Making PC quieter without spending $$$ ?

[sage78]

Hey guys. 

What's a good way of reducing the fan noise of my PC? I can hear the case vibrating all the time.. I lowered fan speeds a bit but its still very noisy. I'm buying silicon based glue tomorrow to do this

 

http://youtu.be/BhkYrzST7V4?t=1m14s

 

I'm gonna try this with my old PC and if it works well I will do it in all GPU fans and chasis fans i can

 

Any other ways of making a PC quieter without actually spending much ?

[79wjd]

Well, the first thing I would do is isolate whats creating each and every sound....so first, i'd disconnect everything thats not critical for the computer to boot up -- so I would disconnect all fans (including the cpu fan -- although do keep an eye on temps while doing this part), the GPU, and the HDD.

Sources of noise:

Do you have a window? Is the window loose?

PSU, GPU, AIO pump (if you have an AIO), and case fans.

[ForsakenLive]

making your own anti-vibration add-ons for fans, drives, etc with rubber cut to size. The GPU mod on that video works as well

finally, try controlling your fans, don't just plug them straight and have them at full tilt.

[sage78]

making your own anti-vibration add-ons for fans, drives, etc with rubber cut to size.

try controlling your fans, don't just plug them straight and have them at full tilt.

i might try that and setting fan speed is the first thing i did btw

Well, the first thing I would do is isolate whats creating each and every sound....so first, i'd disconnect everything thats not critical for the computer to boot up -- so I would disconnect all fans (including the cpu fan -- although do keep an eye on temps while doing this part), the GPU, and the HDD.

Sources of noise:

Do you have a window? Is the window loose?

PSU, GPU, AIO pump (if you have an AIO), and case fans.

I have a window above my PC... I will try isolating different elements see whats noisy and whats not.

i think one of the chasis fans may be dying(the one below PSU).. should i replace it or is there a way to fix it?

[MeDownYou]

i might try that and setting fan speed is the first thing i did btw

I have a window above my PC... I will try isolating different elements see whats noisy and whats not.

i think one of the chasis fans may be dying(the one below PSU).. should i replace it or is there a way to fix it?

depends on the fan dual ball bearings = fixable, but cheap sleeves aren't really fixable

[LegacyStijncat]

Is the PC old?

 

Older PC's tend to have their fans connected with screws, while newer ones use rubberized mounts to ensure that the computer case doesn't vibrate.

 

If your PC's use is just simple things like internet browsing, feel free to buy cheap fans.

If you want to keep it quiet, search for the Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2 (no pun intended).

Costs not more than 13 _{(insert currency here)}, and you will get decent performance with good silence.

[sage78]

Is the PC old?

Sorry for the late response! I didn't get the notification for some reason.

No, the PC is not that old.. Probably 3 or 4 years. The case fan below the PSU has some relatively wide metallic screws.

Maybe I should change that? I don't really have much of a budget right now so I might use some stuff from a 1998 build with a broken mobo from my brother

Another question: I live in a very old house were temperatures are 5ºC - 20ºC most of the time and theres a lot of humidity. Are fan filters worth it? I saw some in a spanish online store ranging from 2€ to 10€

 

edit: simply removed the noisy fan to finally get rid of this loud vibration noise. did a few stress test to check if it was safe and didnt go above 40ºC

[LegacyStijncat]

Sorry for the late response! I didn't get the notification for some reason.

No, the PC is not that old.. Probably 3 or 4 years. The case fan below the PSU has some relatively wide metallic screws.

Maybe I should change that? I don't really have much of a budget right now so I might use some stuff from a 1998 build with a broken mobo from my brother

Another question: I live in a very old house were temperatures are 5ºC - 20ºC most of the time and theres a lot of humidity. Are fan filters worth it? I saw some in a spanish online store ranging from 2€ to 10€

 

edit: simply removed the noisy fan to finally get rid of this loud vibration noise. did a few stress test to check if it was safe and didnt go above 40ºC

Fan filters are meant to make sure that dust can't get into the case, thus keeping the PC cleaner. (Don't be afraid to ask these kind of questions, I used to be kinda new too )

Let me give you a list of things that CAN be noisy, and if you have any questions with them @sage78 , just ask away!

• Power Supply Unit
• Harddrives (not SSD's, only harddrives)
• Case fans / water cooling
• GPU (if this one is self-cooled)
• CPU Cooler
• Case vibrations (caused by not using rubberized mounts with the case fans and Harddrives)

[ManWithBeard1990]

Use rubber bands to attach fans instead of screws.

 

 

attach the bands to the screw holes in the case (thread it through the hole and then through itself. That way the fan doesn't tough the case at all), then thread through the fan's mounting holes and attach together with a staple or something.

[sage78]

 

Fan filters are meant to make sure that dust can't get into the case, thus keeping the PC cleaner. (Don't be afraid to ask these kind of questions, I used to be kinda new too )

Let me give you a list of things that CAN be noisy, and if you have any questions with them @sage78 , just ask away!

Aight so fan filters might actually be pretty useful in my house right the noise have been greatly reduced since the chassis fan i removed was the main source of that.. only thing slightly noisy is the stock CPU fan that came with my AMD FX

Use rubber bands to attach fans instead of screws.

 

this is interesting, will give it a try

[LegacyStijncat]

Aight so fan filters might actually be pretty useful in my house right the noise have been greatly reduced since the chassis fan i removed was the main source of that.. only thing slightly noisy is the stock CPU fan that came with my AMD FX

 

this is interesting, will give it a try

Go to Be Quiet!, they've got really good and silent case fans.

Also, for the CPU cooler, you can or replace the cooler (remember to search how to remove the thermal paste), or get a silence orientated case. See what's the cheapest!

[LLOYD-AF]

Use rubber bands to attach fans instead of screws.

 

IMG_0026.JPG

 

attach the bands to the screw holes in the case (thread it through the hole and then through itself. That way the fan doesn't tough the case at all), then thread through the fan's mounting holes and attach together with a staple or something.

 

That is very ghetto, I've never seen this option before but if money is tight then I guess it can work, but you can buy a pack of rubber pins (fan mounts) for £5.

 

Only mentioning this because I would not be happy having a staple / band solution with my fans, if the band snaps which does happen, you then have a chance that the band and staple could enter the fan and break the whole thing. Not worth the risk when the proper solution costs £5.

[ManWithBeard1990]

That is very ghetto, I've never seen this option before but if money is tight then I guess it can work, but you can buy a pack of rubber pins (fan mounts) for £5.

 

Only mentioning this because I would not be happy having a staple / band solution with my fans, if the band snaps which does happen, you then have a chance that the band and staple could enter the fan and break the whole thing. Not worth the risk when the proper solution costs £5.

You're right actually. I'm still looking for a good solution that isn't buying pins because my wooden case is made of 6mm thick material and the pins wouldn't stay in place. Thinking about cutting up an inner tube because the butyl-based rubber is more resistant to snapping after a while. So far after almost a year of use only one band has snapped so it's not such a big deal.

[NakedChicken]

Turning my pc usually makes it pretty quiet. But seriosuly, lower your fan speeds, maybe buy a cheap fan controller.

[Nexxus]

Just something about the rubber bands thing...those things do dry out and crack and will eventually give...something to keep in mind.

I cant say the idea of a live fan falling in my case and hitting..whatever on the way down is very pleasing to think about. it will prbably take a while (depends how old the bands are) but it will happen.

[sage78]

Turning my pc usually makes it pretty quiet. But seriosuly, lower your fan speeds, maybe buy a cheap fan controller.

I had too many fans for what I have. I removed 2 chassis fan and its not that noisy now also set the fans to auto so that they only speed up when CPU or GPU gets too hot

now the only noisy PC is my old PC and I dont really use that unless I have a friend over for some LAN goodness so its not really a big deal. ^^