Fans

[rharv]

Cool- A new area for stuff I like to talk about!!

I rcently noticed my computer noise in the background of a vocal track I did.  With a little investigative work I determined it was the fan on the processor (not the new powersupply).  So I jotted down a model number off it, googled it, and found the manufacturer was selling these for 3.49 each...so I bought two. I replaced the fan in the computer with the new one and it sounds like brand new again.  Nice and quiet.  Those fans wear over the hundreds of hours we run them and the increase in noise is done so gradually that we likely don't notice.  However it is such a cheap, easy fix, I thought I'd mention it here.  While the fan was off it was an oppertune time to clean the processors cooling fins too.  Now it's nice and clean, running quiet and cool....and I still have another one for next year! It was less than $10 for two fans including shipping.

BTW the new powersupply seems much quieter than the original equipment. Wasn't much either cost-wise.

[kara]

I'm sure Moon will chime in here
He's pretty good in building silent configurations and knows a lot about fans, power supplies and cases.
I know he has a configuration in his studio that you simply don't hear when it's on, it is impossible to know wether it is running or not 

k

[Moon]

Yes !!! I'm allergic to fan noise, always have been and always will...

My DAW has 5 fans:
- 3 12 cm fans intake from the front
- one 12 cm at the rear (Seasonic power supply)
- one 12 cm mounted on the cpu

These fans all rotate at a minimum speed, but since there's 5 of them the move a lot of air. You can't tell if the DAW is up or not, unless you move your ear in less than half a meter from the case.
O yeah... there's nothing wrong with my ears ! 

Great thing about the setup is also that I don't get any dust in the cas, it's simply is blowing the dust through the case 

I'm also working on a self designed case, something very special. You'll hear more on this project in the comming months...

[Laguna Rising]

My DAW has 5 fans

 

It must be a customized one...

[folderol]

Hacve you heard of Dorothy Bradbury?

Yes, she's a real person!

She totally specialises in fans of all types, and is usually willing to offer suggestions.

[Laguna Rising]

http://www.dorothybradbury.co.uk/

Ok got it

This time I can really say...
...Cool ! 

I am a bit silly at times

[Wyatt]

Interesting stuff..

When I had this last machine built, the fellow told me that I could go water cooled for relatively small dollars. Totally silent.

Anyone ever checked that out?

I didn't feel comfortable circulating water through an electrical device, (just an old carpenter's aversion to plumbing and electrical work, I suspect) 

..so I opted instead for larger fans running slower..not too different in the end from Moons solution.

I have also managed to filter the air that is delivered to my computer compartment, so it is dust free as well as cool air. Time will tell if this is effective, but I have no noise problems with it, so it works for me.

Wyatt

[folderol]

I'd never even think of touching water-cooling - heat, water, electricity

I've got big-ish slow fans, and a massive CPU heatsink. The only noise I hear is the hard drive occasionally on the office machine. I don't even hear that on the DAW unless I really try