# Is It Possible To Build An 0db High End Comupter?



## yanks8981

You can buy quieter fans, but cooling needs fans


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## terraprime

tell them to store the pc in a area with noise canceling foam and stuff. And having no fan it a bad thing in a psu. That is asking to fry your psu and more possibly.


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## Methos07

You'll have to isolate the tower, there's no way that hardware is being cooled with 0db.


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## Arinoth

It's actually possible, its not exactly the easiest or safest thing to do unless you know what you're doing. There are some passively cooled cases which essentially attached/connect the heatsink of the processor to the case, allow it to dissipate the power that way. As far as a power supply, you could probably apply this same principle though again unless you know what you're doing, you could burn out the power supply.

A great suggestion mentioned were to get severly quiet fans and sound proof the case for the most part with noise cancelling foam. Truth be told though you could still go with air and by using silent fans you could achieve this.

A third option would be water cooling, getting a silent pump and using large enough rads that the coolant could lose enough of the heat it gained in the system in the passively cooled rad.


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## MrTOOSHORT

This is the psu you want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121083

And in case you want to know, it has enough juice to power two moderate video cards or one powerful one like the GTX580.


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## KyesaRRi

The largest fanless PSU that i know of is the Silverstone ST50NF (500w)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=308&area=usa

I have no idea if that could hold your system up, i guess google the max load on each of your parts and see if that PSU could hold it up.


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## nagle3092

Seasonic X-400, X-460 and the Kingwin STR-500 for power supplies and check out the HR-02 for a fanless heatsink. Its very doable just expensive.


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## TheBlademaster01

That Hitachi Ultrastar answers your question by default.

There is a PSU that will power that setup with a mediocre GPU like a (passive) GT 430 or something. This Seasonic unit will do the job.

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/Seasonic-X-Series-400W-Fanless-Power-Supply-Review

Aside from that, you'll also have some capacitor squeel so I don't think it's possible to build a 0dB PC. I don't think that's necessary anyways since a mic will always have some kind of noise (imperfect audio sensor) and you'll always have some background noise (even in soundproof rooms).


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## DJ Ghost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheBlademaster01;15290986*
> That Hitachi Ultrastar answers your question by default.
> 
> Aside from that, you'll also have some capacitor squeel .


yeah i thougt about it but buying another 1TB or more of SSD is to expensive... so i thught with an hdd sliencer and a good quiet case (wich i need to find) it will be barely notcied

and i need a passive CPU Cooler, i remeber there was one for LGA775 (thermalright?)
is there any for 1366?

i'll bet it would be a chunk of metal but it doesnt reealy matter aslong as the computer is quiet ass possible

and that PSU seems promissing

how can i be sure that it will hold that system safely?


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## nagle3092

The heatsink is the Thermalright HR-02 I mentioned in my previous post. Your gonna want a case with ALOT of holes or a tech bench if you use 0 fans. For a case I would say the lanboy air just because its nothing but holes. If you want a closed case you need fans, no way around it if you want high performance hardware (besides external passive water cooling).


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## thrasherht

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


yeah i thougt about it but buying another 1TB or more of SSD is to expensive... so i thught with an hdd sliencer and a good quiet case (wich i need to find) it will be barely notcied

and i need a passive CPU Cooler, i remeber there was one for LGA775 (thermalright?)
is there any for 1366?

i'll bet it would be a chunk of metal but it doesnt reealy matter aslong as the computer is quiet ass possible

and that PSU seems promissing

how can i be sure that it will hold that system safely?


That psu will hold the system just fine. I would recommend this supply, it doesn't turn on the fan when not under load and it can go very far without turning the fan on.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=221
I would also recommend getting something like a silver arrow for the CPU and then just get low speed silent fans. No need to go completely fanless, just go really low speed.
Then get a passive video card, and you will be all set.


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## MrTOOSHORT

Quote:



Originally Posted by *thrasherht*


That psu will hold the system just fine. I would recommend this supply, it doesn't turn on the fan when not under load and it can go very far without turning the fan on.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=221
I would also recommend getting something like a silver arrow for the CPU and then just get low speed silent fans. No need to go completely fanless, just go really low speed.
Then get a passive video card, and you will be all set.


Hehe I have the Kingwin version(LZP-550) of this exact psu, and I can vouch that the fan didn't turn on once on my set up running furmark on two GTX480s.

Yes two GTX480s, it's that awesome of a psu.


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## nagle3092

For the Hitachi HDD you could get a Scythe Himuro, that would help cut down on the noise. http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/hd...00_detail.html


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## drazah

Mineral Oil PC with sound-canceling foam = WIN


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## DJ Ghost

how is the SilverStone SST-TJ10?

i'll guess i take1 fan out and with a noise cancelling foam 
it will be quiet enough


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## nagle3092

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


how is the SilverStone SST-TJ10?

i'll guess i take1 fan out and with a noise cancelling foam 
it will be quiet enough


You would be better off with a Antec P series case or a Fractal Design Define case. There are others that are geared towards silence but those are generally regarded as the best.


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## LuckySe7ens

Quote:



Originally Posted by *drazah*


Mineral Oil PC with sound-canceling foam = WIN


This would work. Otherwise just use quiet fans. The whole fanless thing is great... If you have a serious breeze where your comp is located.

Sent from my HTC Evo 3d using Tapatalk


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## thrasherht

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MrTOOSHORT*


Hehe I have the Kingwin version(LZP-550) of this exact psu, and I can vouch that the fan didn't turn on once on my set up running furmark on two GTX480s.

Yes two GTX480s, it's that awesome of a psu.


yea super flower really out did themselves with that PSU, it is a truely epic PSU.

I know the fan isn't really there because it is needed, it is just there for when a case comes up that it might need to run a little bit. But 90% of the time it won't run or won't run above anything but the lowest speed.


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## DJ Ghost

Quote:



Originally Posted by *drazah*


Mineral Oil PC with sound-canceling foam = WIN


what is mineral oil?


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## thrasherht

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


what is mineral oil?


If you don't know, then don't even worry about it.

I would say if you want to pay the premium go with the fractal design case, it is a great case. For saving alittle cash you could get the H2 classic silent from NZXT.


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## jellis142

Well... does he absolutely need a 990x? Unless he already has it, it would be better to get something that doesn't expel so much heat.

A fanless PSU, HDD caddy's to dampen motor whine and vibration, and very low speed fans will be your friend. 800rpm ~ fans don't make that much noise.

And if he absolutely must have that setup, store it somewhere it can get airflow without bring sound into that room.


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## TheBlademaster01

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


yeah i thougt about it but buying another 1TB or more of SSD is to expensive... so i thught with an hdd sliencer and a good quiet case (wich i need to find) it will be barely notcied

and i need a passive CPU Cooler, i remeber there was one for LGA775 (thermalright?)
is there any for 1366?

i'll bet it would be a chunk of metal but it doesnt reealy matter aslong as the computer is quiet ass possible

and that PSU seems promissing

how can i be sure that it will hold that system safely?


If you just want to get a system that's as quiet as possible (not 0dB), just get a regular PSU, IMO fanless PSUs aren't worth it noice wise.

As for the CPU, just get a Venomous X, Silver Arrow or Noctua NH-D14 and drop the fans, It should keep your CPU cool. Or slap some inaudiable 300RPM fans on it if you want to be safe (remeber you can also *cough* underclock and/or undervolt that CPU *cough*







).

In any case, I don't think any of this will be more audiable than the noice of that Hitachi HDD. More important is the case that you're going to use. Don't get cheap plasticky or "gamer" cases. If you truly want a classy and inaudiable case you should look at one of those Lian Li cases.

Depending on the space you need, these are good "soundproof" cases:

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product...ndex=62&g=spec

http://lian-li.com/v2/tw/flashpage/a70f&a71f/a71f/

This is a nice small case with ATX support!

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product...25&ss_index=62

It's not really that you have to get a Lian Li case, but compared to all the cases that I've owned they've got the best build quality. Build quality of the case is far more important when trying to get an inaudiable computer.


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## ChosenLord

I think you'd have to replace your roof with a 30foot high heat sync and then attach it to your PC! (i'd love to see that)


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## DJ Ghost

Quote:



Originally Posted by *nagle3092*


You would be better off with a Antec P series case or a Fractal Design Define case. .


he now i don't know what to choose

Fractal Design looks good, also that lanboy (alot of holes) is a good idea

and that p183 is also a choice

what you think will be the best?
and i know for a fact i wont use most of the fans if i'll even use one
so that's needed to be taken under consideration


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## Zap

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


i mean, no fans at all even not in PSU.


What graphics card will he be using.

Can he get by with a Core i7-2600 or 2600K?


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## The_Hairy_Yak

Don't put the PC where he can hear it... /thread. If he is willing to go to that great of a length, then spend the money on a nice case and sound proof it as best you can with low RPM fans, anti vibration mounts for all moving parts, and get low wattage components. The fact is performance=db. You can easily make a very silent PC, even make it so you can turn fans off. However you do not want to make passive cooling your only option for anything you want to be doing processing on.


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## nagle3092

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*


he now i don't know what to choose

Fractal Design looks good, also that lanboy (alot of holes) is a good idea

and that p183 is also a choice

what you think will be the best?
and i know for a fact i wont use most of the fans if i'll even use one
so that's needed to be taken under consideration


Well its hard to say, if you want no fans, then the Lanboy. If you want to use a closed case they youll need low RPM fans, I would personally get a Fractal Design, they have high quality dampening material and perform slightly better (cooling/noise wise) than the H2/Silenco.


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## DJ Ghost

Quote:



Originally Posted by *jellis142*


Well... does he absolutely need a 990x? Unless he already has it, it would be better to get something that doesn't expel so much heat.

A fanless PSU, HDD caddy's to dampen motor whine and vibration, and very low speed fans will be your friend. 800rpm ~ fans don't make that much noise.

And if he absolutely must have that setup, store it somewhere it can get airflow without bring sound into that room.


he can get it for real cheap so why not?
and what is hdd caddy?


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## begjr2

I acctually attempted to do this with my H2go build but because of the expense of what the build was going to cost I had to scratch some of the plans. There are positive things about using foam in your noise cancelling build. As mentioned before it will reduce noise but the biggest draw back is that there will be a nice build up of heat with in your case. Because of this you will need some pretty descent exhaust fans. Even with the foam,W/C all your parts you will still be pretty short from your 0 DB goal. But the foam does do wonders in wire management


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## jellis142

I just meant something that encloses the hard drive. Wish I had one









How cheap can he get this system?


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## Chobbit

This massive cooler and case should keep things fanless and cool:

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/cpucoolers/nof-cr-100a


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## driftingforlife

Watercooling with passive RADs or put RADs somewere else e.g. the next room.


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## jellis142

^ That could work, you could underclock to get below the 100w TDP.


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## driftingforlife

Here is one.

http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/product_info.php/info/p9126_Alphacool-Cape-Cora-HF-1042-silber.html

If he has the money and space the absolute best would be to get a water chiller in another room.

He also could use a 2600K and use the onbourd GPU so there one less thing to cool.


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## cook

Just put the PC in the closet, then get really crafty with usb extension cables and really long monitor cables trough the wall. It would cost less.


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## Chobbit

turns out they've updated this design since I last saw it with a nicer/smaller case and it comes with a fanless 400w PSU.



































http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/ultragrade/nof-set-a40http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/ultragrade/nof-set-a40


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## Strobe

I was on a mission to make a silent as possible gaming rig myself and decided to watercool. The system is almost inaudible to me, but most of my friends can't even hear it and have hit the power button thinking it wasn't on. Isolation is KEY. I run my fans at 600-700RPM and use wide spaced fin radiators that are thick. Silent pump with zip ties and rubber and plenty of noise isolation foam. I even foam isolated the PC cabinet in my desk so when the door is shut, its almost 100% silent. Obliviously it runs warm, but that's the price of silence. The back of my cabinet is cut out to allow the heat to exhaust as it is not in direct earshot, it is the only part that makes the nearly inaudible noise I can hear that most don't. Here is a link to my thread of when I built it.

http://www.overclock.net/water-cooling/1028932-first-time-watercooling-need-advice-3.html

Keep in mind its cooling a similar processor to what you listed, where sandy bridge is 95W TDP and could yield better results. Also not having a GTX580 like in my system would help keep things cooler.

I also used SSD's then used iSCSI to my windows server box in another room to mount a 1TB WD black drive for my larger applications. iSCSI allow the drive to operate as if it was in the machine. Hard drives are louder than my fans so I had to get it out of my case. iSCSI will also allow all applications to install and programs don't think it's a network drive, acts as if its really in your system.


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## DJ Ghost

Damn, you guys gave me alot of solutions now i don't know what to choose...

And Generaly, i have a water cooling system and the pump does noise...

So what do you tihnk about this

Frectal Design Case (i'll take out some of the fans)

Silver Arrow for the CPU

that Kingwin PSU u recommended

some n/c foam

that biggest problem is the optical drive and hard drive
and suggestions about that? what hdd is presumed quiet?

i'll recommend him to take another CPU that puts up less heat, i don't tihnk any software (like pro tools, cubase etc) takes Advantage of 6 core any way


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## Chobbit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost;15297734*
> Damn, you guys gave me alot of solutions now i don't know what to choose...
> 
> And Generaly, i have a water cooling system and the pump does noise...
> 
> So what do you tihnk about this
> 
> Frectal Design Case (i'll take out some of the fans)
> 
> Silver Arrow for the CPU
> 
> that Kingwin PSU u recommended
> 
> some n/c foam
> 
> that biggest problem is the optical drive and hard drive
> and suggestions about that? what hdd is presumed quiet?
> 
> i'll recommend him to take another CPU that puts up less heat, i don't tihnk any software (like pro tools, cubase etc) takes Advantage of 6 core any way


SSD's are the way to go they are near silent or even PCI-SSD's and put any other drives in an external caddy and lock them in a cupboard with a hole drilled just for cables.

If he's not doing any overclocking and may even be tempted to underclock slightly you should get away with having the silver arrow (or Noctua NH-d14) as a passive setup with no fans attached.

Also I would recommend underclocking as this would allow you to reduce the voltages needed which cause electric noise our ears don't always hear but sound equipment might pick up.

You could just have 1 low rpm fan to exhaust at the top or back of the case and that could do it if your using onboard graphics and not worried about cool temps but also shouldn't over heat.

Add a bit of sound dampning foaming should even make that single fan you have beyond noticeable.

I would recommend (as others have) that you get a 2500k that should do everything you need faster and cooler.


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## subtec

Here's another idea to throw into the mix: Phenom II (125w TDP)-based system in a Silverstone FT03 running completely fanless:


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## DJ Ghost

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Chobbit*


SSD's are the way to go they are near silent or even PCI-SSD's and put any other drives in an external caddy and lock them in a cupboard with a hole drilled just for cables.

If he's not doing any overclocking and may even be tempted to underclock slightly you should get away with having the silver arrow (or Noctua NH-d14) as a passive setup with no fans attached.

Also I would recommend underclocking as this would allow you to reduce the voltages needed which cause electric noise our ears don't always hear but sound equipment might pick up.

You could just have 1 low rpm fan to exhaust at the top or back of the case and that could do it if your using onboard graphics and not worried about cool temps but also shouldn't over heat.

Add a bit of sound dampning foaming should even make that single fan you have beyond noticeable.

I would recommend (as others have) that you get a 2500k that should do everything you need faster and cooler.


hmm yeah he will go for 2600K
and maybe even wait for the 3000series..

my main concern is psu

I REALY WANT IT

it supossed to hold lets say

2600K/3000 series (maybe a little oc
4X4 gb ram 1600Mhz or higer
z68 mobo
1 ssd
1 hdd 
about 8-9 cathods
Pump/tank (also with a uv cathod) (with some120mm 8.5db 35CFM fans on the rad)
maybe a plasma ball (for show )rad
/580/570/560 GPU (only one, even 1 is overkill for the games we play)


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## Serephucus

I recently finished a build of my own. I have a Nova 1080 rad cooling a GTX 580 and an i7 950. With three 600 RPM fans, nothing gets over 50 degress, and that's with everything highly overclocked. Once I get my Cooler Master M700 PSU to power everything, it should be basically inaudible.

Something to consider.


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## goodtobeking

You can build a monster WC loop, and have all the pumps and radiators/fans in another room. Just run the tubing through the wall and then you will be without any fans. Although I dont think that is necessary because a fan at 600-900 RPM is silent, and PWM function will keep you safe from overheating. Plus it would be inside the case that you could put in acoustic foam.

I say get some Akasa Apaches, an Akasa Flexa(PWM fan splitter with its own power supply so you dont overload MOBO fan header), a TH10 case labs case, and fill it with a couple low FPI radiators.


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## Serephucus

Quote:



Originally Posted by *goodtobeking*


You can build a monster WC loop, and have all the pumps and radiators/fans in another room. Just run the tubing through the wall and then you will be without any fans. Although I dont think that is necessary because a fan at 600-900 RPM is silent, and PWM function will keep you safe from overheating. Plus it would be inside the case that you could put in acoustic foam.

I say get some Akasa Apaches, an Akasa Flexa(PWM fan splitter with its own power supply so you dont overload MOBO fan header), a TH10 case labs case, and fill it with a couple low FPI radiators.


That's basically what I have now. A 9x120 rad on the door of a heavily sound-insulated ATCS 840, with three 600RPM fans. The whole thing hums at about the same level that certain wall chargers will whine when charging devices, and the hard drives make a bit of noise when seeking, but beyond that it's dead quiet.

I think at some point I'll move the whole cooling apparatus into another room, along with the mechanical drives, and have only the CD drive, power and reset buttons, and SSD boot drive in the same room as my keyboard and monitor.


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## piskooooo

My computer isn't 0db but it's pretty damn close. The loudest thing in there now is the hard drives.


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## Zap

That's because they are WD Caviar Black - the noisiest consumer HDDs on the market.


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## piskooooo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zap;15486153*
> That's because they are WD Caviar Black - the noisiest consumer HDDs on the market.


They were cheap


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## eliteip

If your doing music production, your well off getting a mac. Mac are mainly used for those things. I used to produce music as well of spinning them in a club. If your asking me.. Windows pc isn't the best choice of it. It's not really made for audio media.

EDIT and as for sticking with a Windows base pc... And music production. As the guy was saying.. stick the pc in a closet and have a virtual screen of 2 monitors. Your going to need extra room for your mixers and synthisizers. Also a mid speaker to hear your high tunes... I can message you more details... I sold everything I had for music production. But I can give you advice on what you need.
Sent from my HTC Vision


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## guyladouche

Oil-submersion cooling is probably the only way to cool a high-end system with zero audible fan noise.

IIRC, there are lots of passively cooled PSU's--but I have yet to see a passively air-cooled 990x...

*EDIT--*I guess this was already mentioned, didn't realize the thread was a few pages long.


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## trumpet-205

Quote:



Originally Posted by *guyladouche*


Oil-submersion cooling is probably the only way to cool a high-end system with zero audible fan noise.

IIRC, there are lots of passively cooled PSU's--but I have yet to see a passively air-cooled 990x...

*EDIT--*I guess this was already mentioned, didn't realize the thread was a few pages long.


You still need a radiator, a pump, and a fan to cool off those mineral oils.


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## frogger4

EDIT: posted the wrong stuff, disregard this post please


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## Fir3Chi3f

I don't think it's been suggested yet, couldn't you try underclocking that 990x? Along with a big heatsink it might not need a fan then. I don't know what the performance would be like after though.


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## Onions

i thnk your best bet would be a like a 450 with a block a block on the cpu an ssd and a 240 rad with low rpm fans....


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## psyclum

the solution you are looking for is no longer in production. however, you might be able to find an used TNN500-AF somewhere that will do the job.


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## sccr64472

Forget the hassle and just place the computer in a remote location and buy an expensive KVM switch for your externals. There's no reason the workstation has to be in that room.


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## Heat

Quote:



Originally Posted by *sccr64472*


Forget the hassle and just place the computer in a remote location and buy an expensive KVM switch for your externals. There's no reason the workstation has to be in that room.


This. ^^

To much of a hassle to have a fanless system and underclock or have mineral oil, just have a keyboard and monitor in that room and that's it.


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## Fir3Chi3f

Quote:



Originally Posted by *sccr64472*


Forget the hassle and just place the computer in a remote location and buy an expensive KVM switch for your externals. There's no reason the workstation has to be in that room.


The "easy" solution isn't the most fun though









I'd still be interested in seeing a silent highend rig, but I think op said he was going with this a page or two ago. Cheers


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## Cha0s_Cha0

The only good way to get a "silent" psu is to get a very high rated Seasonic that doesn't turn on the fan at low usage and never put the system under load and that'll never turn the psu fan on. You'll also have to underclock the 990x and get the best passive cpu cooler on the market to keep temps in check as well as never put the cpu under full load. There are plenty of choices on gpu when it comes to getting a passively cooled one. If you're that worried about sound then optical drives are a big no-no as well as hdd's. Your only option is to use nothing but SSD's because hdd's when in high usage are much louder than a good psu's fan so if you're worried about psu fans then you must be worried about hdd noise.


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## Onions

or buidl a giant 10 foot bong cooler







jsut to cool teh loop of course







drugs are bad dont ever do them


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## GameBoy

There's no sense in making it completely fan-less. Just add a couple of low RPM fans (~800RPM or even ~600RPM) and they will be completely inaudible.

Get one of the Seasonic X or Kingwin LZP/Superflower Golden King PSU's. They stay fanless under a certain point (can't remember if its temp or power draw).


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## Strobe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GameBoy;15533896*
> There's no sense in making it completely fan-less. Just add a couple of low RPM fans (~800RPM or even ~600RPM) and they will be completely inaudible.
> 
> Get one of the Seasonic X or Kingwin LZP/Superflower Golden King PSU's. They stay fanless under a certain point (can't remember if its temp or power draw).


I believe the Seasonic X-650 I use is fanless under 20% load. Then near silent under 40% load.


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## Haze_hellivo

Not very praticall but you could submerge it in mineral oil, just using the heatsinks with no fans.


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## Kreeker

I don't understand why this is even still being discussed.

Store the computer in an adjacent room or somewhere the recording is not being done. This is honestly the only way to have a truly silent setup.


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## Strobe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kreeker;15548233*
> I don't understand why this is even still being discussed.
> 
> Store the computer in an adjacent room or somewhere the recording is not being done. This is honestly the only way to have a truly silent setup.


100% true statement when trying to meat the title of the thread. 0db is only achieved when it's not there lol. Unless you build some kind of heatsink that is like the size of a desk that passively cools itself on the air of the room.


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## Spacedinvader

under 15db is inaudible...no??

jaysus you would probably hear your breathing and heartbeat over that

edit: or dunk that ***** like Haze said


----------



## Sedative

Mineral Oil


----------



## Spacedinvader

dunk it!!!11!1!









and give us pics or it didn't happen


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## u3b3rg33k

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*
> 
> My Freind wants it for a *Digital Audio Workstation.*
> 
> i mean, no fans at all even not in PSU. no OC is needed.
> 
> the main specs are
> 
> Core i7-990X
> 
> 12 OR 24 GB Ram Triple Channel
> 
> ASUS P6T7 WS.
> 
> OCZ Z-Drive R2 P88 512GB
> *
> HITACHI Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB*
> 
> is there any good Fannless PSU that will hold a system like that?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Spacedinvader*
> 
> under 15db is inaudible...no??
> 
> jaysus you would probably hear your breathing and heartbeat over that
> 
> edit: or dunk that ***** like Haze said


"In general, the interior of an anechoic chamber is very quiet, with typical noise levels in the 10-20 dBA range."
if your budget is under $10k, the room will most likely be in the 25-35dB range all by itself.

Build one of these:








and you can factor in not being in the room with the PC.

If your friend is going for a workstation in his basement, then your goal (quiet, not annoying) can be achieved with fans - you'd be amazed at how quiet an anti-vibration mounted AP-11 can be, even inches from your face.


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## Crest

For silence, I would say go with watercooling but for rads, perhaps string 3 of those 360x360 radiators in a stack and I'd wager that convection would keep things generally cooled. Go with SSD's only as well obviously.

So the only noise would be from the PSU fan, which honestly can be very very quiet if not quieter than your pulse in your ear drum, and from water movement in the pipes.


----------



## willis888

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sccr64472*
> 
> Forget the hassle and just place the computer in a remote location and buy an expensive KVM switch for your externals. There's no reason the workstation has to be in that room.


That's pretty much what I was going to say. Put the workstation in the next room over, drill a hole in the wall to run cables through, and soundproof the hole.


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## Tecchie

How about a gig end laptop? Fans on those are rarely over 30dba under crazy overheating events. Put it in a sound insulated and vented box and call it a day.


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## Paradigm84

No overclocking on a 990X? You are either stupid or a troll.


----------



## Onions

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Paradigm84*
> 
> No overclocking on a 990X? You are either stupid or a troll.


not everyone wants to oc... maybe hes thinkign resale value when hes done. maybe its something for the future.. this isnt forchan he asked for some advice either give it or leave.... no need to hate


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## Mr.Eiht

There are some nice passive rads but I rather doubt that they can handle the heat fro a 990X even if it is not OCed. E.g.



The HDDs will make noise anyway but you could isolate the case.
But IMHO this not a good idea. Get proper cooling and some earplugs...


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## Paradigm84

I wasn't trying to hate, I just think buying a 990X and not overclocking it is counter-productive considering it is one of the most expensive and high end CPU's you can buy.


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## Onions

and it performs that way on stock....


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## Artikbot

I'd build a regular computer, put waterblocks EVERYWHERE that's humanly possible, and run two tubes across the wall. Then hang soemthing like a Phobya 1080 rad outside the room with a couple of fans on it.


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## psyclum

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Artikbot*
> 
> I'd build a regular computer, put waterblocks EVERYWHERE that's humanly possible, and run two tubes across the wall. Then hang soemthing like a Phobya 1080 rad outside the room with a couple of fans on it.


well... if you are going to go THAT far...







might i suggest



if it can cool down a racing engine, i doubt it'll have problem cooling down your computer


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## Artikbot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *psyclum*
> 
> well... if you are going to go THAT far...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> might i suggest
> 
> if it can cool down a racing engine, i doubt it'll have problem cooling down your computer


Aluminium!! It will produce galvanic corrosion!!









I said that monster because you can slap a couple of 200mm fans on it and it'll be unhearable and still perform like a damned monster


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## psyclum

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Artikbot*
> 
> Aluminium!! It will produce galvanic corrosion!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I said that monster because you can slap a couple of 200mm fans on it and it'll be unhearable and still perform like a damned monster


with a radiator THAT size for a computer, you don't need any fans remember it's designed to cool down a 600+ hp engine


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## mannyfc

d14 with no fans at like 3.9ghz?
and as for GPU this:
This GPU

i think its the fastest passive gpu without having to change the cooler... a la gts450 or 6770 with one of these

This cooler

there....

EDIT HELP I CANT POST A LINK ....i feel really dumb


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## TranquilTempest

There is a passive 6850 made by powercolor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131442

If you want to cool such a large rig silently though, i'd use mineral oil submersion and pump the coolant to a radiator outside the recording area.

edit: didn't notice the date, sorry for the necromancy.


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## u3b3rg33k

If you're gonna bother having half the computer in another room, why not put the WHOLE computer in another room?


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## PappaSmurfsHarem

Who even keeps the workstation in the same room as your mics? I assume you have a powered condenser if your actually worried about the sound. If not, then


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## Suwb4643

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slEoUmqzscw&feature=plcp&context=C477eeb1VDvjVQa1PpcFMATkwyiZx65BPVhO0NTfTJHE5zGZm7tMY=
and a fanless GPU (I suggest him going for an i3 and HD Graphics)
tell him to take the R3 case from Fractal.
Because the CPU cooler is passive I do recommend buying a filter and putting a Gentle Typhoon 500/800 RPM on the side door and another one in the top, it will be death silent.


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## borandi

Store the PC in a different room, run cables through. 0db


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## Klinkey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DJ Ghost*
> 
> My Freind wants it for a Digital Audio Workstation.
> 
> i mean, no fans at all even not in PSU. no OC is needed.
> 
> the main specs are
> 
> Core i7-990X
> 
> 12 OR 24 GB Ram Triple Channel
> 
> ASUS P6T7 WS.
> 
> OCZ Z-Drive R2 P88 512GB
> 
> HITACHI Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB
> 
> is there any good Fannless PSU that will hold a system like that?


Platinum Power supply

You could always submerge it in oil









But no, 0db not possible, it is with low spec rigs but not that


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## james_ant

If you put all that in a Fractal Define R3 (has noise dampening coating on inside), with a passive PSU and passive video card then it would be possible to make your tower really quiet.

Without over-clocking I would think it would be possible to put a Silver Arrow or a D14 as a cooler without fans, I'm not sure how hot that would get being a six core and all. You would still need to have some fans to keep air moving through the pc.

Most of the noise from high end PC's come from is all the cooling that is required from overclocking, so if your not overclocking you should be able to get away with much more.

As others have said it's probably better to make an enclosure or run the cables from a different room. Get a long HDMI or DVI cable and a wireless keyboard and mouse (or a long USB cable and USB hub/hub for other audio cables).


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## TehOnlyMITTENS

The only way I can imagine a 0dba computer is possible, would be to have your cooling components in another room. It seems the only solution would be to get a liquid cooling setup, with some very strong pumps I might add, and put the rads, pumps, and fans in a closet. Then you close the door.


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## jrl1357

you need all ssd, passive cpus sinks a fanless power supply no system fans--
You will need SOME active cooling. Maybe some compleatly electric one


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## thorian88

Im guessing your friend wants this in a studio work environment... if so, low db fans with sound dampening foam.. besides hearing the common electrical current of mixers amps etc, he could not hear it, unless he still had hearing of a thirteen year old. I know this because i built my wife a recording room.


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## thorian88

Plz delete thi post


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## illli

this http://www.nofancomputer.com/eng/products/CR-100A.PHP

plus this http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/35857-sapphire-launches-passive-hd-7750-ultimate-graphics-card/

and this http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Kingwin/STR-500/

zalman used to make these silent/passive cooled cases once upon a time. Basically turned the entire computer case into one massive heatsink, but that was a few years back.


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## $ilent

why not just run it in oil?


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## Schmuckley

CPUs make noise..so..no.Mechanical hard drives do too.


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## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *$ilent*
> 
> why not just run it in oil?


this


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## Crack_Fox

Necro'd much ?


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## jrl1357

You could make to near silent. Passive thermaltake hr-2 heatsink, fanless seasonic x powersupply, use one of those elasic drive bays thing for hard drive or use an ssd. Use alot of massive low vibe fans, and keep the rpm really low


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## Demondrumer

well you could put everything in a watercooling loop but all moveing components such as pumps and fans in a diffrent room and then pipe that through the wall
 








other wise no :/


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## MethosTR

All mechanical and electrical systems make sound.. It's physically impossible to make a 0db computer unless you isolate it in a hard vacuum.

I guess you can have it submerged in oil, use SSD's, and not have any fans going to make it very quiet.


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## heinz357

Quote:


> well you could put everything in a watercooling loop but all moveing components such as pumps and fans in a diffrent room and then pipe that through the wall


^^^ this, perfect solution!

rads, fans and pumps in their own box, placed away from main PC!









...stealth edit...

Hell, why not just put the whole pc next door and run monitor, kb and mouse through a hole in the wall!!


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## Warweo

PowerColor made a passively cooled 6850, I don't know if this has been posted as I didn't read _every_ post since the OP.

http://www.powercolor.com/global/products_features.asp?id=358


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## joshd

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Methos07*
> 
> You'll have to isolate the tower, there's no way that hardware is being cooled with 0db.


Yes it is.


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## Riou

It is easier just to get minimal amount of fans that spin very slowly at 600 rpm imho. Going completely passive is likely not feasible.


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## psyclum

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Warweo*
> 
> PowerColor made a passively cooled 6850, I don't know if this has been posted as I didn't read _every_ post since the OP.
> http://www.powercolor.com/global/products_features.asp?id=358


wait a few months and i'm sure a passive 7850 or at least a passive 7770 would be out.


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## lagittaja

Or get a 7770 and buy a accelero S1+ like I did









From Finland with Desire


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## jrl1357

Its very possable... The origanl mac had no fans (it did overheat, but theres steve jobs for ya)

Passive cpu sinks, fanless power suppy, all ssd, passively cooled gpu.... Hot air moves up, so nuteral convetion cooling is possable as long as heat is low. High end? Dont know about that. Heres a parts list:

proc- intel i3 2100t (dual core with ht, 2.5ghz 35watts) or intel core i5 2500t (quad core with no ht, 2.3ghz 45watts)
Cooler- thermaltake hr2 all passive (alternite: silver arrrow/nd14 without fans)
Motherboard- anything with good heatsinks on the mofsats and chipsets
Ram-1.5 volts is better, but lower dimms>voltage. the less dimms the better (single 8gb dimm,anyone?)
Gpu-amd radoen hd 7750 (find one all passive, or undervolt a normal one and turn off fans)
Psu-seasonic x series fanless 400watts
No dvd drive
Ssd-any one, just make sure its big cause no hdd
Case-one with tons of vents, very open (or use no case) remove all fans


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## lagittaja

Why get expensive i3 when you can just get a Celeron G530 or Pentium G620 for half the price.

From Finland with Desire


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## serp777

A geothermal cooling system would also work very well; it would keep it at room temperature pretty much 24/7, and you could overvolt a good amount. Of course this option is expensive, and won't work in all situations, like if you're in an apartment or something. There's also always the TEC cooler with a large passive heatsink for the hot side. Depending on how efficient your TEC is you can bring your cpu below 0 degrees Celsius, which is always nice.

see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling


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## jrl1357

Thats a good option too. All of these equal lower hardware or higher cost thou. Can someone give links to these electic silent coolers? I cant find them


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## psyclum

google thermal electric cooler or peltier device and you should be able to find venders for it. however... DO realize that TEC(thermal electric coolers) are NOT efficient. you will be doubling the thermal output of your CPU by trying to cool it with a TEC. which means a HUGE passive heatsink on the other side of the TEC.


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## thrasherht

best option I have seen so far is put computer in another room and run the cables to the recording studio. That would also keep the room a little cleaner and have more space for stuff.
You could wire up a box to plug everything into, it would include all the USB and everything with power and reset buttons on it, so that would just sit on your desk in place of the tower, which would be in the other room.


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## jrl1357

You could plunge the whole thing into minaril oil as well. Enough volume and it could be all passive.


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## PCCstudent

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jrl1357*
> 
> You could plunge the whole thing into minaril oil as well. Enough volume and it could be all passive.


You can work on your "mineral oil immersed" computer yourself.There are fanless power supplies.I would be checking just what a professional sound studio uses when they want a computer in the room,then reverse engineer.


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## jrl1357

No really, i looked it up. Its basicly a fish tank, in goes your parts (no hard drives thou, ssds are fine) then in goes mineral oil. Its liquid cooling, but the oil isnt conductive so you can pour it right over your stuff. With enough volume, its effective enough it have no moving parts.


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## Chickenman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *thrasherht*
> 
> best option I have seen so far is put computer in another room and run the cables to the recording studio. That would also keep the room a little cleaner and have more space for stuff.
> You could wire up a box to plug everything into, it would include all the USB and everything with power and reset buttons on it, so that would just sit on your desk in place of the tower, which would be in the other room.


This - it works 100% it's simple and honestly - the difference it makes is huge.

With audio interfaces running on firewire or usb it's no big problem to drill a couple holes in the floor (if it's carpeted when you remove the cables no one will even notice) and use a couple long usb cables.

It also means you can overclock your PC - chuck some quality high cfm fans and filters on it and not have to stress.


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## Riou

You may still need radiators and fans for even submerged mineral oil cooling. Oil gets hot just like water. It may be simpler just to go water-cooling or get really big heatsinks like Thermalright and Noctua.


----------



## patawic

one of my friends runs his 990x passively using a CM hyper z600 (its not overclocked and i am unable to tell you load temps)
Its probably not ideal seeing as the cooler is only meant to handle 89w TDP passively.
But it works


----------



## jrl1357

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Riou*
> 
> You may still need radiators and fans for even submerged mineral oil cooling. Oil gets hot just like water. It may be simpler just to go water-cooling or get really big heatsinks like Thermalright and Noctua.


I agree it would be simpler, but if theres enough volume for the heat to spread out you wouldnt need the fans. However, plunging your computer in mineral oil does border on insaneity


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## ramicio

Electrical systems make sound? Transformers do because of the constantly-fluctuating magnetic field vibrating the whole thing, but nothing else but extremely high voltage systems make noise. You're not going to hear any transformer whine in a computer unless you're in one of those anechoic chambers. If you do, that particular piece of hardware is a POS.


----------



## jrl1357

i was looking up those thermal electric ones: wont work for a 0db build. they have a cold side- and a hot side. if it overheats the cooler fails. great at transfering the heat, but youd still need a heatsink or water on the plate


----------



## K62-RIG

use this vid as inspiration. Apparently it's completely passive and quiet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DezNtDZYQBQ&list=UU_SN80_V2GymyCWM2oTYTeg&index=2&feature=plcp


----------



## DrSmoke

Wouldn't the simple answer be to just put the PC in a different room from the sensitive audio workspace? Then run your HDMI, USB and Whatever cables, through a wall into the audio room. Then soundproof that room.

Another solution would be water cooling hooked up to a chiller. Even then, the chiller would need to be remote, and you would still need to cool parts like the PSU.

I think if you really need silent computing, the only real solution is to remove the PC from the area.


----------



## ramicio

You can't cool a PSU with water?


----------



## u3b3rg33k

you can...
http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=665


----------



## ramicio

It's pretty gay that all of these water-cooled power supplies are of gigantic wattage. I just want to build a computer that typically needs less than 400 watts but silent by either using a single big, slow fan and water cooling, or by passively cooling that water with huge passive sink towers. All that needs to be cooled is what is on the heat-sinks. I don't see any issue in just cooling the heat-sinks with water, much like this guy's project.


----------



## jrl1357

Seasonic makes 400watt fanless power supplys


----------



## ramicio

They still need airflow from a fan somewhere in the case, otherwise they just serve to heat up other components.


----------



## jrl1357

point, however much air will vent outside as well


----------



## Padishah

I completely passive water cooler system including cpu,gpu,motherboard and ram and this power supply http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=0_79&product_id=911 not 0db but close. and ssd's are a must


----------



## l3eans

Dig under your floor and make a computer "chamber".

Or install it inside your air vent and turn on the A/C.


----------



## ramicio

Or just water cool it and move the radiator elsewhere.


----------



## jrl1357

^this^ while with unlimited money and time im sure we'd all like to fool around with it, jusr having he computer in a different room or atleast routing water cooling tubes to a different room (what about pump?) would seem to be the way


----------



## ramicio

The pump can be anywhere. I don't see the big deal about needing huge head numbers. We're not designing a pond or aquarium. Systems should be closed, not one bubble of air. People should abandon their ricey reservoirs if they are serious about this. Systems should be filled at the very top of the system and left open to bleed out air, and then closed. Something like a tee at the top and a few inches of tubing is what's needed. I could be wrong about this, but in my mind, the physics make sense that in a closed system, static head is zero.


----------



## psyclum

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ramicio*
> 
> The pump can be anywhere. I don't see the big deal about needing huge head numbers. We're not designing a pond or aquarium. Systems should be closed, not one bubble of air. People should abandon their ricey reservoirs if they are serious about this. Systems should be filled at the very top of the system and left open to bleed out air, and then closed. Something like a tee at the top and a few inches of tubing is what's needed. I could be wrong about this, but in my mind, the physics make sense that in a closed system, static head is zero.


close, but there is the mass of the water and the resistance of the plumbing to consider. the energy required to push 1 quart of water 5 feet vs pushing 10 gallons of water 100 feet is different.


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## ramicio

Static head in a closed system is still zero. The mass of the water from large heights should not factor into friction head, whatsoever, just the tubing, because the weight of the water returning negates the weight pushed.


----------

