Noisy Computer Fans

[The Linguist]

I just bought a new computer and the fansare incredibly noisy. I googled and got a suggestion to use a 3 in 1 oil, I also saw something about noise reduction foam for lining the case.

Which do you think is best or would you suggest something else?

[IanS]

I just bought a new computer and the fansare incredibly noisy. I googled and got a suggestion to use a 3 in 1 oil, I also saw something about noise reduction foam for lining the case.

Which do you think is best or would you suggest something else?I would steer clear of the 3 in 1 oil for the CPU fan and the PSU fan. Heat and oil are a dangerous mix. Which fan is the noisy one? Or are both noisy? Are they 'faulty'? If so contact the supplier of the computer. Go back and see if other computers are as noisy as yours.

Many other steps come to mind, but I'll leave the list there for the moment.

[extras]

If you serch net, you can buy quiet replacement fan,, fanless powersupply,
fanless CPU cooler, and so on.


I just bought totally silent system.
No fan, no Hdd. (HDD can be used if I wanted..)
Boot from netwark, or from USB compact flash memory.

Coupled with cheep used Dell machine stored away in the basement
to work as a server, I hear only lthe slight noise coming from monitor.

It was relatively easy to set up thanks to Knoppix 3.4 CD.
Just boot from CD and do hdd install, then change a few configurations,
and start Knoppix terminal server.
If I setup WindowsXP or Win2k server, I can run Windows software, too.

Once you get used to silent computing, no way going back to the NOISE pollution! :)

[XJnick]

Hi,

I was tired of hearing all the noise from my case fans (which I have several of). I found if you add a 100 ohm, 1/2 watt or so resistor in series with the fan, it slows it down some and quiets it alot, but the fan still blows alot of air. Just don't try this on your processor fan(s) as the processor needs as much air-flow as possible! :D

[winbyte]

First off how many fans do you have running in your comp? Second, the oil thing is a bad bad thing. First, if any oil drips or gets blown onto any of the boards it can cause shorts and secondly the oil tends to trap dust and that will kill your fans or at the very least make them noisier than ever.

Many people tend to over-fan their computers. A good intake fan at the front of the case and a good exhaust fan at the rear is quite often all that is required. If you overclock your cpu then and only then will you possibly want an extra fan.

Ray, A+ Certified Technician

[satis]

Go with watercooling!

My chick bought me a nice water cooling setup for Valentine's day this year, and though I had some misgivings I installed it. It's quiet, it cools as well (or better) than the loud CPU fan I had previously. My CPU fan was always my loudest. Plus, my water cooler is external to my PC, so all that heat isn't just pulled off the CPU, it's pulled completely out of the case, which cools everything down and thus means I need less case fans (so even more quiet).

Anyway, I know how skitzy people are about water cooling, but if you buy a professional kit it's really not that difficult or dangerous any more.

[extras]

http://www.google.com/search?q=silent+PC&num=50

[winbyte]

Watercooling is excellent and I will never knock the good job that it does. But...

Most people that I know, including hardcare gamers, still dont require super cooling. Too many people are super anal about having tons of fans in their rig. Too many fans in too many WRONG places actually contribute to heat issues by disrupting the proper airflow through the case. This causes swirling inside the case which can and will cause pockets of hot air to become trapped thus causing the problem that we are all trying to avoid. Lots of cases modders throw way too many fancy lit fans to get more light showing but this pimping of the case is not only (usually) gaudy but disruptive.

Common sense has to play a part in this.

[gillcouto]

A good rule-of-thumb is noise is proportional to fan rpm's. Larger fans, running at lower rpm's are the quietest. Some power supplies with 5" or 6" fans running at less than 4000 rpms are very quiet. Tiny cpu and video chip fans running at more than 7000 rpms are more like sirens than cooling fans.

[The Linguist]

Thanks for all the tips... I'm going to open the case and look into it this weekend.