most silent case so far - June 2017

[sally_91]

I know this question gets asked a lot. I wish there was a database where each "silent case" was tested and rated. But I can only go off by other people's experiences.

Anyway

My budget is under $180.
My motherboard is a Micro ATX.

I'm looking to make my home studio as silent as I can make it starting with my computer.


Thanks

 

[13thmonkey]

how much power do you actually need? that's where to start, would a NUC suffice? There are silent cases, with massive passive rads connected by heat pipes to important components, but they are pricey and fiddly.

Nail down your purpose and therefore power requirements and then work on how to make it silent.

 

[sally_91]

I have a PCI sound card installed. It has 2 boards to it, and has connections going out the back. So I think that's a negative on an NUC.

My specs right now are:
GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H rev. 1.0 motherboard
700 watts PSU

I'll be putting in 3 SSDs at the minimum.

I'm not sure how to go about finding how much power is needed.

:::EDIT:::
I used coolermaster's calculator and did a rough estimate:

Load Wattage: 180 W
Recommended PSU Wattage: 230 W

 

[13thmonkey]

I meant power more colloquially, however...

You could get a fanless PSU (available up to about 450W), or get a PSU that doesn't use it's fan until it needs to. At 700W if yours has such a fan you'll be fine.

What GPU are you using? Can you go passive or even igpu.

What CPU are you using? the lower wattage CPUs are obviously better.

The best way to go silent, is to pick appropriate components and a quiet case.

Case wise, what you are really looking for is the ability to hold 140mm fans, and balance speed vs qty, now if you can get away with 2x140mm fans, 1 in 1 out, and having then running at 600-800 rpm then you'll be fine. I'm liking Fractal defines, others don't.

From a cooling point of view, a very large air cooler, with a 140/120mm fan, and again set the profile so it ticks over is great.

These guys have great selections. https://www.quietpc.com/components

However, a better solution might just be to put it in a different space? and just have the cables coming through. How silent do you want it?

 

[sally_91]

GPU: Intel HD Graphics
CPU: i5 3570

I have a bedroom with a closet, but the configuration of the computer desk needs to be in the middle of the room, towards the rear wall.
I'd like it to be as silent as possible. I'll be recording with a condensor microphone which are known to pick up the sound in a room.

 

[13thmonkey]

What PSU?

What do you already have?


This might help give you options.
https://www.custompcguide.net/top-6-most-silent-computer-cases-for-quiet-computing/

Your noise sources, will be GPU (not issue for you), CPU HSF (so choose carefully), PSU & case fans in order of decreasing loudness.

Damping panels might help (see the link in the previous email).

 

[sally_91]

PSU: Xtreme Gear H700

Fans: Rear: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Top: 140mm (I just checked, and it's not even spinning, so ahh)

What do you mean by set the profile so it ticks over? Also what is HSF?


Thanks for these super in depth answers by the way.

 

[13thmonkey]

OK, the water cooling might be louder than a good air cooler, (HSF=Heat Sink Fan).

Your gigabyte board will come with the ability to control fan speeds, (and the AIO pump speed).

I doubt the PSU will be an issue.

There are not many case reviews over the last 2-3 years really, I think that fractals are nice, nanoxia is good, slientium also good. It's then a matter of managing fan speeds.

If you already have a case, just try this with yours and see if you can get close enough to what you need.

 

[the nerd 389]

I've got a computer built on the Fractal R5 with a Noctua NH-D15. It achieves about 18 dBA, but that's close enough to the noise floor of my meter that it's hard to say what the exact level is.

I should note that with this setup, the rear fan had to be disabled in order to achieve those levels. An alternative is to replace the rear fan with a be quiet! Silent Wings 3, and run it at about 300 RPM. With that CPU, you don't need much more than that in terms of airflow unless you're overclocking.

If that still doesn't give you the levels you need, you can replace the cooler fans and the front fan with the SW3s. Also, if this is the case, please let me know what mic you're using. It would need a ridiculously low noise floor for the computer's noise to come into play.

Lastly, it's unlikely that the computer will be the dominant source of noise. Usually, the AC, lighting, transformers, and outside noise all contribute more than that build will. That's the case with my setup, and it's operating in a windowless room with brick walls, a low velocity HVAC system, and basic fluorescent lighting.

 

[sally_91]

OK, the water cooling might be louder than a good air cooler, (HSF=Heat Sink Fan).

Your gigabyte board will come with the ability to control fan speeds, (and the AIO pump speed).

I doubt the PSU will be an issue.

There are not many case reviews over the last 2-3 years really, I think that fractals are nice, nanoxia is good, slientium also good. It's then a matter of managing fan speeds.

If you already have a case, just try this with yours and see if you can get close enough to what you need.

I have a case but it's missing a panel, and I just found out last night that the top fan isn't working.
I'll be getting a new case, but for now, is it okay to run the computer with just 2 fans(back fan, cpu cooler)?

What do you think of "be quiet" cases?

I'll look into the aforementioned companies.

 

[sally_91]

I've got a computer built on the Fractal R5 with a Noctua NH-D15. It achieves about 18 dBA, but that's close enough to the noise floor of my meter that it's hard to say what the exact level is.

I should note that with this setup, the rear fan had to be disabled in order to achieve those levels. An alternative is to replace the rear fan with a be quiet! Silent Wings 3, and run it at about 300 RPM. With that CPU, you don't need much more than that in terms of airflow unless you're overclocking.

If that still doesn't give you the levels you need, you can replace the cooler fans and the front fan with the SW3s. Also, if this is the case, please let me know what mic you're using. It would need a ridiculously low noise floor for the computer's noise to come into play.

Lastly, it's unlikely that the computer will be the dominant source of noise. Usually, the AC, lighting, transformers, and outside noise all contribute more than that build will. That's the case with my setup, and it's operating in a windowless room with brick walls, a low velocity HVAC system, and basic fluorescent lighting.

You said I could replace the cooler fan and the front fan with the SW3s. I'm a little new to changing out computer parts. Do you mean CPU Cooler or the other fans besides the CPU cooler?

At my place, I have 2 windows and birds chirping away in the morning and neighbors using power tools and mowing their lawns. I guess you do what you can.

 

[the nerd 389]

There are two ways to use a fan in a computer. The first is as a cooler fan, where the fan forces air directly through the cooler. The other is as a case fan, where the fan moves air into or out of the case.

When I say "cooler fan," I'm referring to the first type. Anything else is the second type.

When I say front fan, I'm referring to the fan mounted on the front of the case as an intake, located behind the front door of the R5. There are two slots where you could install a fan. The case comes with a fan mounted in one of those two slots.

When I say rear fan, I'm referring to the fan mounted to the back of the case as an exhaust. It's located behind the CPU cooler, right next to the rear IO panel. This is the one I had to disable to achieve sub-20 dBA levels.

When I say cooler fan, I'm referring to any fans that mount directly to the CPU cooler. There may be up to three, depending on what cooler you have. The NH-D15 comes with two. The NH-D15S comes with one. The be quiet! Darl Rock Pro 3 comes with two.

What mic are you using? You may not need to worry about the computer noise as much as you might expect.

Regarding be quiet! cases, they're very good. They're also very expensive for what you get. The best of the be quiet! cases achieve roughly the same noise levels as the R5 when using air cooling. The be quiet! cases are better if you use a water cooler, though.

Regarding PSU noise, be careful. The PSU can easily dominate overall levels if you aren't paying attention in a quiet build. I'd personally recommend the RMx series or a fanless option from Seasonic.

Regarding water coolers, again, be careful. Most are designed with gamers and overclocking in mind, not silence. The only real exceptions to that are custom loops, the x61/x62, and the Celsius S24. Even those are difficult to design a quiet build around, though. Water coolers require you to have a more open case than air coolers. The openness means that noise can radiate from the computer more effectively, thereby negating most of the noise benefits you might otherwise expect.

Regarding the number of fans to run, you only really need one. Two is better, as you don't have to worry if one of them fails on you. The second fan is totally unnecessary for cooling in your build.

UPDATE: For reference, the build I've been discussing on my end uses an i7-4770K and a GTX 770. It also only uses one case fan, and has been running well for several years now.