[Odal3]

I have been looking at doing some upgrades to my computer - mainly to reduce the noise but also to get ready for a new build.

I have an old prebuilt machine with an i7 -920. I know - it's ancient-  but it actually still throws some punches and it can be over clocked a lot. I do however keep it at stock speed to keep the temperatures down.

The plan is to eventually replace it and give it to my kids but for now I'm adding some pieces here and there when I come across them at good deals. My focus last year has been low powered silent streamers and computers but I do need a powerful computer as well - it just needs to be quiet.

I got a new seasonic x650 PSU, which has a really nice feature of turning off the fans completely when not under load. Even under load the fans are pretty quiet and it is also has pretty stable voltages.

I also put in a new mid level graphics card for the kids (MSI RX 480 X gaming) that turns off the fans at low load. I rarely like the gaming type of equipment with LEDs, bold looking colors, etc. but the good thing with the gaming versions is that they often have superior heatsinks and fans.

Next up are fans and maybe a case. Do you have any recommendations for a "roomy" but not giant case that has good airflow and is somewhat silent? I don't want to pay too much and I'm neither interested in a case that looks like a space ship.

Also what would be a good cpu fan? I have been looking at the Noctua fans but not sure if I want to invest in one of those for my old mother board cpu socket LGA1366 (unless it would also be compatible with newer mother boards).

Case fans?

If I don't get a new case, are there any recommended diy mods for sound dampening such as adding foam to panels, etc.?

[gnostalgick]

I've always liked the looks & build of Fractal Design products.  I'm planning on putting my system in a Node 605 at some point, as its one of the smallest HTPC cases that accepts full size ATX mobos & GPUs.  I know they have other cases that are specifically designed for silent operation.

Also check out BeQuiet! cases from Germany; they seem to be very well reviewed.

[glynnw]

No fans, please.  I spent WAY too much time fooling with them and finally going to a fanless case.  While not state of the art, I am happily using a NUC in a fanless Akasa case.  Dead quiet and dependable.  Using a microRendu takes computer noise out of the equation. But I admit a custom PC might still yield higher sound quality  (I know, I know - there is ALWAYS a way to improve things, but I've settled).  Anyway, IMHO no fans and you will be happier.

[kingdeezie]

If you are going to add case fans, you should look into Noctua fans. They are ugly for sure, but they move a good amount of air quietly. I have six located on my gaming PC that I built, and it runs silent. Silent at least, until you start playing a game, and the video card cooler (not Noctua) kicks on.

[sonicxtc]

While you may aim to renovate your current computer and processor, if you are looking for a relatively powerful computer that is quiet, you might check out an Intel NUC. I have a stock unit (with a fan) and it is extremely quiet; quiet enough that the very minimal noise is not a distraction as a music server in my audio room. And, there are variants that can be placed in a fanless case. There are even companies that specialize in custom building NUCs. A stock unit is quiet, relatively affordable and fairly powerful. I'm far from a computer expert, but that's my 2 cents. Good luck.

[randytsuch]

Is this PC for audio only?

audio doesn't take much horsepower, so you could use a NUC, or build something that is passively, or mostly passively cooled.

Like I'd use a linear PS into a Pico to power the PC.  Silent, and will sound better than a standard PC PS.

In my audio PC, the only fan I have is for the processor heatsink.  With just one fan, and using only SSDs, its pretty quiet.

[Odal3]

Thanks all for the input!

gnostalgick  - Thanks for the tips - will check out those cases!

glynnw - I really like small form factor and fan less options. The NUCs looks like a great product for many user cases. I looked at them many times in the past, but didn't have a need at the time. I'm currently using a Raspberry Pi for movies as well as an audio streamer and the fan less, quiet and low power solution is great. If I needed some more power in the living room, a NUC would be high on the list. For the computer I'm asking about I need more power for extended periods (= heat) so unfortunately fans will be needed. BTW: The Akasa case looks really neat!

Kingdeezie - I'm curious to learn more about the Noctua. I keep reading that they are really good for keeping things cool. Six!!!? Which ones do you have and what kind of case do you use?

sonicxtc - Another good suggestion. Thank you! Most of the ones that are quiet looking doesn't look to be powerful enough for what I intend to use them for plus I need room for 1-2 optical drives, a big-sized graphics card plus several TB of drive space (I currently have 2 mechanical drives in it plus a SSD for the OS - not counting a separate server I have in the basement). I saw that there is a really powerful NUC with a high end processor (i7-6770HQ) but it is also quite expensive and doesn't fit all my needs. I'm also wondering about heat and noise when running at 100% for longer periods.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3045374/hardware/hands-on-with-intels-skull-canyon-nuc-the-most-powerful-game-ready-mini-pc.html

Randytsuch - Good question. I probably should have clarified that in my first post. This computer will not be in my main listening area but be the do it all solution (audio, video editing/rendering, transcoding videos, mathematical simulations, gaming rig, internet browsing, etc.) on the second floor in my house. So yes, it will be used as an audio source, and needs to be pretty quiet when listening or doing minor things, but it also needs to be a workhorse to do CPU intensive tasks.

It will also be standing next to a desk so no need for a small case. I have been thinking of getting rid of it several times to only go low power solutions (and I have a few others such as a chromebook which are great for browsing, a few RPIs as mentioned above, as well as a few laptops), but I keep needing a more powerful computer on a regular basis.

I like the setup you have with the single fan on the CPU. I'm looking for something that stays cool enough like that with only a fan set to low RPM on the CPU when doing minor things, but also have a few more fans (still as silent as possible) that kicks in when needed.

[randytsuch]

This is my go to site for looking for quiet PC information

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

information on quiet fans.

fans and hdd's are the main noise sources.

[Peter J]

FWIW, the last three desktops I've built, I put a huge heat sink on the processor and a single big quiet exhaust fan on back of case pulling from front. Last two have been Antec cases, 182 and 280. Lots of room in these things.

Things aren't nearly as active on http://www.silentpcreview.com/ a they once were, but still good info there.

These might also be helpful:

http://www.quietpcusa.com/Default.aspx

https://www.endpcnoise.com/

[Odal3]

This is my go to site for looking for quiet PC information

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

information on quiet fans.

fans and hdd's are the main noise sources.

Thanks for the link! That site has a lot of good info - I have been learning a lot.

PeterJ - Will check out those sites as well. Will check them out!!

[Mike-48]

Another good source of quiet computers:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/serenity.php

I bought one from them in late 2010. I am still using it. It makes less noise than my fluorescent desk lamp.

When I had trouble in 2014 (and it was out of warranty), Puget replaced the motherboard at n/c.

If I were buying today, I'd go fanless, but even with fans, this is very, very quiet. I could not have built one myself that was so quiet.

So if you're having someone build it for you, I can recommend Puget.

[Phil A]

I got a Serenity from them about 6 months back.  Very quiet

[Odal3]

Thanks for the info. Been enjoying reading up on silent configs

Noticed that the PSU used on the Serenity build is the same one as I bought recently.

[Odal3]

I have been enjoying reading up and learning about silent builds.

Here's a good comparison of CPU coolers (slightly dated but still OK) https://us.hardware.info/reviews/6190/29-cpu-coolers-reviewed-tested-using-our-latest-method
In addition to the massive Noctua CPU coolers, the Thermalright True Spirit 140 power also looks promising (still big and not sure if it will fit my case)

The only problem is that while reading up on how to best optimize noise vs good air-flow, the "upgrade bug" started to kick in so now I'm no longer sure if I should rebuild a new system from scratch

[JohnR]

A while back, a friend of mine put a computer on top of a shelf in the basement and drilled a hole in the floor for the video and keyboard cables. You wouldn't even need the latter these days.

Which is, I guess, a prelude to wondering aloud about a remote desktop type of solution.

[skunark]

For fans, go for the 4-pin PWM type, they will be your best option for silence as the only time i hear them is on boot or using all cores for several minutes.   Almost all cases come with 3-pin fans, so this will be an additional cost, but a very easy upgrade if your motherboard supports it , which most do.  (review the bios and OS settings).    As for the CPU fan, there are several reviews out there and they almost always point you to the Cool Master Hyper 212 EVO for best in performance, also it's one of the cheapest and most silient cpu coolers out there.   

List of the tried and true CPU fan, plus the PWM fans i'm currently using.   
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/PZM6Ps

I also tossed in the case i'm using Corsair Carbid Quiet 600Q, it's might be on the large size, but the space behind the motherboard is worth it as it allows for unobstructed airflow from the front to the back of the case.   I needed the two 5.25" drive bays since i use this maching to rip CDs, but my next build will use the Corsair Air 740. 

I do think minimizing the number of fans, using the largest sized PWM (4-pin) fans that will fit in the case is important.   Also just because a case fan says it's 140mm, it could be 120mm fan disquised as a 140mm fan so do shop around.

[Odal3]

A while back, a friend of mine put a computer on top of a shelf in the basement and drilled a hole in the floor for the video and keyboard cables. You wouldn't even need the latter these days.

Which is, I guess, a prelude to wondering aloud about a remote desktop type of solution.

Putting a computer in a different room and drilling holes for cables has actually crossed my mind    But, unfortuately it won't work in the current position since I have the computer on the second floor.

I do have a separate media server that I also loaded some other things on, but I never fully explored true remote desktop solutions (other than some terminal or web-interfaces).

[Odal3]

Skunark - thanks for the suggestion. I will check them out. I also need 1-2 CD/DVD/BR drives.

[Odal3]

Forgot to mention that a somewhat less noisy keyboards also helps a bit - especially if you have other people in the room. I have been on the hunt a long time for a good typing keyboard and wasn't able to find anything that I liked - was either not comfortable to type on, too flimsy, too loud tapping sound, to some really ugly looking mechanical gaming keyboard that was anything except silent.

Then I randomly came across the Corsair Strafe RGB silent so I bought it to just try it out, and I have been more than pleased. It's one of the purchases I wish I had done a long time ago.
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/strafe-rgb-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-cherry-mx-silent

It's a mechanical keyboard so it still makes noise, but it uses Cherry MX silent switches that reduces the tapping noise dramatically. Much better than the really loud “clickity-clack” normally associated with mechanical keyboards. But you can't really call it silent - less noisy is a better description. One reviewer summarized it as: "The high-pitched clicks that you typically hear from a mechanical keyboard have been reduced to a dull thud." Here are three "more silent" keyboards compared and as you can hear - still makes some noise but not too bad at all if your typing style doesn't bottom out the keys.

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

It is designed as a gaming keyboard, but I find it really comfortable to use for non-gaming use- much much better than all the logitech ones I have had at home or at work. It's super fast to type on. Even my wife who usually don't care about stuff like this, commented without asking how nice the new keyboard is. Note that if you have never used a mechanical keyboard before it might take a little bit of time to get used to since the actuation is different.

Something that I didn't really care for when I purchased it was the backlighted keys that could be programmed in all sort of color schemes or effects with different settings for every single key that gamers like to show off their rigs with (you can even make the lights look like a moving pacman or tetris). That annoying and distracting stuff is not for me, but you can customize the keyboard however you want to and even download pre-configured profiles that use subdued colors which actually makes it really nice to use. With the right light settings it doesn't scream gaming keyboard at all- it actually looks OK.

Only downside I can find with the keyboard is that it is not wireless but I don't mind the cable too much. It is also really heavy since it has a metallic backplate but that is more a plus for me since I don't move it around.

It sells for $160 on Amazon so it's rather expense but you can often find it on sale for closer to $100. There is also another one with only red LED that is cheaper but I recommend the RGB version since it comes with a wrist-rest and as mention above it can be made to look rather nice.

So to sum it up - not exactly silent but surely a very comfortable keyboard that doesn't sound too much.