How important is the sound your tower makes to you?

[n-ster]

I have changed my tastes as well. Before it was about the best cooling while keeping the noise to no more than slightly or moderately loud. Now it's the quietest with cooling that has just enough headroom to not have to worry. Same for components, intel CPUs, for the first time ever I've gone green team for GPU, very little or no over volting when OCing...

On idle and low loads, I want it to be near silent, and the noise I do hear has to be pleasant. I try to keep to that standard even if building for someone else. Coil wine and hard drive noise are now a priority to eliminate for mid range. Semi passive GPU, and PSU (or Be Quiet!) are staples for high end builds. For people who care a bit more about noise, case and CPU cooler fans have to have great acoustics (I'm partial to Be Quiet silent wings or Phanteks 140XP or 200mm fans). For people who care more about idle noise, you can't go wrong with Noctua fans (partial to the redux line up).

Internal hard drive and DVD drive are relegated to my server but most of the time they aren't even plugged. No more 120mm or smaller fans in the main rig either

 

[Solaris17]

I just bought a pair of autio technicas and forgot about it.

 

[FYFI13]

A laptop must be dead silent for me, can't stand noisy HP bricks. My main laptop, Toshiba Tecra Z40-A keeps the fan off even when playing 1080p videos.
For HTPC/file server i got Intel Nuc, which is also inaudible.
Gaming rig has pretty aggressive fan curve and since I'm gaming with headphones, i literally don't care about the noise. I'm not saying it's noisy, but i do prefer lower temps over the noise. Plus, with VelociRaptor spinning at 10K RPM there isn't much i can do about it anyways

 

[AlienIsGOD]

i voted performance, the loudest part of my rig is the rx 480s blower fan, but it works well and temps dont go past 75C... I think RMA repasted TIM on my gpu cause it was always at 85-90 before. This is with a set limit of 90C and 60C target temp

 

[jboydgolfer]

Computer noise has never been an issue for me, for one I think it's the fact that I always choose high-quality case fan something with a very high CFM rating also something at least 120 mm.

In addition I like to build with a positive air pressure I currently run six fans and I can't hear my PC .I also run H110gtx , and. Ref gtx970 , even while running Grandtheft auto five I still hear nothing.

my case is nothing special , it's just a phanteks enthoo proM acryllic

 

[Bill_Bright]

I don't care what the primary purpose, any noise coming from inside the computer case needs to be below the ambient noise levels of the room I am in. IMO, if I can hear the fan, the design of the blades is poor, the bearings are worn or of poor quality, or the vent the fan is moving air through is poorly designed. If my fans have to spin so fast they make enough noise for me to hear, then maybe I need to add more case fans to increase the supply of cool air, or maybe change cases or add sound deadening to the case.

 

[FYFI13]

Computer noise has never been an issue for me

Then you never owned an HD 4870X2!

I paid extra 8 euros to get Arctic Accelero Xtreme cooler delivered for it ONE day earlier

 

[erocker]

"I don't really think about it"

Unless of course a fan is buzzing, smoking, burning, etc.

 

[Jetster]

Its how you know its working

 

[jboydgolfer]

"I don't really think about it"

Unless of course a fan is buzzing, smoking, burning, etc.

you n me both....im of the frame of mind that if You pay attention to a problem, You ONLY see the problem...I have My PC in a Office desk/PC desk, and Its fully exposed to be heard, but i just never hear it....threads like this make me think my age is catching up with me


i can hear some noise, but for 6 140mm fans, a H110GTX water loop, and a Ref Blower GTX970, its not too bad...compared to the sound of me clearing my throat, it isnt that loud, but definitely there none the less.oh well.definitely louder than i thought

 

[francisw19]

The balanced approach seemed the best fit for me. That said, I want near silence when things are idle (which is think is reasonably easy to accomplish these days) so I can browse, listen to music, etc. in peace.

When my rig is put under a load, I've been more focused on the "sound signature" (sorry I don't know what to call it) than the level of noise particularly. Fans are going to be audible when my rig is under load, so if I have to hear them, I want them to sound good.

 

[manofthem]

I've changed over the years. Back with my first hardcore gaming setup, I cranked all the case fans and gpu fans up while gaming and didn't care, especially since I mainly used a headset .

Now though, different story. Using water cooling with lots of rad space and quiet fans has allowed me to achieve a very quiet rig that doesn't sound Iike a yard blower while gaming. Fantastic, since I rarely have time to play anymore

 

[BiggieShady]

I voted for balanced approach although my current situation is far from balanced ... my main machine is quiet and the other one is noisy. So there is dis-balance between them, but also in each of them separately .... quiet one is slightly overclocked and noisy one is at stock. Quiet one can get hot at summer and noisy one is cool. They are both in the same room but thankfully the noisy one isn't always on and is rarely at full load ... however at the times when it is, I feel I have successfully defeated the purpose of having a quiet build, thank you very much

 

[Bill_Bright]

"Balanced approach" really makes no sense to me because the parameters have not been properly defined.

I don't see where cost is a factor at all. The most expensive fans are not necessarily the quietest.

The best power supply is not defined by the PSU with the quietest fan. The same can be said for graphics cards - many of which port fan noise directly out the back - which can totally defeat a quiet case.

Cooler does NOT automatically mean better. HOT is unacceptable - period. But 50°C (or even 60°C) and dead silent is just fine. 30°C and a bunch of fan noise is unacceptable.

The question was, "How much sound do you prefer your tower to make when you consider performance, cooling, and cost?" I prefer zero sound regardless how I consider performance, cooling and cost. Now what I will tolerate is another question.

 

[BiggieShady]

"Balanced approach" really makes no sense to me because the parameters have not been properly defined.

Isn't it obvious ... you balance noise versus temperature at wanted overclock ... effectively trading some of the longevity of components for some quiet
Anything else beside that would make no sense ... you can't "balance" the existence of sound dampening foam for example ... or balance the choice of fan manufacturer ...

 

[Aquinus]

"Balanced approach" really makes no sense to me because the parameters have not been properly defined.

I don't see where cost is a factor at all. The most expensive fans are not necessarily the quietest.

The best power supply is not defined by the PSU with the quietest fan. The same can be said for graphics cards - many of which port fan noise directly out the back - which can totally defeat a quiet case.

Cooler does NOT automatically mean better. HOT is unacceptable - period. But 50°C (or even 60°C) and dead silent is just fine. 30°C and a bunch of fan noise is unacceptable.

The question was, "How much sound do you prefer your tower to make when you consider performance, cooling, and cost?" I prefer zero sound regardless how I consider performance, cooling and cost. Now what I will tolerate is another question.

Balanced, as in, sound when sound is required but too much sound is a bad thing.

Isn't it obvious ... you balance noise versus temperature at wanted overclock ... effectively trading some of the longevity of components for some quiet
Anything else beside that would make no sense ... you can't "balance" the existence of sound dampening foam for example ... or balance the choice of fan manufacturer ...

This. Some people build their machine to be cool under any circumstance, others want it to be quiet, others want it to cool when cooling is required but, everyone has a preference and I'm assuming that most people haven't had the same opinion from the get-go. That's all I'm trying to gauge because I'm getting to the point where if I rebuild my machine, I might put extra time and money into it to make it quiet which is something I haven't done in the past.

 

[cadaveca]

With a 6700K and dual GTX 980's, silence isn't that much of a concern; the cooling needed is so little that my rig is naturally quiet.

I don't mind a bit of noise, and the other people in my house don't seem to care either... they make enough of it as is, so why not me too!?


Lots of fan noise, to me, is a sign of a poor build design, if you have recent hardware. There is not anything that needs high fan noise, no GPU, no CPU, no HDD... heck, my HDD have no fans on them at all, at barely break 45c on hot days...

Older hardware, yeah, fan noise was something you had to deal with for sure, but I like my modern hardware purely for the fact that it makes little-to-no noise.

 

[Jetster]

On my gaming PC the GPU is fairly quiet GTX980 and some of the fans are on PWM including the CPU. Two front fans are on a sliding switch. So if I feel it needs a little extra cooling on a hot day then I turn up the intakes. Otherwise its really quiet

My HTPC make no noise at all. All 120mm fans at 800 rpm and the PSU never spins up

 

[Bill_Bright]

Isn't it obvious ... you balance noise versus temperature at wanted overclock ... effectively trading some of the longevity of components for some quiet

This just totally illustrates my point. You have set what balanced means to you. You are the first in this thread to mention anything about overclocking or longevity of components. What you claim is balanced is NOT what others say.

Note where Aquinus says "this" but then says something totally different by claiming some want cool under any circumstance, others want it to be quiet, others want it to cool when cooling is required. Then he ends it by saying correctly,, "everyone has a preference and I'm assuming that most people haven't had the same opinion from the get-go."

So clearly, it is NOT obvious - except on an individual bases.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[BiggieShady]

So clearly, it is NOT obvious - except on an individual bases.

I should elaborate more.
The way I see it, every air cooled build at idle is between silent and quiet ... at load it's between acceptably loud and obnoxiously loud
By that extent, the load noise is what matters most.
Truly quiet build for me would mean way over the top PSU that is at 40% capacity at full load so the fan spins slowly, Pascal GPU, huge heatsink on the CPU with 14cm fan, roomy case that can accomodate >16cm tall heatsink (even with sound insulation on the sides if the case has it), and all case fans to be PWM controlled.
So the first balancing act is about finances and you end up with less than you wanted.
Only after that comes the balancing I was referring to in my previous post ... getting the most with what you have got, staying as quiet as possible at load while still being able to overclock the bastard. (case air flow and fan curves)
What I haven't mentioned at all earlier, and is just as important, is quality of load noise ... soft and muffled is what I aim for.

That may be my individual approach, but the principles and components are all obviously common.

 

[Melvis]

I can live with some noise when gaming that doesnt bother me but when im not gaming or just watching a movie off the PC I want it quiet.

 

[Bill_Bright]

but the principles and components are all obviously common.

No. Only to you based on what you believe to be what is expected. For example. Most graphics cards are NOT totally silent even at idle. While their fans may slow down, very few stop completely. Just as very few CPU fans stop completely at idle. Even drive motors don't stop completely at idle and only some PSU fans stop completely.

Truly quiet means just that - zero noise and that can only be achieved with a passive PSU, passive CPU cooler, passive GPU cooler and SSDs.

Truly quiet build for me

Key phrase there being "for me".

"Quality of load noise"??? Noise is noise. If I am listening to music or a movie sound track, I don't care if the noise if from an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S - arguably the finest sounding exhaust noise in the world - it is still unwanted "noise" when listening to music.

 

[TRUELOVE95]

My computer has a really pleasant hum. I have a fan in the background just for the nice wooosh noise that the fan gives.

sounds like a joke, but the low sounds are actually soothing.

 

[Komshija]

Fan noise don't really bother me unless it becomes terribly loud like in my Dell Studio XPS laptop under load. Normal HDD noise also isn't a problem. Of course, less noise is always better, but performance and noise are usually correlated, unless you plan to spend a few month's salary on your system.

The only noise that could really bother me are whine and fan rattle, but these usually indicate that you have defective GPU or PSU and defective fan.

 

[Recon-UK]

Then you never owned an HD 4870X2!

I paid extra 8 euros to get Arctic Accelero Xtreme cooler delivered for it ONE day earlier

Sounds exactly like my GTX 670.