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Noisy pc what option should I choose?

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Wiscos View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wiscos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2017 at 9:45pm
The small pc's that compete with the Mac Mini (I know HP do various types) should be nice and quiet and have sufficient poke. But the Pi solutions will be much cheaper.
I've found you get much more noise via usb on some computers but it's getting better all the time as computer audio figures more widely.
I sort of expect audio pc's to start arriving with decent DACs in 'em before long!
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charlesjohny8 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote charlesjohny8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2017 at 1:58pm
Its too late to comment but mine PC fan was also very noisy. I took the risk by opening its panel and oil the fan wings place also cleaned them very carefully. It start working fine again and this time with less noise.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CageyH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 12:33pm
Interesting subject.
I have recently decided to convert an old PC to an “audiophile PC” on the cheap.

The spec is:
Asus P5k with Intel Core Duo Q9550 professor, 8 Gb of ram, 2 x 2Tb hard disks, Asus Xonar Essence STX II sound card with Burson Audio Vivid V6 opamps. Asus GT1030 graphics card. EVGA Supernova G2 550W PSU (chosen due to very low ripple currents and generally excellent performance).
The CPU is cooled passively with a Zalman FX70. 
The graphics card is also passively cooled.

I also bought three quiet 140mm Nanoxia Deep Silence 1100 rpm fans.

Fanless, this runs with a max cpu temperature of 49 degrees C after several hours use.
With the three fans running in silent mode (as controlled by the motherboard through a fan hub connected to the CPU fan header, with 7v low noise adapters) it gets up to about 40 degrees.

I am tempted to remove the fans, so that it remains very quiet, but when the music is playing, I can’t hear them anyway.

It has been a fun, cheap product and it sounds very good. It may not be as good as a Majestic DAC, but is has been much cheaper.

Any tips from the experienced PC audio users of what can be done next?


Kevin
European loan coordinator, based near Toulouse, France.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CageyH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Feb 2019 at 8:37pm
A minor update.
Late night listening sessions meant I could hear the airflow through the case, and the HDD spinning in the quiet passages.

I have now fitted SSDs this n place of the mechanical drives.
I have disconnected all of the fans and with the rear vent (the one above the CPU cooler) open, the CPU never goes above 50 degrees, so I now have a PC that is truly silent. There are no moving parts to annoy me.
Kevin
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Ash View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Feb 2019 at 11:01pm
I just bought a high spec PC tower to replace my dying laptop. A fairly high end "gaming" PC but without a discrete graphics card. The case design permits water cooling if I wanted to set it up but the stock pair of fans in there is fairly quiet. The case contains absorbent foam on several of the inner faces to try to reduce any internal noise being heard. I would be a bit cautious about running a PC longterm with no active airflow or watercooling, especially if it's in a confined space and dust accumulates in the vents. My CPU has a really massive heatsink on it so I do wonder how it would cope with no fans.

I'm pleased with it so far; higher specs than a Mac and cheaper. Might add Linux alongside Windows 10 so I can have a little play. The motherboard features optical output as well as USB and HDMI so plenty of choice for audio output. Will be adding my Slee system to it in due course.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CageyH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Feb 2019 at 6:09pm
My main PC is water cooled, running two 280mm radiators and more 140mm PWM fans than I care to count. Apparently PWM fans are quite noisy, and a PWM water pump could be as well. Although it is quiet, it is not silent. You can still hear the airflow through the various restrictions.

My silent rig is great for late night listening, as you can’t hear a whisper from it. I have no concerns about running it long term as everything is well within the temperature limits. If it does get a bit hot, then the three fans are still installed. I just need to connect some of them back up.
Kevin
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Feb 2019 at 8:18pm
I may try disconnecting my fans and CD drive at some point when I'm more competent with PCs. I might ask my PC seller about the cooling performance of the huge CPU heatsink without any fans to encourage airflow. In the cool of the winter, I'm sure it would be fine longterm. The power supply unit produces slight electronic noise but I have to put my ear up close to the rear vent to hear it. I guess any PSU dealing with mains AC is surely going to exhibit some kind of low level buzz. I will report on the optical output performance when I try it. I also want to have a play with some Raspberry Pi and HAT boards with Graham's eventual 5V 3A PSU (when it finally arrives).
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