Cooling & Noise:
Cooling and noise will be addressed together, as the bulk of the noise from a computer system is generated by its cooling solutions. Keeping an HTPC's components nice and cool is just as critical in a desktop PC, and maybe more so, as you don't want your system to overheat and crash in the middle of your favorite movie or game!
That said, noise that seems minimal when produced by a typical desktop computer may seem excessive in an HTPC environment. If you are watching a movie with a particularly quiet scene, you do not want that silence punctuated with the hum of fans or the whir of drives. A previous Tech Tip on quieting your PC provides tips appropriate for a desktop computer, as well as an HTPC, making it a resource worth referencing.
The bulk of the tasks handled in this environment are not overly demanding, and since older components can handle it, newer components can do so without breaking a sweat. But, things like game play and other multimedia applications can be quite processor, memory, graphics, and hard disk drive intensive, so the components may generate a decent amount of heat that needs to be dissipated. Some low noise cooling steps are listed below.
The easiest answer is to use larger fans (120mm) that can spin at lower speeds to move the same volume of air as smaller fans (80mm). In general, slower spinning fans generate less noise, while larger fans are capable of moving more air due to their larger area.
This, of course, requires a case that can handle larger fans, such as this one, that has mounts for exhaust fans at 80mm, 92mm, and 120mm in size. Choosing a case will be discussed more in the section on style, but this is another area that can impact cooling. Any case could pass in an HTPC environment, but choosing one optimized for efficient cooling is a good idea. If an HTPC is to be mounted in a component rack, it will need to dissipate its own heat while in a space filled with other heat-generating components.
Adding a fan speed controller is another approach to taming the roar of any size fan. The controller shown at the link provided controls up to 7 fans, so you could easily connect all of your case fans, processor cooling fan, and whatever else may be actively cooled. By using the integrated thermal probes and LCD thermometer, you can then monitor the temperatures of your critical components and regulate the fan speed for a perfect balance between safe operating temperature and low noise output.
Water cooling is another option for keeping system components running cool and quiet. Basic water cooling kits can be installed that cool the CPU, as well as perhaps the video card, motherboard chipset, system memory, and hard drives. Where you might have had a cooling fan on every component mentioned, you would now have one fan on a radiator that cools the water that circulates over these items. Even one fan may be too many, as some high-end water cooling kits, such as this one from Zalman , are passively cooled and don't have fans.
Power supplies are another source of noise, as they generally employ fans to keep their internal components cool, as well as helping to cool the system's case by drawing air out. Many power supplies are now designed with one larger fan to provide the necessary cooling with minimal noise, while others can now be purchased with no cooling fan at all. Since power supplies with fans may contribute to a case's cooling, selecting a fanless power supply may require additional efforts (more airflow) inside the case to keep things at a comfortable temperature.
Although cooling fans provide the bulk of the noise, drives may contribute as well. Many hard drive manufacturers now offer downloadable utilities, like Hitachi's Feature Tool, that allow the owner to change the acoustic profile of their hard drives. Decreasing the noise output may impact drive performance, but it may be worth it in many situations in order to silence the system.
|
|
