How I Selected Components - Objective: Quiet, Low Noise
Components: Fans and Drives
- Low-noise fans
- CPU cooler fan and power supply fan
- Fan speeds controlled by temperatures.
- SpeedFan good Windows utility
- Vibrations cause noise
- Vibration-isolated fans and hard drives
- Elastic suspension, hard drives
- Silicone grommets, hard drives and fans
- Vibration-damped case
The spinning fans and hard drives are the noise makers.
All of my fans are low-noise fans. Low-noise fans have superior bearings that are quiet and long lasting. Low-noise fans cost more ($10 to $20) than the fans usually found in purchased computers. Before buying my CPU cooler and power supply, I confirmed that they use low-noise fans.
My fan speeds are automatically controlled by the temperatures of the CPU and case. When temperatures are low, the fans run slow and quiet. When the temperatures are above a preset limit, the fans speed up. I set temperature limits in my BIOS. Also, from the websites of my motherboard and display card manufacturers, I have downloaded software that can control fan speeds based on temperatures.
If your BIOS, motherboard, and display card do not provide software for controlling fan speed, you can consider SpeedFan. SpeedFan is a general-purpose Windows program that controls fan speeds based on temperatures. SpeedFan requires considerable manual configuring. There are many fans on the market. Some change speed by changing voltage. Some use pulse modulation to control speed. Different fans have different behavior for speed control. Also, different motherboards use different temperature sensors. SpeedFan needs to know the details of the fans and sensors. Setting up SpeedFan may require considerable effort, including some trail and error. The SpeedFan help menu gives detail instructions about configuring.
I have been using my computer for about two years. During this time, I have never heard the fans go into the high-speed mode. My BIOS starts booting up with the fans in a high-speed, noisy mode. Later in the boot up, BIOS control of the fan speeds kicks in with a sudden decrease in fan speed and noise. This confirms that the speed-control software is working. In the quiet mode, my old ears cannot hear the computer until I place my head about one foot away. Then, there is a low hum.
Noise is caused by mechanical vibrations from the fans and hard drives. Vibrations can travel through the metal case and through the air inside the case. Vibrations emitted from the case are heard as noise. My case has special features to reduce vibrations and noise.
My fans and hard drives are attached to the case by methods that isolate vibrations and keep vibrations from getting into the case. One method supports the hard drives by two, soft, elastic loops inside the hard-drive bay. Since the loops are inside the hard-drive bay where they are not easily seen, I made a model that illustrates this method of support. The photo below shows this model.
I do not like the elastic loops because the hard drive can slip out of the loops as the computer is moved about. (Perhaps the loops could be taped to the hard drive.)
My case provides another method for supporting the hard drives using soft, silicone grommets. The hard drives are attached to a metal drawer that slides into the hard-drive bay. Soft grommets are located between the hard drive and drawer at four attach points. The photo below shows a HD drawer with the four grommets and screws( without a hard drive). I can grab the hard drive and wiggle it around against the elasticity of the grommets.
Comments
Build your own laptop
I am new to this group and hope another round of computer building gets under way. I would like to learn how to build a laptop. Is there a laptop sig on here?
How to build a laptop
Many laptop manufacturtes use components designed just for their laptop. There is not a large market for generic laptop components as there is for desk top computers.
However, it is possible to build a laptop computer. Google "build a laptop", or something like that, to learn details. Since there is not a large market for generic laptop components, as there is for desktop components, you probably will not save money by building. In fact, building may be more expensive than buying since you will not get volume discounts on the components.
Some laptop vendors, for example Lenovo, allow custom builds on their website. You can select components from a list of avaiable components. My wife needs a new laptop soon and I may take this approach.