# How To Assemble A Desktop PC/Silencing

In contrast to overclocking, you may prefer to silence your computer.
Some high-performance PCs are very loud indeed, and it is possible to
reduce the noise dramatically. The main sources of noise are: Fans (CPU,
case, power supply, motherboard, Graphics card), and Hard disks. While
total silence in a PC is possible, it is far cheaper and easier to aim
for something \'virtually inaudible\'.

Note that quieter computers sometimes run slightly hotter, especially in
small form factor (SFF) systems, so you need to monitor carefully what
you do. Usually you can\'t overclock and silence at the same time
(although it is possible with the right CPU and cooling techniques).
Sometimes CPUs (and even GPUs) are *underclocked* and/or *undervolted*
to achieve greater silence at the expense of performance.

Designing a powerful and quiet machine requires careful consideration in
selecting components, but need not be much more expensive than a normal,
loud PC. If you are looking to quiet an existing PC, find the
*offending* component that produces the loudest or most irritating noise
and replace it first, then work down from there.

Another way to do this is by undervolting; see
here to find out
more about it.

## Fans

!An operating fan with red
LEDs.

In general, large diameter (120 mm), high quality fans are much quieter
than small diameter ones, because they can move the same amount of air
as smaller (80mm or 92mm) fans, but at slower speeds.
Temperature-regulated fans are also much quieter, as they will
automatically spin at a reduced speed when your computer is not in heavy
use. Wire mesh grills (or no grill at all) allow better airflow than the
drilled holes used in many cases.

CPU
:   Modern CPUs can generate *a lot* of heat in a very small area:
    sometimes as much as 100-watt lightbulb! For the vast majority of
    processors, a dedicated fan will be a necessity. There are some,
    like VIA processors, that require only a heat sink, but you will not
    find passively cooled CPUs at nearly the same speeds allowed by
    active cooling. However, for modern computers, CPUs are not the
    limiting component for speed in daily tasks, so unless you do
    demanding 3D gaming or video editing, then a passively cooled
    processor may be just for you. They would also be very attractive in
    media-center PCs, or other specialized applications where computer
    noise would be more noticeable.
:   The noisiest fan is usually the CPU fan: the Intel-supplied
    fan-heatsinks are particularly loud, although they do provide good
    cooling. Some BIOSs allow you to slow the CPU fan down automatically
    when it is not too hot - if this option is available, turn it on.
    Also, you can get 3rd party coolers, which are designed to be less
    noisy: for example, those made by
    Zalman.

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Power Supply (PSU) : Noisy power-supplies simply have to be replaced with quieter ones. Consider selecting a power supply that intelligently throttles fan speed based on load, or an altogether fanless model, though those can be hard to find depending on the wattage you need. As a compromise, some power supplies will stay silent as long as it is under light load.

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Case Fans : Case fans can be slowed down by using fan-speed controllers, or resistors (but beware of insufficient cooling). Also, they can be replaced with higher quality (ball bearing) or (sometimes) larger fans, both of which will make less noise.

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Video Card and Motherboard Chipset
:   A graphics card with active fan-cooling is very common in gamer PCs.
    Since 2004, most of these cards have a built in fan-speed
    controller, so the fan will slow down if 3D acceleration is not
    needed.`<ref>`{=html}

Casey Labine. \"How to Adjust a Graphics Card Fan
Speed\"

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As you will lose warranty coverage if you change the fan, you should
check (through reviews) if the card is a noisy one. If you insist on
exchanging the cooling device, be sure the card is compatible with the
new fan. Motherboard and lower-end video card fans can often be replaced
with a passive heatsink.

Many systems only have fan-speed controllers for the CPU and for the
graphics card. Some people make the other fans quieter by undervolting
them: running the 12 V fan on 9 V or 7 V or 5 V,[^1][^2][^3] or adding a
series resistor to the fan cable.[^4]

Dust and debris can accumulate on fan blades in a short period of time.
Dust on PC components acts as an insulator, trapping in heat and forcing
your fans to spin at higher speeds to keep everything cool. Keep your PC
clean to reduce noise and increase efficiency.

## Water cooling

!A water cooled
computer{width="250"}

An efficient, if expensive way to eliminate the need for most fans in
ones computer system is the implementation of water cooling devices.
Water cooling kits are available for beginners, and additional
components or \"water blocks\" can be added to the system, allowing
virtually any system needing cooling to be put \"on water\".

Most water cooling systems are not fanless as the radiator component
still needs to spread the heat. There are fanless solutions but they
need to be placed exterior of the PC case making the computer less
transportable. [^5] [^6]

Other cooling fluids are possible in a sealed system, although plain
water is generally preferred because it has higher heat
capacity and thermal
conductivity than oil, and
it is easier to clean up if a leak ever occurs: turn off the computer,
shake off most of the water, and use a hair dryer to evaporate the rest
of the water.

Keep in mind, however, that water and electronics don\'t mix, and that
leaks could cause components to short out, seriously damaging them. Be
sure you\'re willing to risk this and thoroughly check for leaks before
providing power to the system components. If possible, activate the
water pump(s) for 10-15 minutes and check potential trouble spots.

## Full immersion cooling

!An example of an immersion cooling
setup.
Some people are experimenting with cooling personal computers by
immersing them almost completely in non-conductive liquids such as
transformer oil and flourinert.

### Oil cooling

Transformer oil has been used to
cool electrical equipment for decades.

Some people are experimenting with oil cooling personal computers. Since
oil is non-conductive, the motherboard and graphics card and power
supply (but not the hard drives or optical drives!) will continue to run
submerged in a \"fishtank\" filled with oil. Some people prefer
colorless transparent \"mineral oil\" or cooking oil, but Frank Völkel
recommends motor
oil1.

Oil cooling is lower cost than water cooling, because it doesn\'t
require water-tight \"blocks\" or hoses. Some people leave the fans
running on the motherboard and power supply to \"stir\" the oil. Other
people remove all the fans and add a (submerged) pump to \"blow\" a
stream of oil onto the CPU hot spot. Some CPUs, if given a big enough
metal heat sink, can be adequately cooled by passive convection currents
in the oil (and the large surface area of the oil-to-case and
case-to-air), without any fans or pumps.

If any cable (the hard drive ribbon cable, the power cable, the monitor
cable, etc.) exits the case below the oil line, it must have an
oil-tight exit seal \-- consider making all cables exit the top of the
case instead.

### Low boiling point chemicals

Another point of recent experimentation has been Novec
1230 (trademarked and produced by 3M),
which has a boiling point of . This
means that as the liquid touches a part above that temperature, it
evaporates immediately. It then condenses at the top of the tank, only
to drip down and convect through the tank again. CPUs usually have no
problem running in Novec 1230 without any heatsink at all. The force of
convection is enough to drive the liquid around the tank, so it does not
need any fans
either23.

Immersion in other cooling fluids has been attempted, such as
fluorinert or liquid nitrogen,
however they are generally not used because of the costs involved in the
equipment and the liquid nitrogen [^7][^8].[^9][^10][^11]

## Storage

### Solid State Disk

Solid state disks have no moving parts, and thus don\'t make audible
noise. When trying to build a totally silent system, consider only using
SSDs for your storage.

### Hard Drive

A \'resting\' hard disk is generally quite quiet compared with any fan,
but increases dramatically when it starts \'churning\', as when you open
or save a file or perform a virus scan. There will usually be a
compromise between performance and sound, so opting for a slower RPM or
smaller capacity single-platter HDD may be necessary to reach very quiet
levels. Also, 2.5\" notebook drives can be much quieter than 3.5\"
desktop drive, but come in smaller capacities.

After selecting a quiet drive, or if you want to reduce the noise coming
from a loud drive, look into mounting options. Hard drives are usually
mounted with four screws attaching them directly to the case, providing
very stable support, some heat dissipation and a lot of direct
transmission of HDD vibrations to the case. Reducing this transmission
to almost nothing is possible, though it is not always easy.

The best noise reductions come from suspending the hard drive with
elastic, providing no direct route for sound transmission to the case.
You can make your own from elastic in a fabric store, or buy kits that
provide materials and instructions. (Rubber bands are not recommended,
as they will become weak from the HDD heat and oxidation and snap.)

Foam can be used to dampen vibrations, but may trap more heat than is
safe. Resting the hard drive on the floor of your case on a bed of foam
can be very effective at reducing noise.

Using silicone or rubber screws instead of metal mounting screws will
give you marginal sound reduction, but is easiest and cheapest to
implement. You also won\'t have to worry about shifting of the HDD if
you move your computer.

## Other

-   Steel cases are quieter than aluminum ones, because the denser
    material vibrates less easily.`<ref>`{=html}

Mike Chin. Silent PC Review: \"Case Basics &
Recommendations\"

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-   Quiet cases are available, containing noise-damping acoustic foam.
    There are 3rd-party acoustic foams you may decide to add as well.
-   Experiment with rubber or foam washers when mounting drives and
    fans. These will dampen any vibration these devices cause.
-   Keep cables tied up and neat. Not only will this keep them clear of
    fans (which could quickly cause dangerous heat build-up), but the
    reduced impedance of airflow throughout your case will make things
    cooler. Flat, ribbon-shaped cables can safely be folded up to a
    fraction of their original width.
-   Make sure your case has rubber or foam feet if it rests on a hard
    surface. Placing it on carpeting will also reduce vibrations.
-   Underclocking will reduce system performance, but you can also then
    reduce the CPU voltage, and power consumption as a whole. Noisy fans
    may then also be operated at reduced speed or eliminated altogether,
    as the computer will produce less heat. The converse of the
    diminishing-returns law for overclocking is that underclocking can
    prove surprisingly effective.
-   The really obvious, but surprisingly effective: keep the computer
    under your desk or even in a closed cupboard, rather than under or
    beside your monitor.

NOTE: No matter what technique you use to quiet the machine, be sure to
keep a steady supply of fresh air over all components. Don\'t put your
machine in a closed cupboard unless you are sure heat will not be an
issue. If you use acoustic foams, be sure they aren\'t acting as
insulators, too - and keeping components hot.

## See also

-   Noise from cooling
    fans

## Further reading

## External links

-   Silent PC review

-   Microchip AN771: Suppressing Acoustic Noise in PWM Fan Speed
    Control
    Systems

-   \"The Buzz on Quieter
    Computers\"
    article by Daniel Greenberg in The Washington Post, September 3,
    2006.

-   Technorati \"silent PC\" blog
    posts

-   \"A Plea for Silence\" by Loyd Case
    (ExtremeTech)

-   \"How to Quiet Your PC\" by Jason Cross
    (ExtremeTech)

-   \"a diskless, fanless, completely silent
    PC\"

-   
-   Koolu: a fanless PC that runs Linux; Koolu
    wiki

-   \"Building a Silent PC: My Quest for Quiet\" by Terry
    Gray

-   the oil-cooled computer
    wiki (in German) and
    oil-cooled computer discussion
    forum (in
    English)

-   \"Quiet PCs... shhh\" by Thomas Ricker (oil-cooled
    computer)

-   \"Aquarium Full of Oil For PC Cooling\" on
    slashdot

-   \"Want a Cool and Quiet PC? Dunk it in Oil\" on
    slashdot

-   \"Xoxide Resource Center: Building a Quiet
    Computer

-   fit-PC, a tiny quiet PC

-   \"Project:
    Passive\"
    by Ville \'Willek\' Kyrö, a PC that uses no fans, only completely
    passive cooling.

-   \"Tiny, sub-\$100 PC runs Puppy
    Linux\":
    a PC with no moving parts.

-   \"0 dBA ion cooled
    computer\":
    a PC with no moving parts; blows air using \"ion wind\".


[^1]: \"How to: Silence My Fans By
    Undervolting?\"

[^2]: Silent PC Review: \"Stock Fan
    Measurements\"

[^3]: Gabriel Torres. \"How to Create a Three-Speed Fan Control without
    Spending a
    Dime\".

[^4]: Igor Wallossek. Tom\'s Hardware: \"Case Fans: Speed
    Control\"

[^5]: \"Silent Convective Water Cooled
    PC\"

[^6]: \"Design and Performance Evaluation of a Compact
    Thermosyphon\"
    by Aniruddha Pal, Yogendra Joshi, Monem H. Beitelmal, Chandrakant D.
    Patel, Todd Wenger, 2002

[^7]: 4

[^8]: 5

[^9]: Tom\'s Hardware: 5 GHz
    project

[^10]: Server help: Liquid Nitrogen
    Project and
    Hard forum: Liquid Nitrogen
    Project

[^11]: Wikipedia: computer cooling#Liquid
    nitrogen
