if they're not that great. All of this will probably raise temperatures, but that's the trade-off for having a silent system without water cooling.

[ManWithBeard1990]

The H440 is already a good choice. Next thing to do is get a motherboard that has good control over how fast the fans go so they only speed up when the system is hot. You could go with premium fans as well but if that's outside your budget, then, well, not much you can do about it. You could think about lining some panels with sound absorbing foam but the H440 may have that already. Not sure.

[The Crazed Child]

I've found that sound dampening foam really helps. Compared to my old Antec 300, my H230 is whisper quiet.

 

But of course, if you want complete silence, you're going to have to passively cool everything with huge heatsinks. 

[minimoose]

The easy way...

 

http://oneflyg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2.gif

[killers993]

Just jam something in the fan to quiet them. 

 

But seriously, just buy better quality fans or get a fan controller.

[cluelessgenius]

Get a fan controller to undervolt quieter fans and sound dampen quieter hdd's if not going full ssd. 

Also, mod the graphics card fan and/or replace them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhkYrzST7V4

first of all thanks for that i was literally watching it with my mouth open the whole time... and that leads me to my question: is that save ? i mean what if you position it just a little bit off center couldnt it hit the frame or on another note what is he using as glue (watched it without sound) ? wouldnt it have to be some type of glue that is okay with the heat?

Less fans = Less noise.

wouldnt that mean that its gonna get hotter and the fans that are there would have to spin so much faster taht would be even louder?

Get a H80 or H100 with some Gentle Typhoons

well generally i thought about that too but even a prebuild watercooling solution might just be another source of possible failure and if it happens to me i know what to do but if it happens to him im to blame 

Sound dampening for the case + really quiet fans + vibration dampening on everything that moves. That's the best you can do. I'd get a case with pre installed sound dampening, but I think there are upgrade kits for that as well (or simply get some soft foam). Obviously change the stock fans if they're not that great. All of this will probably raise temperatures, but that's the trade-off for having a silent system without water cooling.

the h440 is dampened. is the dampening not good enough ? what fans would you recommend as the quietest ? and yes there are gonna be some hdds in there from his old rig but i got those covered as im gonna mount them with thick rubber bands. i know thats kind of unorthodox but that why i dont have too woory about any vibration. 

The H440 is already a good choice. Next thing to do is get a motherboard that has good control over how fast the fans go so they only speed up when the system is hot. You could go with premium fans as well but if that's outside your budget, then, well, not much you can do about it. You could think about lining some panels with sound absorbing foam but the H440 may have that already. Not sure.

well asus has its fanexpert doesnt it ? well the budget would allow some aftermarket fans but im not sure about which one to get. i did have a good experience with noctua but i wouldnt mind trying something different either. and for the last part yes the h440 has some dampening but i kinda seems a little dense and thin. sould i change it or trust nzxt?

[cluelessgenius]

I've found that sound dampening foam really helps. Compared to my old Antec 300, my H230 is whisper quiet.

 

But of course, if you want complete silence, you're going to have to passively cool everything with huge heatsinks. 

well as said the h440 is already dampened but restricted airflow makes me wonder if that is a good thin or not as i did onces take the top exhaust panel of while under full load and the foam got really hot so maybe that normal obviously but maybe that also means is saves the heat and a dont need a god damn heatbank in the system. so im not sure.

The easy way...

 

http://oneflyg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2.gif

if that only would work. maybe im not intimidating enough for system to recognize my authority

Just jam something in the fan to quiet them. 

 

But seriously, just buy better quality fans or get a fan controller.

well do you have suggestions on better fans? also isnt asus` fan expert good enough to control the fans?

 

 

Also nobobody got any suggestions on the cpu cooler ?

[Pentium4Life]

I don't care about being quiet, I let my system roar!

[Phllips]

You should get some sound dampening foam and just put it everywhere! 

[WoodenMarker]

first of all thanks for that i was literally watching it with my mouth open the whole time... and that leads me to my question: is that save ? i mean what if you position it just a little bit off center couldnt it hit the frame or on another note what is he using as glue (watched it without sound) ? wouldnt it have to be some type of glue that is okay with the heat?

wouldnt that mean that its gonna get hotter and the fans that are there would have to spin so much faster taht would be even louder?

the h440 is dampened. is the dampening not good enough ? what fans would you recommend as the quietest ? and yes there are gonna be some hdds in there from his old rig but i got those covered as im gonna mount them with thick rubber bands. i know thats kind of unorthodox but that why i dont have too woory about any vibration. 

well asus has its fanexpert doesnt it ? well the budget would allow some aftermarket fans but im not sure about which one to get. i did have a good experience with noctua but i wouldnt mind trying something different either. and for the last part yes the h440 has some dampening but i kinda seems a little dense and thin. sould i change it or trust nzxt?

It's safe. I just use elmers glue. If it's off center, it may scrape the sides. Just make sure it's not off center. 

Less fans don't necessarily mean that they would need to spin faster. They would only need to spin faster if the cooling wasn't adequate. 

The H440's dampening is fine. However, getting quieter components will generally be much more effective than the dampening at the sides of the case. 

Rubber bands are fine. I have my drives suspended in open cell foam. 

well as said the h440 is already dampened but restricted airflow makes me wonder if that is a good thin or not as i did onces take the top exhaust panel of while under full load and the foam got really hot so maybe that normal obviously but maybe that also means is saves the heat and a dont need a god damn heatbank in the system. so im not sure.

if that only would work. maybe im not intimidating enough for system to recognize my authority

well do you have suggestions on better fans? also isnt asus` fan expert good enough to control the fans?

 

 

Also nobobody got any suggestions on the cpu cooler ?

Get NF-A14's for the case and NH-u14s for the cpu.

[cluelessgenius]

I don't care about being quiet, I let my system roar!

well thats a nice way too loooks at it, i always imagined it as a gasp for air or a scream for help or that that is just the noise its makes while bitching at me for putting it through this.

[cluelessgenius]

It's safe. I just use elmers glue. If it's off center, it may scrape the sides. Just make sure it's not off center. 

Less fans don't necessarily mean that they would need to spin faster. They would only need to spin faster if the cooling wasn't adequate. 

The H440's dampening is fine. However, getting quieter components will generally be much more effective than the dampening at the sides of the case. 

Rubber bands are fine. I have my drives suspended in open cell foam. 

Get NF-A14's for the case and NH-u14s for the cpu.

elmers glue? id have to look that up but thanks for that i may try it. 

well that was a bit generic for my taste could you explain how that it because i thought less fans = less airflow = more hot air in case not moving = hotter components = graphics card and cpu cooler spin faster

i think so too.

yeah i mean i would worry if i had to ship it but since thats not the case i thought why not have them hanging like a hammock plus the h440 is perfect for that.

so you would recommend going noctua on everything?

[cluelessgenius]

You should get some sound dampening foam and just put it everywhere! 

yeah right while im at it why not remove the fans and seal this baby up with foam right. i could get studio grade stuff and make it sound proof right who cares about airflow right, lets just chokes this bitch... -.-

[Phllips]

yeah right while im at it why not remove the fans and seal this baby up with foam right. i could get studio grade stuff and make it sound proof right who cares about airflow right, lets just chokes this bitch... -.-

Exactly (sarcasm)

[WoodenMarker]

elmers glue? id have to look that up but thanks for that i may try it.

well that was a bit generic for my taste could you explain how that it because i thought less fans = less airflow = more hot air in case not moving = hotter components = graphics card and cpu cooler spin faster

so you would recommend going noctua on everything?

I didn't mean anything special by Elmers glue. It was just a brand name. Any regular generic glue that you use for school projects should be fine.

Less fans generally do mean less airflow. It's just not that big of an issue when you have enough though. You should be able to set your own speeds for thr cpu and graphics card fan through software like msi afterburner and through the motherboard settings.

Sure, Noctua is great. It's also good to stick to a similar sound signature if it's not an annoying one--which noctuas do have.

[cluelessgenius]

I didn't mean anything special by Elmers glue. It was just a brand name. Any regular generic glue that you use for school projects should be fine.

Less fans generally do mean less airflow. It's just not that big of an issue when you have enough though. You should be able to set your own speeds for thr cpu and graphics card fan through software like msi afterburner and through the motherboard settings.

Sure, Noctua is great. It's also good to stick to a similar sound signature if it's not an annoying one--which noctuas do have.

well thanks for your suggestions i might try that gpu trick and may get a noctua d15