How to make my computer quieter?

EZero

As the topic suggests but more to the point.

How do I make my computer quieter by ways of acoustic dampening?

Basically the situation is that I have an old computer that I put into a corner that I keep up 24/7 to download bittorrent files and generally act as a file server. The problem is that it's an old computer so the harddrive is pretty loud and the computer is in my room.

The general stuff like replacing the HSF with a quiet one and quiet fans doesn't quite apply here since the computer is an old slot type Pentium 3. Most of the noise comes from the harddrive. Replacing the harddrive is also not much of an option because the computer could not even detect my 80GB IDE drive.

So anyone here have any tips or experience with other methods of making a computer quieter on the cheap? I'm open to suggestions as to lining the case with sound dampening materials.

Thanks for reading this post and thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions!

procupine14

well ive seen this nifty thing ive seen on some older gateways with loud HDs that was almost like a rubber sleeve that covered the whole HD, its pretty effective as far as im aware of ive neever heard the HD from one of those machines but hey i dont know where you would find something like that

other than that gasoline and a match works if it makes you really angry

But in all seriousness some type of HD silencer is avaliable at many websites like newegg for less than five bucks maybe try that

i used to have one of those pentium 3s and used it for the exact same thing
yeah mine was loud too but since its in my basement i didnt care

good luck

EZero

Interesting, never knew companies made HDD silencers.

Although I'll keep the gasoline and match in mind just in case the need arrives. *buys gasoline*


Out of curiosity though, has anyone ever tried to line the side of their case to muffle the noise? Say, for the lack of a better example, carpet? (Although I know carpet really should never be put INSIDE a computer, but just saying)

Hosscrop

Go to www.quietpc.com they sell soundproofing kits for the inside of your case and also hard drive enclosures.

I have the sticky sheet inside my PC and yes it really does work. They also sell acoustic feet which take out some of the vibration noise going into your table.

You could go mad and get quieter fans and a fanless graphics card cooler but perhaps your old system is passive cooled anyway.

Hope that helps.

Tipstaff

Why can't you use carpet? All you need to do is be careful not to use a shag material, or something prone to static buildup. As for acoustic material, you might want to look at companies like AcoustiPack, Nexus DampTek, or Akasa that make PC specific material that you can line your computer with. Just be aware that the block type, or thick material is best for sound deadening, and that most thin material won't do a good job.

As for the hard drive, you can buy 5 1/4" bay drive enclosures to play your hard drive into. SilenX has one called Luxurae, which I've tried, and it works wonders. Also, there are a few others out there from Nexus, SmartDrive, and Zalman.

In any case, you might be interested in THIS article on QuietPCs site (also take a look at the rest of their site HERE). (Edit: you beat me to it, Hosscorp. )

Zelig

How much do you value your old PC?

I've got an old underclock Pentium 2 which I'm running as a webserver with no fans, I even ripped the fan out of the PSU, only other significant source of heat is the CPU, which I managed to attach an Athlon XP heatsink to.

Been running like that for a couple years now, have had about 5 months of uptime at a time.

However, since you say the hard drive is already the loudest thing in the computer, I guess messing with the fans isn't going to help out much.

EZero

Alright thanks for the links and tips guys, I'll definitely give that HDD silencer thing a go and see how well it works.

H3X4D3C1M4L

I wouldn't bother. Spend a few bucks more and get the smallest hard drive you can afford with Fluid Dynamic Bearings.

That'll stop the noise entirely as well as prevent any heating issues. HDD Silencers generally don't do much for the heat situation.

And, to boot, I bet you get a 2-10x capacity increase as well as a giant speed boon.