I want a quiet PC...

[Baz]

...and I want to build one from stratch.

Is this the best case for it? http://www.casetech.co.uk/product_in...roducts_id/635

And what other factors should I take into consideration?

Number of fans?
Type of cooling?

How do I make it quiet whilst being powerful inside?

I've never done anything like this before so any tips would be useful...

[marcus]

All of those things are considerations, it depends upon how quiet you want it to be. Meanwhile take a look here - http://www.quietpc.com

[Kirby]

I think the only reason that case is so deemed so quiet is it's parts, not its build or design.

1. Pentium 4s will run cool and quiet on the stock fan which is pretty decent, it can even handle a certain amount of overclocking too.
2. Get a QuitePC PSU from the link marcus gave, they are pretty good.
3. You can either fit rubber washers to the screws of your HD and CDR mounts or get a rubber cage for the HD which absorbs vibrations. Personally i think the HD is usually the most annoying sound from a PC, especially the high RPM drives which can whine horribly.
4. If you really want loads of case fans, try the Papst range. They are very quiet and do fans with a decent airflow and noise rating - start at about 10db i think.
5. Zalman do a few silent VGA coolers which you can use to cool you graphics card with no fans.

Even most of the people that overclock dont need the 10ft CPU fan and 39 case fans that they seem to have.

[NeilMcRae]

PSU, fans and discs are the key considerations.

Neil.

[Shimmyhill]

My watercooling rig was sub 18db.

Psu, HDD, northbridge fan, case fans - its much more expensive to silence a pc but worth it !

I recommend Papast fans (dont buy the hype about panaflos + other so called quiet fans, i have dozens of quiet fans that are very noisy. Papst are defi better and worth the money) I also ran them on rheostats to lessen the noise even more.

Samsung + seagate hdd's are by far the quietest - but a quiet drive will never be as quick as the ol Wester digi/ maxtor 8mb noise polluters.

Powersupply wise id recommend a FSP psu with a 120mm fan in it, very quiet - much quieter than the old Antec + enemax so called quiet psu's i had b4.

As for the case itself the Antec Sonatta is a blinder, pre installed matting and a 120mm case fan. a 120mm fan at the same DB rating as a 80mm is nearly half as quiet as its a much less whiny sound.

Good luck !

[Ian(not Ian)]

Get yourself a Shuttle Barebone kit from Overclockers.co.uk
Quiet as a mouse mine is (P4 3GHZ HT) with ATI 9600 PRO graphics.
The main fan is about the size of a two bob bit!
Delivered next day.

Pricey mind you.

[Afterbirth]

You can also buy material coverings for hard drives and so forth to stop virbations against the case. A cheap method is to use Rockwool to insulate sound from inside the case, although you have to watch your heat. Low noise Fans are normally low power consumers too, so ensure they provided adaqute cooling.

[andy572]

As I finally have the funds for what'll be a huge upgrade (from a P2-350!) and having read around regarding the possibilities, Baz, I can tell you that the case is absolutely silent.

Just like any other, in fact!

The Sonata is still likely to be my choice (and I really want something quiet too), but reports from those that have one already say that the noise from the PSU fan is not quiet as the claims would have you believe. That said it is still thought of as being a great case and supply - though on a side note, that price is a little high, compared to most.

Just in case you don't already know, there are grommets included for trying to 'isolate' the drives from the case.

Regarding cooling and reducing noise, one potential road for noise-abatement lies in the choice of video card. If you don't need something 'on the cutting-edge', there are still some great-performing cards available that don't require a fan. My own experience with a couple of cards shows that this is one place where a lot of noise can be 'lost'.

Again, if you don't need the very best and keeping the noise down is important, you could look at lower rpm drives. Sure, you're not getting the 'ultimate' performance; but your ears could have a rest!

Hope that helps a little

[Baz]

Thanks for the help everyone.

I've had a look and have come up with the beginnings of a system...

My cart from Overclockers: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/cgi-bi...CTION=SHOWCART

Shuttle Spacewalker XPC SB65G2 Serial ATA Aluminium Barebones System - Intel P4 (FS-021-SH) ?199.00
Intel Pentium 4 2.6GHz (800FSB) with HT Technology - Retail (CP-025-IN) ?112.50
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 120GB 7200RPM ATA100 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-005-SE) ?54.90
Sony DWU-14A 4x DVD?RW ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-010-SO) ?72.00
Hercules 3D Prophet All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro 64MB (AGP) - Retail (GX-013-HE) ?99.90
Kingston HyperX 512MB (2x256MB) DDR PC2700 (KHX2700K2/512) CAS2.0 Dual Channel Kit (MY-005-KS) ?74.00

Subtotal ?612.30
VAT ?107.16
Total ?719.46


Would this be a good set of components to get? What other things would I need to get my computer up and running? Go on, tell me... what've I missed?!

Dunno if the parts work well with each other - was hoping for your help!

I want to be able to put my existing videos onto dvd or vcd.
Play DVDs off the hardrive on a TV.
Play music from the computer through an amp.

I have a mouse, keyboard and monitor already, but no real idea how to build a PC.

[Fragmaster]

You may need some IDE cables, depending on whether they come with any of the components... (does the Shuttle case come with PSU, and motherboard?)

If it does come with the motherboard then check that your RAM will work to its full extent (dual channel).

Other than that it looks fine! (solid hdd there m8)

edit: also though if your looking to save a bit of cash, check if there is a computer fair around near you, maybe you could knock ?50-?100 off that total...

Cheers!

[superkully]

Shuttle **** comes with _everything_. Even the thermal grease for the top of the CPU! EDIT: One thing of which there is no mention, the PSU might make a clicking sound when the computer is switched off but on at the mains, this is OK (as Shuttle and overclockers tell me).

Why not go for the Crucial memory of the same speed, Baz? It's a bit cheaper. EDIT: Go for one 512MB stick, that'll leave you with one spare slot for the future, the shuttle can take having just one slot filled. Oh, and when you get it go into the BIOS and set the performance options to 'Turbo' it comes set as 'Optimal' which doesn't stretch **** as much as it could.
EDIT: Oh, and a mate of mine had problems with the BIOS not liking not having a FDD installed (not your model though) so I'd bear that in mind.

Oh, and I'd (personally) recommend against isolating the HDD from the chassis with rubber grommets, HDDs themselves get quite hot nowadays and they disipate heat through it's holder. You'll probably be fine with the grommets but...

[Fragmaster]

Or an alternative to seperating the HDD is to get the fans that fit in one of the drive bays under the HDD's and CDROM's to cool them

Oh and also, Crucial may be cheaper but I know for a fact that the Kingsom Dual Channel sticks perform slightly better, though it is up to you!

[superkully]

Damn! I would have gone for the kingston RAM just before christmas if I'd known that (it looks cooler too).

The inside of a Shuttle case is super packed, there would be no room for that extra fan... or a spare drive bay...

I've always thought the best bet for a quiet system was to have a huge case and a massive fan which then only needed to turn relatively slowly to circulate the air...?

[Fragmaster]

Yeah myself, I do not like the Shuttle case, I prefer a small server case or a very large desktop case, because as you said, the air circulates much better which is vital to a smooth running system.

Although, I have heard a few good things, though I would never use it, if you think its suitable for your new PC mate that is all that matters.

[Freddo]

little tip with regard to hard drive mounting, instead of using the supplied hard drive bays, get some elastic ( like you would use for sewing or whatever, i nicked mine out of my mums sewing box ) and string it between the cd bays, so you get a support for your hard drives then mount them in here.

that way the hd is making no contact with any metal surfaces and any vibrations caused end there.

I'll take some pictures and post them later so you can see what I mean.