[sdiy] OT: The best ways to silence a PC?

[Glen]

This is mostly off topic, but it does affect many of the people on this
list. It also has an impact on many people's ability to hear the music they
make, without the annoying noise of a PC that might be running in the same
room. Often that very same PC is instrumental in either creating or
recording the music in question. This is also a DIY project--maybe this IS
on-topic after all.

What I want to do is gather together ideas of how to best silence a PC.
I've read some ideas on web sites, but most of those only targeted a
moderate reduction in PC noise. I want to totally eliminate all humanly
detectable PC sound! I'm looking for something far more comprehensive and
effective than simply buying a lower-noise fan for my CPU, or running my
case fan from a lower voltage. I'm also looking for things that can be done
as a DIY project, and hopefully won't cost a lot of money. I feel that this
should be a solvable problem, and that it shouldn't require an expensive
solution.

I'd also like to reduce the electrical noise generation of a PC whenever
possible, but the total elimination of acoustic noise is the first priority
for me at the moment.

I happen to suffer from a hyper-sensitivity to such noises. If I sit in
front of a typical computer for any length of time, a headache always
develops. This headache is from the constant acoustic noise being emitted
from the PC, and also, to a lesser extent, from the monitor. After having
used computers for a long time, and living with the headaches they create
(in more ways than one), I've decided to do something about it. I'm tired
of the constant pain and the dulled senses it creates. I should have done
this a long time ago.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to make suggestions, or refer me to internet
references on the subject. The more help, the better. If you feel this is
off topic, but would like to help with this project, please send me a
private email. I intend to distill the better ideas and place a summary of
them on a web site. Once I've tried a few techniques on my personal PC,
I'll publish the results to the web site, for the reference of others.


Let's cure the noisy PC problem once and for all, for the benefit of everyone!

thanks,
Glen Berry