Making My PC Quieter...

[N!CK R]

How would i go about doing this.... im guessing its all the fans that make most of the noise?
The Hard Drive would make a little bit of noise i guess?
Its a HP Media Centre M370UK PC, very good; just a bit noisy when its on in the background.
Dont want anything too noisy, possibly just new quieter fans, dont want any water cooling stuff etc..
How do i know what size the fans are?

Cheers
Nick

 

[Hazza]

Get some silent fans then mate, thats what i did.

If not disconnect the ones u feel dont need on.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Like the man says . Quiter fans . These are almost silent .

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=532628

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=532629

You can get them on ebay as well .

 

[-Leigh-]

I disconnected the fan on my work computer. I recommend re-connecting it when the IT guy comes to see why it's stopped working though.

 

[oska]

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/home

 

[biojo]

yer fans, rubber bits for hd mounts, and sound proofing the case , sorta same stuff u get for car

 

[Munson]

If you have a HSF (usually 40mm?) for the chipset on your motherboard, it's likely this is the biggest source of noise. Bigger fans are always better because they shift more air for less rpm, and hence you don't get the buzzing noise. Definitely the first place to look. It may already be a passive sink. If not, you can always buy a 3rd party item from someone like Zalman.

Then of course, there are plenty of so-called 'silent' PSUs out there, and just as many 3rd party 'silent' CPU HSFs. Graphics card/s will be the trickiest part to silence. Again, there are lots of alternatives available for them also. You can also buy sound deadening material for inside the case, but air flow is important. Your case might not be designed to accept 120mm fan cages, but if it can then you should use the bigger size. Failing that, you can still buy quality 80mm fans that might be quiter than the stock items.

 

[N!CK R]

How do i know what size the fans are?
Is it a case of opening her up and having a look....
Im guessing it wont say that sort of thing in the documentation.

Cheers for all the info so far, very helpful.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Open up your pc and measure the fans . They'll usually be eaither 80mm or 120mm case fans .

 

[Munson]

Surprisingly, the easiest way to identify the areas that need most attention, is to open the case up while it's running, and one by one, using your finger in the centre spindle, just stop each visible fan for a second or two.

Alterantively, unplug them but that's trickier. You'll quickly hear where the biggest noise reductions can be made. The smaller the noisier, as a general rule of thumb. Talking of thumbs, don't cut any off inside your PC

Certainly, don't spend money on replacing parts that you think are noisy. Poke around and positively identify the culprits.

 

[N!CK R]

Hmm, sounds like some good advice.
Not too sure about doing it when its still on but it does sound like the best way to identify the noises.
Cheers

 

[Munson]

Don't worry man, just be sensible. The fans aren't powerful, and you're unlikely to do any harm. Don't stop them for long though, especially the CPU fan

Of course, don't just jam your finger in there, or it may smart slightly if it's a high rpm fan

 

[guysy]

Get an Antec p182 Soundproofed bliss. Love it.

 

[Pettsi]

How dusty is it inside?