Top 5 Tips to Improve Computer Case Noise

46 Responses (Add) | Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 7:45pm

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I’ve asked for your “Top 5″ tips and tricks. We’ve all had problems with loud computer noises at times, so when I got this email I had to share it. Here it is in its entirety:

Hi Chris!
I’ve read that you are always looking for top 5 top tips for various issues, so here are mine.

Like many people, I have my computer located in my bedroom, and like many people, I also have it on 24/7. Now, as you probably know, as the components in a PC get older, they tend to get progressively noisier. This becomes a problem when you’re trying to sleep.

Now, if you don’t have a screwless atx case,a relatively “old” PC like I do, and you have a noisy computer which doesn’t let you fall asleep, here are some tips I’ve gathered along the years to help you diagnose and reduce computer case noise:

Make sure all the screws that hold the drives, motherboard and cards are tight You don’t want them too tight, as you might damage the screws. Also, when you install a drive check all screw holes, it may seem that two screws are enough to hold it in place but most of that “metal rattling” noise comes either from loosely mounted drives, cards or the case’s side lids. If the lids in your case are the “sliding lock” type, make sure they are aligned perfectly and put the screws on the back! I know it’s easier to leave them out if you’re constantly opening your case, but as you do this the lids get looser and eventually there’s that metal rattle again. So keep it tight.

Get a quality power supply. This is usually one of the components where manufacturers cut costs, so stock PSU’s tend to be cheap and noisy. It’s also one of the most critical components in your system, so not only are you’re reducing the noise your computer generates, you’re also reducing the risk of frying it because of a low quality PSU. Believe me, it’s not that uncommon. There’s some great brands out there so just pick a good PSU that suits you, and your wallet. They are a bit more expensive than a generic PSU, but in the long run it’s worth it.

Replace the stock fans on your case. Again, stock case fans on a “regular” PC are as cheap and noisy as they make them. A good low db fan is inexpensive (8-10$ range) and less prone to getting noisier as they age. Also, a neat trick is to put some rubber rings between the fan and the case, as that absorbs some of the vibration that is transmitted.

Check the connectors from your peripherals. This was more common when COM and Serial ports were popular because most of the connectors were plastic cases with screws instead of molded plastic. Some ports in modern computers as VGA and DVI are still “COM like” ports and can buzz when they are loose, so make sure they are firmly inserted and the screws are tight. It’s not that common with USB or Firewire because of the nature of the pin connectors, but some USB ports have a thin metal foil between the connector and the port, and when it’s loose it can sometimes produce some buzz.

Don’t install a giant CPU cooler just because it looks cool. If you aren’t into do serious overclocking with your computer you don’t really need it, and if you do want to overclock and are inexperienced in handling hardware, ask for help from someone who is. When wrongly installed, these “monster” heatsinks can produce some serious buzz and rattle.

That’s it. I know that cases where you have to “screw” everything are becoming a thing of the past, but many people still have them so I hope you find this helpful.

Helder from Portugal

SC_Thor also joined me for this discussion. Who knew he had a PH D in computer case noise reduction? Just kidding, Allan. Here are a few more tips from him:

Use a bigger fan. It will turn slower, but push the same amount of air. This will cause the fan to be quieter.
When buying a new computer, check the dB (Decibles) and the CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute) .
Purchase a fan with a temperature sensor. This sensor will automatically slow down or speed up the fan, depending on the temperature of the computer.
Look into getting Heat Pipes. Heat pipes are self-contained, phase-change cooling devices that take advantage of changes in heat to convert a liquid – called the “working liquid” – into vapor and then back again. When a liquid changes phase to a vapor, the vapor absorbs heat, is transported away from the heat source, and then releases heat when it condenses back into liquid. The heat released is dissipated and the cycle repeats.

There you have it. Not the top 5 tips… more like the top nine or so! Keep sending me your top 5 lists of computer tips and tricks. You never know when yours will end up in a video!

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46 Comments

fr3ak

November 2nd, 2007
at 3:25am

Hi,
I’ve been messing around with my computer these couple of years just to make it quitter. The computer are located in my bedroom as well, so it was hard for me to sleep, if it is still noisy as it was before a few years ago.Most of the suggestions given are a good one. But I would like to add some more.

For the past years trying to make my computer quitter, I have discovered the best method is by going fanless. I recommend using fanless heatsink as much as possible especially on the CPU and GPU and try minimizing the use of fans. These products are normally bigger than usual, so make sure that your case have enough spaces before you buy them. They are also very expensive.

I am still struggling to find the product to minimize the the noise from both my hard drive and optical drive, though. I have bought some rubber casing for those drives, but they are still loud.

I always get asked by my friends these questions to make their computer quiet. I have build some systems in the past, and they are quite satisfy with it. But normally they prefer to spend more in speed of the computer rather than to make it quitter. As I am just using it for word processing, some movies and Internet, quieter system are more for me.

balheka

November 2nd, 2007
at 3:13pm

After I have bought the most expensive silent case on the market, passive CPU cooler, fanless video card, I have took the advice of my grandfather, drilled a hole on the wall between my study and the other room, and by extending the cables I placed the case into the next room. I expected dead silence, but it turned out, that my TFT monitor (pretty new one !) gives out some noise also. Probably I will by some earplugs.. zoltan from behind the iron curtain

mcqualter

November 2nd, 2007
at 11:26pm

this is just about the most pointless video ive ever seen

Tyler S. Miller

November 3rd, 2007
at 3:49am

Braun Pulsonic 9595 Review - Nov 1, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) Xbox Marketplace: Mutant Storm Empire Review - Nov 1, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo)Top 5 Tips to Improve Computer Case Noise - Nov 1, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) Presence Social Network - Twitter, Pownce, and Jaiku - Nov 1, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) How to Turn your Mac into a Haunted Computer

mattsuzanna1992

November 3rd, 2007
at 5:21am

get automated fans, rather than normal fans that spin at one speed forever.

iCHAINSAW

November 3rd, 2007
at 11:45am

1) pc is noisy
2) get over it
3) ????
4) PROFIT!

mtvbaseplayer

November 3rd, 2007
at 6:28pm

golden rule for case fans is draw cool air in from the front and bottom of your case, and have it expelled from the back and top because as you should all know hot air rises….. oh and 120mm fans as and were you can if not get a fan with a potentameter on them that allowes you to turn them down by turning a screw, or buy ones with a sensor that will adjust automatic. follow these simple steps to cool quiet case fun :) darth wicket rulez

macflyfilm

November 3rd, 2007
at 7:04pm

I don’t mean to sound like a fanboy, but my Mac never rattles, it’s very quiet. And it’s a 24″ iMac too. In fact, my external LaCie hard drive, the tiny tiny “Little Big Disk” makes far more noise. It’s so annoying compared to my actual computer, I going to write two scripts to make it eject and mount at certain times, so I won’t have to listen to it all day. PS, bus-powered Firewire 800 LaCie + Time Machine = :)

1r0nm4n911

November 4th, 2007
at 6:07am

…use solid state drives…

Alxjeffs

November 4th, 2007
at 9:06am

lol i just kick my pc lol

DeepFried

November 4th, 2007
at 9:22am

Yep, If you use a high end Graphics card then probably 50% of the noise coming from your computer is the fan on the graphics chip. You can get after market passive (fanless) coolers from companies like Zalman and arctic cooling that will actually cool your Graphics card better than the stock cooler and be completely silent.
Also You can get foam insulation kits to stick on the inside of your computer case panels, these can reduce noise still further. If you look around there are many cases that include sound insulation but you will pay more.

One more thing that anyone can do is to oil the bearings of the Fans in your computer, after fans have been running for a year or more they start to get noisier, oiling the bearings reduces the noise and extends the life of the Fan. Its especially important to oil Graphics card fans, they spin at high speeds so wear out quickly and can sometimes be hard to find replacements for.
So how do you oil the fan bearing? Use a silicon based oil rather than mineral oil, there will be a round sticker on the center of the fan (back side) which when pulled back exposes the bearing, a drop of oil should do, then just put the sticker back.

andrewsvids

November 4th, 2007
at 4:16pm

its the psp nerd

drodgta2

November 5th, 2007
at 12:00am

no ****

Chrijz

November 5th, 2007
at 6:10am

Seasonic M12 or S12 and Corsair HX (they are just modified Seasonics) are the best (quality, quiet and energy-efficient) PSU’s.

mmorales09

November 5th, 2007
at 7:47am

I KNOW HOW TO FIX THE NOISE!! turn off the comp :D duhh

alexisicon

November 5th, 2007
at 9:08am

Turn on the vacuum cleaner

Kaleb34

November 5th, 2007
at 11:03am

lol man that stuff is soooo easy lol. doctoring i have 4 80 mm fans but their low speed and 120 mm PSU fan and oversized CPU heatsink.

chikotube

November 5th, 2007
at 4:15pm

can’t you make ANY external drive (3194/eSATA/USB) power down after a certain idle-time on a mac? Pretty normal thing on a PC.

macflyfilm

November 5th, 2007
at 9:43pm

Yeah true, but the main point I was making is how quiet my 24″ iMac was.

ramsy66

November 6th, 2007
at 1:59am

Why don’t people just switch their PC off during the night? Don’t want to wait 2 mins for it to boot up again in the morning? Lol.

chikotube

November 9th, 2007
at 3:09pm

yeah i’m well impressed with all the thought that goes into their designs. Even though the internal architecture is somewhat limiting for someone like me that goes through constant hardware changes, it is still quite nice looking on the insides of thier machines.

macflyfilm

November 9th, 2007
at 3:16pm

True. Nowadays though, if you get quite a top-end model of one of their machines, you needn’t change it for a few years (3 or 4), and by that time you could flip your old model and get a new one for a lot less than you might imagine.

chikotube

November 9th, 2007
at 3:21pm

yeah, but only if you are fine with the difference in speed from your latest purchase and the next best model. For me, the reason i frequently upgrade is because i am dissatisfied with having to wait for my work to finish. I built my PC 2 years ago and have been researching a little on the “Value” of getting a MAC.

chikotube

November 9th, 2007
at 3:22pm

The only real advantage (a BIG advantage) is the OS and the drivers. They’re apparently more effecient than in XP and WAY more efficient than Vista - hence better speed on the same hardware.

macflyfilm

November 10th, 2007
at 1:53am

From experience I can tell you I can definitely tell you OS X is certainly more productive, you get more done somehow. Not that you get faster encoding etc., but it’s better for multi-tasking, and seems much quicker for simple drag and drop type tasks. I will tell you it would take you a few weeks to be totally comfortable though, and you never stop learning.

Water Proof Case

November 10th, 2007
at 3:21am

Original post:Top 5 Tips to Improve Computer Case Noiseat Google Blog Search: computer cases Tag: Computer cases

chikotube

November 10th, 2007
at 11:29am

no doubt! but if i can only get the car to stop making that rattling noise on the interstate….
:-)

macflyfilm

November 10th, 2007
at 11:35am

Ha! I repeated myself a lot in that last comment, I was drinky lol

mwmarshall11

November 11th, 2007
at 9:10am

Here is another good idea, if your computer is 4 years old, it is prob. a good idea to get a new PC.

kosai19

November 18th, 2007
at 9:59pm

Why was water cooling never mentioned? There are products to water cool your GPU, CPU & even the power supply. Also, with solid state hard drives you can virtually remove all moving parts and keep the noise to a minimum.

dmethoxibit

December 1st, 2007
at 8:32pm

dude those are sooooooo expensive and dont hold as much data

jlm7315

December 18th, 2007
at 2:18pm

Because people who need to watch these videos to learn these things are not the type of people who really need to use water cooling. Its expensive and usually overkill for most people. Besides the fact that you have to replace the coolant, which is a hassle. So for the casual user fans are the way to go.

furcino

December 21st, 2007
at 6:34am

It’s best to have a PC table, in which u can hide the whole case. Foam helps, but if you have a transparent case you won’t have the heart to use it :D
Don’t forget to clean and oil all the fans once every few months.
Avoid pc components with fans. Especially graphic cards.
Remember that the tiny fans are mostly the noisiest ones.

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