[jaspal kallar]

Hi

For me a computer transport needs to be quiet since it will reside in my living room of my apartment which otherwise is very quiet.


Which of the Apple Laptops (that includes G4 models) are the most quiet in terms of fan and hard drive noise?


I suppose I need at least 160 GB hard drive space although 250GB + would be ideal. Btw this laptop/computer will only be used as the transport (no background activities like surfacing, photoshop etc...).

Of course I'm looking at the Mac Mini as well (and perhaps to a lesser extent the Imacs) although I want to hold off since there maybe (rumours) of an update in January 2009.

Thanks
  jaspal

[Crimson]

Hello,

There are three sources of noise: hard drive, disc drive, and fan. IMO, hard drive noise is a non-issue as they are very quiet. Disc drive noise is very high on all three machines, but I'm assuming you wouldn't be using the disc drive as a real-time playback device. What one really needs to be concerned about is fan noise. That said, I do not recommend tweaking fan settings (temperature, rpm, etc.) as that can effectively reduce component life. In my experience, the iMac has its fan turn on the least (if at all) during normal operation compared to both the Mini and the MacBook, probably due to its larger form factor. I use an iMac in my music room at about 10' from the listening position and cannot hear it at all. The smaller machines tend to turn their fans on much more frequently, but this may be a non-issue if they are placed where there is adequate ventilation and are only used for streaming.

[Niteshade]

I do extensive work with high performance PC's. Here's some tips:

Some ways to keep her cool n' quiet:
PC's:
1. Use a SS Hard Drive
2. Keep fan bearings lubed
3. Get a computer case that makes sense. (90% of them don't.) Most have poor air flow or have fan openings in the wrong places.
4. Use a video card that's convection cooled
5. Allow the motherboard to control CPU fan speed
6. Keep all vents & ports clean

For MAC's:

Use #1 from above as well as #2 & 6 & 4 if it applies. These can apply to any computer. Laptops are generally quiet IF you keep the cooling vents unclogged. There's not much you can do about optical drive whine. If you're talking about power supply noise and USB devices, then get a hub that's powered and try that.

PC's have more flexibility in the hardware and software realms. I still like MAC's, but always thought of them as office computers.

[Mariusz]

If money is no object:
MacBook Air with Solid State Drive.
It doesn't come with the Super Drive ($99 for matching external Drive)
and it is optimized for " super extended" battery life and super quiet operation.
If noise and battery life is important to you, Air just might be the ticket.

.........and it sounds great as a source with my RWA preamp/DAC.
Storage for the music library - NAS LaCie 1T network drive.

Mariusz

[jaywills]

FWIW, I've got a 2.66 and a 3.06 iMac & they're both whisper quiet.  Good luck.  Cordially,

[sbrtoy]

I use a Macbook (white plastic case not the newer aluminum) and it is pretty much dead quiet unless you have several applications open and really tax it.  Using only iTunes it never runs the fan, and I have an external drive as the storage source so I never hear disc noise.

The mini is very quiet as well, but not as quiet as the Macbook, my wifes iMac is silent 90% of the time but disc noise IMHO is more audible than on a laptop.

[toocool4]

Like Mariusz said MacBook Air is the quietest of the lot, if you take the Solid State Version that would mean it has no moving parts to generate noise. The down side is you can have a maximum drive space of 128GB and a high price tag in comparison to other Mac’s.

Chris

[Thol]

I agree with sbrtoy about the MacBook. Very quiet until it gets really busy with heavy work and then the fan cuts in. This is seldom in my usage, but I'm not designing space ships.

The noisiest has to be my white eMac. Now that does sound like a space ship on the pad. Last of the CRT Macs.

[avta]

I use an older Mac Mini G4. It is silent.

[nathanm]

Macs Mac's