Gaming Tower too Noisy for DAW Use

[Paul[_13_]]

Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
hot-running gaming computers.

Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.

Many desktop computers do not have a fan in the front, to cool
off the hard-drives, so I will likely disconnect that one first.

The fan on the accelerated graphics card seems slow moving, and
relatively quiet, so I will leave that one alone.

Which leaves the fan on the back of the tower, and the fan
directly over the CPU. These will likely need to stay.

[Trevor]

On 6/12/2015 4:26 PM, Paul wrote:
> Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
> hot-running gaming computers.
>
> Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
> this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
> laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.
>
> Many desktop computers do not have a fan in the front, to cool
> off the hard-drives, so I will likely disconnect that one first.
>
> The fan on the accelerated graphics card seems slow moving, and
> relatively quiet, so I will leave that one alone.
>
> Which leaves the fan on the back of the tower, and the fan
> directly over the CPU. These will likely need to stay.

Buying quieter fans is a much better option than removing them
altogether. Most cases accomodate larger, slower, fans with better
bearings and blade design than they come with as standard. Otherwise buy
a new case. I certainly wouldn't remove the hard drive fan myself, but
if you only have one low RPM drive (other than SSD's) you will be OK.
They do last longer when they don't overheat IME.

Trevor.

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

On 06-12-2015 08:45, Trevor wrote:

> On 6/12/2015 4:26 PM, Paul wrote:
>> Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
>> hot-running gaming computers.

>> Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
>> this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
>> laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.

>> Many desktop computers do not have a fan in the front, to cool
>> off the hard-drives, so I will likely disconnect that one first.

>> The fan on the accelerated graphics card seems slow moving, and
>> relatively quiet, so I will leave that one alone.

>> Which leaves the fan on the back of the tower, and the fan
>> directly over the CPU. These will likely need to stay.

> Buying quieter fans is a much better option than removing them
> altogether. Most cases accomodate larger, slower, fans with better
> bearings and blade design than they come with as standard. Otherwise buy
> a new case. I certainly wouldn't remove the hard drive fan myself, but
> if you only have one low RPM drive (other than SSD's) you will be OK.
> They do last longer when they don't overheat IME.

HD Sentinel.

> Trevor.

Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Scott Dorsey]

In article >, Paul > wrote:
>Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
>hot-running gaming computers.
>
>Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
>this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
>laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.

Don't disconnect fans. You want computers to run cool. If you have a
machine designed with a lot of heat load, like gamer machines tend to be,
you need all the cooling you can get.

Put the computer in another room altogether, away from the studio, and
run long video cables. Get a USB extender. Let it be noisy someplace
where it doesn't matter.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/6/2015 12:26 AM, Paul wrote:
> Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
> hot-running gaming computers.

What's a game without noise?

There are often options in the BIOS setup for changing or adjusting fan
speeds, and there are also hardware speed controls. You may be able to
get away with slowing down or stopping fans as long as things don't get
too hot when doing what you want to do.

I slowed down the power supply and CPU fans in my Mackie hard disk
recorders by putting 5.1v Zener diodes in series with their power leads.
They're still going strong after 15 years. I checked the CPU and power
supply exhaust temperature before and after the modification and it
hardly made a difference. One thing, though, is that the recorder does
only one thing, and does it all the time. Processing requirements don't
change from project to project, so there's no reason for it to go up in
smoke if I add one more plug-in or render a video file. A computer put
to use for multiple applications doesn't have that load stability.


--
For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[polymod]

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message ...

<snip>

>Put the computer in another room altogether, away from the studio, and
>run long video cables. Get a USB extender. Let it be noisy someplace
>where it doesn't matter.

We have a winner!

Poly

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

> "Scott Dorsey" wrote in message ...
>> Put the computer in another room altogether, away from the studio, and
>> run long video cables. Get a USB extender. Let it be noisy someplace
>> where it doesn't matter.

On 12/6/2015 11:01 AM, polymod wrote:

> We have a winner!

This is what people used to do. Ty Ford had one in his downstairs
bathroom. There were special outer cases with quiet fans, originally
designed for impact printers and then reworked for computers. But since
computers and printers became quieter, they moved into the control room
or office and noise wasn't a problem.

I'd recommend putting the gaming computer in the game room, keep audio
other than game audio away from it, and buy or assemble a properly quiet
computer for audio production. These days you can build a perfectly
capable and quiet computer for less than the cost of a "quiet box."
Cable extenders aren't an unreasonable approach as long as you don't
need to physically access the computer very often. With huge hard drives
and network or cloud storage, that's not such a big problem nowadays.


--
For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[geoff]

On 12/7/2015 2:09 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> In article >, Paul > wrote:
>> Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
>> hot-running gaming computers.
>>
>> Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
>> this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
>> laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.
>
> Don't disconnect fans. You want computers to run cool. If you have a
> machine designed with a lot of heat load, like gamer machines tend to be,
> you need all the cooling you can get.
>
> Put the computer in another room altogether, away from the studio, and
> run long video cables. Get a USB extender. Let it be noisy someplace
> where it doesn't matter.
> --scott
>


Or make an acoustically-isolating but well-ventilated enclosure. Can be
done simply and reasonably compactly.

geoff

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Paul wrote:
> Obviously the noise comes from all the fans they put on these
> hot-running gaming computers.
>
> Even though the big top and side fans were disconnected already,
> this particular 8-core tower is still louder than the dual-core
> laptop that it will hopefully be replacing.
>

All towers are louder than laptops.

> Many desktop computers do not have a fan in the front, to cool
> off the hard-drives, so I will likely disconnect that one first.
>
> The fan on the accelerated graphics card seems slow moving, and
> relatively quiet, so I will leave that one alone.
>
> Which leaves the fan on the back of the tower, and the fan
> directly over the CPU. These will likely need to stay.
>
>


I have at least one recommendation for this company:

http://noctua.at/en/


--
Les Cargill

[Luxey]

недеља, 06. децембар 2015. 21.08.14 UTC+1, Les Cargill је написао/ла:

>
> All towers are louder than laptops.
>

Ever heaard HP Pavilion on AMD?

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Luxey wrote:
> недеља, 06. децембар 2015. 21.08.14 UTC+1, Les Cargill је написао/ла:
>
>>
>> All towers are louder than laptops.
>>
>
> Ever heaard HP Pavilion on AMD?
>


No. :)

--
Les Cargill

[John Williamson]

On 06/12/2015 22:16, Les Cargill wrote:
> Luxey wrote:
>> недеља, 06. децембар 2015. 21.08.14 UTC+1, Les Cargill је написао/ла:
>>
>>>
>>> All towers are louder than laptops.
>>>
>>
>> Ever heaard HP Pavilion on AMD?
>>
>
>
> No. :)
>
Not sure about what type of HP this one is, but it's got a quad core i5
64 bit AMD processor, and occasionally, if the room's *really* quiet, I
can hear the hard drive chattering away. It's not got a cooling fan at
all, and it stays cool even when it's going flat out.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[Luxey]

It is DV7, nick named "portable hair dryer". I've read reports that even Intel
based models have same issue, but my experience is with AMD Phenom Quad 1.6.

Thing is designed to run hot, very hot, so it does, so the fan spins all the
time, and it is loud. Towers may be slightly louder when measured at same
distance, but in real life they are kept further away, under the table, or
wherever. Laptop is right in front of you, so you hear it more.

The good thing is, it is constant noise, so once the audio is well above it,
it's not of a big concern. Also, you can always put some earphones on to check
in detail.

BTW, I don't think there is such a thing as i5 AMD?!

[John Williamson]

On 07/12/2015 09:10, Luxey wrote:
> BTW, I don't think there is such a thing as i5 AMD?!
>
My mistake, it's an Intel Pentium N3540 quad core, 64 bit..

Now I think about it, I didn't buy the slightly cheaper AMD due to their
record of incompatibility problems over the years with the CPU and
graphics, which, although they have probably been sorted out by now...

The loudest part of it is definitely the HD, though.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[Luxey]

On Monday, December 7, 2015 at 10:42:40 AM UTC+1, John Williamson wrote:
> On 07/12/2015 09:10, Luxey wrote:
> > BTW, I don't think there is such a thing as i5 AMD?!
> >
> My mistake, it's an Intel Pentium N3540 quad core, 64 bit..
>
> Now I think about it, I didn't buy the slightly cheaper AMD due to their
> record of incompatibility problems over the years with the CPU and
> graphics, which, although they have probably been sorted out by now...
>
> The loudest part of it is definitely the HD, though.
>
> --
> Tciao for Now!
>
> John.

Ha, ha, yes, I think the same way and act accordingly when shopping for kid,
wife, parents and friends. However, for my self, I always end buying cheaper
version, because I always end thinking: "I'll manage around issues somehow,
better to keep some cash for "emergency".".

[Bill[_20_]]

In message >, geoff
> writes
>Or make an acoustically-isolating but well-ventilated enclosure. Can be
>done simply and reasonably compactly.

I always pop up when I read this and say that I built a prototype that
worked well - as measured before and after by Audition from a mic in the
same position in the room.
Basically a plywood box lined with the sound deadening (foam plus heavy
plastic (or lead)) used to quieten boat engines. This sat on top of a
zig-zag, lined air input base with the same at the top to let the air
and the cables out.
I can't remember the figures but it was really quiet and the
chimney-like box design made the PC run significantly cooler than it ran
in free air.

I only made one. It was very heavy. The top two parts had to be lifted
away if you wanted to put a cd in.
--
Bill

[John Williamson]

On 08/12/2015 00:30, Bill wrote:
<Soundproof enclosure>
> I only made one. It was very heavy. The top two parts had to be lifted
> away if you wanted to put a cd in.

A good reason to use a USB attached DVD drive, then. ;-)

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[Tobiah]

> Put the computer in another room altogether, away from the studio, and
> run long video cables. Get a USB extender. Let it be noisy someplace
> where it doesn't matter.
> --scott
>

I'm in a bedroom, so I just put my computer in a clothes closet and have the desk
close by. I'm in a quiet neighborhood, but even in the dead of night I can't
pick out the computer in even recordings of relatively low level sounds. I had plans
to seal up the cracks around the doors, but found it to be entirely unnecessary. Without
fans, a closet is about the minimum size to prevent the computer from heating up
the space. I notice no increase in temperature when opening the closet, but I did have
significant heat problems with an enclose I once built that was something like 3x3x2'.

Tobiah

[[email protected]]

These days you can build a perfectly
> capable and quiet computer for less than the cost of a "quiet box."

I have a pretty powerful rack mounted Daw from ADK that is essentially silent. I was really pleased when I fired it up the 1st time... I used to put a gobo in front of my old daw to knock the noise down.