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

[Ken Stone]

There are internet pages devoted to this stuff. The more extreme measures
include underclocking processors to reduce heat and thus the need for
cooling, thus allowing a heatsink without a fan to be used the use of linear
PSUs with LARGE heatsinks to eliminate PSU fans. Hard drives can be made to
time out, which is something I do in my music room PCs. After a minute, the
drive shuts down - fine if you don't need to keep accessing the disk. If you
do, use a ram drive, but make sure you save to the real HD!

Ken
 
>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
>
>
_______________________________________________________________________
Ken Stone   sasami at hotkey.net.au  
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.blaze.net.au/~sasami/synth/>
Australian Miniature Horses & Ponies <http://www.blaze.net.au/~sasami/>