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Ha ha.. The only reason i started using thinkpads 15 years ago
but if you get i7 p72 series or similar, man, you will hear it 
loud and clear hahaha
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The only concern with a very heavy coolers is when you buy preassembled computer and assembler does not ship it properly. Many of them place expanding foam packaging bags inside PC prior to shipping, and they need to be removed by buyer later. It's not an issue when computer is not kicked and dropped like during shipping. Also most of decent CPU coolers are not that heavy to begin with.
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i think i can manage to get i9-10900K system that can render descent 3D at less than 1K, dont dream it with a brand name system, its going to be like 3-5X fold. and dont dream its going to be silent (100W+ TDP). at 2K+ i can get flashy gaming machine already with the F1-like seat.
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The car type of sound deadening mats applied to the case panels can also be effective.
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if space is not issue, you can find some cases where you can place MBs horizontally.
This is that I got a long time ago and now able to accommodate two PCs
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-computing/21-or-amdintel-under-same-hood/
So the million dollar question: how much?
I paid just below RRP price for a new one - around U$D 150 -
The car type of sound deadening mats applied to the case panels can also be effective.
But in the end these are just bodges to mask a bad design and it will never be really good. I went this route before myself and in the end it is better to just buy a system which has been designed from the ground up to be quiet. -
I have an i7 desktop, and did the following against noise:
0. I used only parts with controlled speed for fans, everywhere: in motherboard/case/processor cooler, graphic card and power source.
1. Filled all the case fan places with ordinary fans, but powered at 7V instead of 12V (they are connected between the +5V and +12V instead of GND and 12V<- may be a very bad idea, in case of a fan short-circuit or a sensitive power supply, at least put a fuse in series with the fans, a fan speed controller would be the proper way to reduce the RPM). All six of them. For my setup, the reduction of case fans voltage from 12 to 7 was the most significant change to silence the whole box. Would have been nice to put Noctua low noise fans instead of no-name, but they were way more expensive, and the no name doesn't make audible noise when inside the case and powered at only 7V.
2. Use a huge radiator with two big Noctua fans on it. The key element here is the very silent Noctua made fans, helped by a huge radiator. I think the processor cooler was Noctua NH-D15. If you order that, make sure it fits in your case, not any case can fit a NH-D15.
3. I taped 5mm thick flame retardant foam inside all the walls of the metallic case. This helped a little, too, especially with the noise from a few HDDs that are still in use for storage, the OS should be hosted on a SSD.
4. Order the most powerful and expensive power source you can afford.
5. Another important noise source is the graphic card. You probably won't need one, but if you get one, read reviews and buy only brands that publish the noise level in the specs.
In day to day use, I can not hear the computer. It can be heard only when the fans speed up during heavy 3D video games, or during Gentoo compilations when all the 8 processor cores goes 100% busy. -
connected between the +5V and +12V
Stick a needle into the motor and see what happens to your motherboard
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last time i tried to get 7V this way the PSU shut down but it was years ago.
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I'm piecing my system together on PCpartpicker, and, when I picked the micro, it didn't state it came with a heat sink, so I assumed I needed to buy one seperatly.
As someone stated, if something is 25db (or dBa?), and add another 25db to it, I don't get 50??? Sound pressure was/is confusing for me, and none of it really sunk in.
Also, many have mentioned price, and buying a computer for under $1200. The i7 9700 is $370, RAM (I forgot the price, but let's assume) $300, a graphics card is $300 - $400, MB another $300, hard drives are $120 or so each, a case is easily $120.
I assume I don't need a sound card because the MB has one already?
As for a graphics card, I was unaware MB's have them onboard, however, wouldn't using an onboard graphics card steal resources from the micro? I'd like to be able to watch videos while rendering 3D graphics or whatever; or even have the ability to run something like Solidworks while a PCB program so I can place the PCB into a case model.
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The MB should have a sound card. The "graphics card" (or GPU) is in the CPU.
Maybe you first could try without a graphics card and see if it works. If it doesn't
work then you can upgrade later. -
If I go with or without a graphics card, do I need to change a setting on the MB to tell it not to use it's micro to run the graphics?
I think my final question (although I had a few in my previous post) is: do I need a MB with a combination of PCI slots (1, 4, 8, 16, etc...) or just go with PCI 16, and how many?
The MB's have many terms I'm unfamiliar with, so I'm uncertain what is essential, and what is a waste. I know ECC is an option, but doesn't seem I need it. -
connected
Stick a needle into the motor and see what happens to your motherboardbetween the +5V and +12V
Fair enough, strikethrough the text in my previous post. Even with a fuse in series with the fans, something might still go wrong and bamboozle the power supply. The proper way to dial down the RPM of case fans will be a fan controller. -
I have an i7 desktop, and did the following against noise:
My Dell system stays quiet even when at 100% load (the Xeon in it has a TDP of 120W).
In day to day use, I can not hear the computer. It can be heard only when the fans speed up during heavy 3D video games, or during Gentoo compilations when all the 8 processor cores goes 100% busy.
Another problem I have found with GPUs is that you can't run them full power with the stock cooling system. There is just no way you can get enough air through fins with form factor limitations of a PCI card (even when using 2 slots). I used a GPU for crypto mining a couple of years ago. Mounting a huge fan on top of the graphics card and add ducting so the air is forced outside the case doubled the crypto mining performance but I still wasn't getting the maximum performance for the GPU on the graphics card (75% or so IIRC). -
Well, you could use LM317 with a pot. Anything
I have never done that 7V trick and never will precisely because of the firework potential if the fan shorts out for whatever dumb reason.
The tacho signal probably won't work correctly either if you try to feed it to the onboard fan monitor. -
I'm piecing my system together on PCpartpicker, and, when I picked the micro, it didn't state it came with a heat sink, so I assumed I needed to buy one seperatly.
Some do, some don't.QuoteAs someone stated, if something is 25db (or dBa?), and add another 25db to it, I don't get 50??? Sound pressure was/is confusing for me, and none of it really sunk in.
All "dB" scales are logarithmic based on power ratios - the letter(s) after giving the reference power level (so for dBa or dB SPL the reference is 20 micropascals = 0 dB SPL).
Doubling power adds log10(2) x 10 = 3dB; thus two 25dB sources added together would equal 28dB (ish, sources like fans are directional so it's not quite straightforward to add them).QuoteAlso, many have mentioned price, and buying a computer for under $1200. The i7 9700 is $370, RAM (I forgot the price, but let's
assume) $300, a graphics card is $300 - $400, MB another $300, hard drives are $120 or so each, a case is easily $120.
I assume I don't need a sound card because the MB has one already? As for a graphics card, I was unaware MB's have them onboard, however, wouldn't using an onboard graphics card steal resources from the micro? I'd like to be able to watch videos while rendering 3D graphics or whatever; or even have the ability to run something like Solidworks while a PCB program so I can place the PCB into a case model.
No, you won't need a separate sound card. Modern CPUs have graphics integrated and, yes, they share system resources such as memory - but, no, running a 3D render would not actually stop you playing a video (it might drop some frames at worst). -
I assume I don't need a sound card because the MB has one already?
if you have a nasty habit of requiring 5.1 output to boobastics soundbar or can hear the difference of sound through pure copper vs copper plated aluminium cables with or without some nicely spaced and shaped ferrite beads or wood along the cable, then you'll need a dedicated soundcard.As for a graphics card, I was unaware MB's have them onboard, however, wouldn't using an onboard graphics card steal resources from the micro? I'd like to be able to watch videos while rendering 3D graphics or whatever; or even have the ability to run something like Solidworks while a PCB program so I can place the PCB into a case model.
built-in graphics card comes with dedicated GPU on the MoBo (now is CPU built-in). it has basic and limited functionalities such as simple 2D drawing or even maybe simple 3D operations, limited GRAM etc. you may watch movie with it and do Word or Excel, but when it comes to heavy 3D like game or CAD, it will use soft-calculation (and the PC-RAM when the small internal GRAM filled up very quickly with complex model), ie in your CPU, and sw-3d is nowhere near hw-3d operation performance, you'll experience bad lag even running a single Solidwork alone. even with dedicated GPU card with lots of RAM and GPU speed, some CAD like Inventor have a funny view mode that i guess no GPU/OpenGL/DirectX can support it, hence it will use its own sw-3d operations, so a high performance CPU will be required as well.
Fair enough, strikethrough the text in my previous post. Even with a fuse in series with the fans, something might still go wrong and bamboozle the power supply. The proper way to dial down the RPM of case fans will be a fan controller.connected
Stick a needle into the motor and see what happens to your motherboardbetween the +5V and +12VWell, you could use LM317 with a pot. Anything
its funny when there are $1 buck convertors in fleabay like candies, people still want to risk $1K system.
in your Dell system? its fun isnt it? doing the mod.I have an i7 desktop, and did the following against noise:
My Dell system stays quiet even when at 100% load (the Xeon in it has a TDP of 120W).
In day to day use, I can not hear the computer. It can be heard only when the fans speed up during heavy 3D video games, or during Gentoo compilations when all the 8 processor cores goes 100% busy.
...I used a GPU for crypto mining a couple of years ago. Mounting a huge fan on top of the graphics card and add ducting so the air is forced outside the case doubled the crypto mining performance...
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Coincidentally this mod was in a Dell system but not my daily driver; just an excess Xeon workstation I acquired a long time ago. Needless to say I banished the system from my office while it was mining cryptocurrency due to the noise. I placed it in the room where we hang the laundry to dry; that seemed like an excellent spot to put an extra heat source during the winter....I used a GPU for crypto mining a couple of years ago. Mounting a huge fan on top of the graphics card and add ducting so the air is forced outside the case doubled the crypto mining performance...
in your Dell system? its fun isnt it? doing the mod. -
Currently I have the below spec PC, mostly for productivity and occasional gaming.
I do want my PC to be quiet as possible and I couldn't be happier with this combination. Generally I don't know if the PC is on when I'm in the room. Graphics card and CPU are rarely challenged, plenty of space in the case for expansion and it looks classy with no gamer or water cooling nonsense.
i5 8400 CPU 2.8ghz standard auto boost 4.1ghz
GTX 1060 3GB gigabyte OC version
TCsunbow 240gb SSD
Cooler master hyper 212 evo CPU cooler
Evga 600W power supply
Corsair vengeance 3000mhz 2x4gb RAM
Gigabyte Z370P LGA 1151 motherboard
Case is Fractal Design Define R4
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Have you considered some HDMI and USB extenders to move the PC to a location where low noise isn't as important?
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Modern built in sound is good, you don't pick up the digital hum and a decent motherboard has multichannel sound
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Have you considered some HDMI and USB extenders to move the PC to a location where low noise isn't as important?
Well, you can't extend USB3 a lot so this plan is not going to work. -
If I go with or without a graphics card, do I need to change a setting on the MB to tell it not to use it's micro to run the graphics?
The BIOS will have a setting to configure which display is the primary and whether to enable or disable built in graphics.
I think my final question (although I had a few in my previous post) is: do I need a MB with a combination of PCI sQuotelots (1, 4, 8, 16, etc...) or just go with PCI 16, and how many?
I doubt you will have a lot of choice in PCIe slot arrangement unless you pay a lot more. Unless I have a specific need, I look for boards which have more slots which usually means a pair of x16 slots, a x4, and some x1 slots.
I always end up using the slots also. My workstation has a dual port 10/100 Ethernet card (PCI), another gigabit Ethernet card, a serial and parallel port card (PCI), and a hardware RAID controller.QuoteThe MB's have many terms I'm unfamiliar with, so I'm uncertain what is essential, and what is a waste. I know ECC is an option, but doesn't seem I need it.
I consider ECC mandatory if I am doing real work and not just gaming or viewing media.
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Everyone seem to be only concerned with db rating of the fan, but quality of sound has a lot to do with how you'd perceive it as well. That is, some people are more sensitive to certain frequencies, certain waveforms, and certain energy distributions. (spectrum) I have a medical condition that makes me particularly sensitive to certain kinds of sound. It will drive me absolutely insane and triggers severe anxiety. So this is an important topic for me. My A/C system (off topic) is specially installed and engineered to reduce noise. I barely hear it.
I have a Dell T20 server (using as a desktop) and it is nearly silent. It has two fans. I also have a mini desktop type. They are even more quiet. On the other hand, Dual Xeon Precision 5600 is a jet engine. My T20 is a lowly dual core machine running Linux. It is fast enough for what I do. More powerful CPU you use, more power it will dissipate, and more cooling is required. That usually means large fan pushing lots of air. Smaller the cabinet, smaller the diameter of fan, needing it to turn fast, and it makes a nice jet engine.
I have no found any scientific way to do this. Noctura fans are quiet. But you have to be mindful of what's behind it. Place a bundle of wire or other obstacles, you'd hear whistling noise. Larger and slower turning fans are quieter than smaller and faster turning fans. There are industrial PCs that do not have any fans. But there are usually zero expandability.
Yes, I hear your pain! -
Noctura fans are quiet.
Also ugly and expensive
There are other brands with good reputation too, but I don't remember now, I haven't been buying fans for a while.