Very noisy PC

Can't concentrate

[mayor]

I put a second hard disk in my PC and now the power supply fan runs all the time and it's very loud. OSHA would never approve it.

Any suggestions for an easy solution? Maybe a soundproof enclosure if anyone can recommend one.

Maybe an aftermarket powersupply that doesn't need a fan?

Please hurry, I can't think! :)

[Rugles]

I use pillows between me and the CPU.

I know your frustration, as computers became faster they became a whole lot noisier. Sometimes the sound gives me a headache.

[whizkiddo]

try telling Shhhhhhhh sternly, works many times ;)

[mayor]

Thanks Rugles. One pillow and two left-over pieces of carpet have dropped the din to manageable levels. Kind of like rolling up the windows on the freeway with an 18-wheeler at your side, but still annoying. I think I'll have to build a soundproof box.

Whizkiddo, I tried a few choice imperatives but it didn't listen ... not with this renegade fan.

Someone's gonna make a fortune with a truly quiet pc power supply. That means no fan, just proper convection and a few 50 cent heat sinks.

The designers of these noisy power supplies did a SUX job and deserve the blotched-up-design award of the year.

[Ivana]

I have been told that the casing has a lot to say in noise, basically a cheap one will enhance the sound while an expensive will reduce the sound (no offence, I'm not suggesting that yours is a cheap one!).

Also, you should be able to set the fan so that it's not on permanently. Some shops carry cooling gel that you slap on to your devices, typically the CPU, but maybe you can also put it on your harddisk.

Where do you keep the pc? You can get a holder that you attach to your work table so that the PC is 'hanging' directly under your table, instead of on the floor (bad move! The fans will work like litle vacuum cleaners and hoover up any dust) or on top of your desk. Or you could get one of those foamy pads and put it under the pc.

I'm not bothered by my pc's sound, but I used to be. To a certain extent you'll probably get used to the new noise.

[mayor]

I've had this Sony PC for a year and a half.

Until I just added a second hard drive, the power supply never ran except on system boot-up. Once I added the second drive, the noisy fan runs all the time. I presume it senses the current load (which will translate to more heat) and turns on the fan if it's above a threshold.

[chris_f]

Mayor,

Trust me, this works a gem.

Get a cardboard box (cut holes so the leads can come out and you can press the buttons etc..). Remove the case of the machine and place the caseless machine in the cardboard box. This stops the case resonating against the power of the psu.

Just be careful to the kick the machine.

atob,c

[mayor]

Excellent suggestion, chris_f. Not only will the box cut down the noise, but with the sides removed I'll get better air circulation and not have heat build-up in a small area. Then maybe I'll disconnect the fan and just let the power supply cool by convection and dissipation. If it fries, I'll go out an buy a better one.

[Fiver]

some distinct possibilities here
[google.com...]

ran into this issue years ago in PC recording environments. pillows are a big hit in recording studios, but I don't think the sound engineers understand that it's likely the reason their systems blue screen and fry more often.

but that was years ago, pc's built for recording these days usually default to an expensive quiet power supply

[bull]

A german manufacturer produces a fanless power supply with 350 or 420 Watt (via heatpipe and larger cooling surface at the back). Search Google for fanless power supply. But they are rather expensive.