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Some Questions

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  • 10-07-2002 3:51pm
    #1
    Fidelis
    Registered Users Posts: 2,425 ✭✭✭


    Quite interesting stuff happening on this board. I was never really into modding any part of my PC, but after perusing the board for the last week or so, it seems well within my grasp to silence my computer once and for all :)

    I've looked back through the threads for info on different elements of silencing & cooling pc's and I just wanted to get some first hand advice from some of you guys on various components, methods etc.

    My system is as follows:
    ECS K7S5A
    XP-1700 @ 1.43Mhz
    512MB PC2100
    40GB Maxtor @ 7,200rpm
    GF2 Ultra 64MB

    All housed in a Codgen6030 using the supplied 300w PSU.

    There is a hell of alot of noise emanting from the case and I'm fairly certain that the majority of the noise is coming from the fan's on the video card and the CPU. I want to reduce the noise levels from these fans in particular and also to dampen the crunching sound from the HD.

    I was thinking about the SilentDrive enclosure for the HD. Either that or use the Grommet method of suspending the drive, which looks like fun to do aswell :)

    As for the fan's on the video card and the CPU. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know how to build/repair a PC but I know for certain that I'd be afraid of my life to touch the fan assembly's on either the video card or the chip. Is there a knack to getting these fans off without damaging the main components? I'd just be afraid that I'd end up breaking the video card in half while trying to seperate the fan from the board (it is glued on, right?).

    And then for the fans themselves. What size fans do you put on CPU's & video card chips? Is there an established standard? What makes would you guys recommend, I can find out where to buy them from there. I was thinking about this Enermax case fan. From some reviews on the net, it seems like a nice fan with the tri-optional speed setting feature. Would I need anything more than one of these case fans for my PC? All I know is that I'd like my fans to be no louder than 25db if possible. I don't understand this 7v trick so I must read up on it.

    I ran moboprobe there last night and it was giving me all sorts of warnings about voltage and whatnot but I assume it's because I just didn't set the thing up properly. In an idle state, it reported the CPU temp at 34 C and Aux1 (whats that?) temp of 42C. I'm not going to pretend that I know what temp is good and what is bad and what all the different voltages mean so please go easy on me.

    One final thing: PSU's. Is it dangerous to change these things if you don't know what you're doing? I was thinking of buying a quiet PSU from Enermax or something similar. Would I need anything more than a 300w PSU for my system setup?

    Any views/criticisms on anything I've said are appreciated!
    Thanks in advance.


Comments

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    #2
    BabyEater
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭BabyEater


    To get the fan and heatsink assemble of the video card , just take the card out of your pc put it in a bag and put this bag in the freezer for about 1/2 an hour . Remove card from bag and the heatsink should twist off , with a bit of effort. Another way is clamp the heatsink in a vice and twist the card.
    As for a fan you could put the heatsink and fan you had on your cpu onto your graphics card , and 5v the fan. It is very easy to get off you just need a flat head screwdriver to unclip the heatsink.
    Then for your CPU you could get either a
    PAL8045
    Thermalright’s SLK-800
    Thermalright’s AX-7
    Stick a low noise Panflow and your sorted.
    PSU's are very easy to uninstall/install they are just held by a couple of bolts to your case.

    Hope this helps somewhat i sure other people will have some better ideas tho


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    #3
    TacT
    Registered Users Posts: 4,400 ✭✭✭TacT


    Enermax make quality psu's.
    Yes all of the above will work to quieten down your cpu.
    For a list of all voltage settings etc, refer to your motherboard manual, should also help you get at the cpu to change the fan etc.
    You can cushion your hdds and cd-rom by using some form of rubber and squashing it between the hdd's and the case.
    Do a search for fan switches etc if you want to go the whole hog and have it running say full whack and loud playing games and nice and quiet for your dvd's.
    Dr's advice on removal of your gfx card fan is correct, probably best go with the freezer method, or you could do a gerry and clamp it in the vice and squint your eyes then twist it off ;)
    Best to have a vg fan on the gfx card as it will more than likely be the hottest running component in there, unless you have a crappy cpu fan/sink combo.
    Personally I'm using a fan I took from a cpu cooler which I replaced with the pathetic fan supplied with my hercules card. Just get one that will fit :)


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    #4
    Fidelis
    Registered Users Posts: 2,425 ✭✭✭Fidelis


    1) Is the Enermax 350w worth it for the asking price? Komplett says that it's "silent" but €78 seems steep - €97 for the "no noise" model!
    2) Should the 350w be enough for my setup?
    3) What's a good heatsink? I think I'll just use a Papst sleave bearing fan on a top-of-the-line heatsink.
    4) Would a Papst 8412 NGL 80mm fan @ 1,500rpm be enough to place ontop of my GF2 Ultra? Might I need to stick some heatsinks on the gfx card aswell?
    5) The noise coming from PSU's - is that entirely from the fan in the PSU itself? If that's the case, couldn't I just replace my existing PSU fan with a quiet Papst fan?


    I'm really trying to use these Papst sleave bearing fans where I can (only 12dB each! Although they're €24 a pop :() and use good heatsinks instead of having huge noisey fans. On second thoughts, I think I might order those Papst fans from OC.uk... only STG£13 each.

    Thanks for freezing tip, BabyEater :)


  • Options
    #5
    TacT
    Registered Users Posts: 4,400 ✭✭✭TacT


    1) Yes!
    2) yes even 300 should do the job but if you like get a 400 to leave you in the clear for future upgrade possibilities and hang onto your current psu as a backup.
    3) There are loads of good uns, personally if I was gonna get something nice I'd go for a zalman (google it) the sk6-thermalright is quite the tasty lad, and surprisingly quiet. (you could try a little bit of grease to kill the noise on your current fans though, one drop of sunflower oil could do the trick! schlap bang in the middle under the sticker of your fan) the titan combo's tend to be loud at best, but the one on my pIII1.0ghz is doing a good job cooling it (most I've seen are v.noisy so my advice is to stay away if you want quiet) All the ones Dr recommended are vg and quiet.
    4) Yes indeedy sir! :D
    5) Yes you could but I'm sure it will be quite the bit of hassle to do so depending on your psu, I'd go for the greasing of it, which should quieten it down.


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