Sound level of Ti 4200s, modding cheap PSU with new silent fan, etc.

[Mournegrym]

Hey everyone!

I'm currently planning my next computer purchase. I will try to make the system as silent as possible. This is what I had in mind:

Athlon XP 1800+
Asus A7V333
PAL 8045 with Pabst 8412 NGML 19dB, 2050 RPM, 27 CFM

Now for a video card. I was thinking of a GF4 Ti4200 of some brand. It seems though that the fans on these cards are rather loud (35-40 dB?) and seem hard to replace since they (and the HS) are in weird shapes and sizes (from pics I've seen). Would like some input from people owning or having experience of Ti4200s and their noise levels. Maybe it would be sufficient to just remove the stock fan and put a
Zalman FB 165 (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnpsvga3.htm)
over the card?

The other issue is with the PSU. I could go for an expensive Zalman 300W ST-300BLP, but it would be half the price if I modded a cheap 300W with for example a Pabst 8412 NGML. Opinions on this? Will cheap 300W PSUs do the trick, voltage and current wise?

I don't have that much "stuff" sucking power in the case, so I'm thinking of only having one or two additional Pabst fans blowing in and/or out of the case.

I'm assuming the Pabst 8412 NGML (and NGL) run @ 12V? Anyone running one of these @ 7V or 5V? This could be an alternative for the front intake fan since it's the closest one to your ears.

Note: Panaflos are, AFAIK, not currently available here in Sweden, and I haven't seen Silencers anywhere. Any peeps from Sweden here? ;)

[mrmagoo_83]

Ok lets see here.

For one you are running an Athlon, Athlons run hot and need good cooling. But you Pabst should do a pretty good job there.

The vid card.
Depending on who you by the card from i.e. Gainward, VisionTek, etc. is going to determine the HSF size. But you are right modding a fan to fit one of these is hard. I saw a thing on another web site, let me see huh, virtual-hideout had the link to the review. Might try there. Other than that I dont know about quietly cooling the GPU.

PSU
How much is expensive? You can get a good Enermax or Raidmax off NewEgg for under $85.

Yes the Pabst run on 12V as far as I am aware of. Though my advice would be that you not run a fan on 7V for a long time. If you are wanting to run the fan quiter try the PWM procedure. It will extend the life of your fan. They are hard to make yourself unless you know what you are doing, but I think Directron has them for sale.

Another quick little tip Have Most of Your Fans Blow Inside, and have one at the upper area of the case blow out. Also to help make it even quiter, put some Dynamat in there or something like that.

Hope this helped some

[germanjulian]

HEY MAN
what you are about to do i have allready done!!!!!!!
my setup:
Athlon XP 1900
Geforce 4 4400


for both of these i use the Zalman products! I dont know which ones u want to use but i got basically got everything www.quitepc.com has to offer, even the silent hard drive enclosure! QuitePC is basically Zallman products, except the PSU and stuff. My computer is very very quite now (especially after i changed the cooler of the geforce 4 with that flower heatsink)

IMPORTANT!!!!!!
for both the processor and the geforce 4 you need to have those 90cm fans which are attached to the fan bracket!!!! make sure you have enough space in your case for these. I had to move all my PCI cards right away from the geforce so that 90cm fan fits in there!!! so space is an issue!! and if you get the hard drive enclosure you need to make sure the hard drives dont overheat!! what quitepc says that if you have 3 platters if will overheat is wrong, it all depends on your hard drive!!!!! but i found that there needs to be some airflow around the hard drive enclosure to cool my hd efficent!!!
buy and read up on everything at www.quitepc.com

[germanjulian]

sorry forgot something else!!! if you do get the flower heatsink for the GPU and the fan make sure before fitting the heatsink to the GPU that it fits all in the case!!! try it with the fan on and everything! cause ones u done it there is no way back and you wont be able to get the heatsink off again!
and also worth mentioning is that some hard drives have there silent mode switch off and some others dont!! basically when the hd seeks it is either really loud or acceptable!!! if it is really loud you can switch the silent mode on or of either with the jumpers or software!!!

[BJUK]

I can vouch for quiet pc .com. good kit and good service.

[DocEvi1]

Another vote for www.quietpc.com They have some really, really quiet PSU available. They are based on the Enermax 300Watt units, but modded in house with HS and slower, quieter fans.

Stefan

[Mournegrym]

Thanks for the info everyone.

It looks like it will be a Leadtek Winfast Ti4200 64Mb. They have them on sale here, and I have read that they are relatively quiet. If not, I'll have to do something about it. :)

As for QuietPC.com, I'm trying to avoid mail order as far as possible, looking to the stores here in Stockholm first.

I'm currently searching for a rather cheap 350W PSU and replace the stock fan. Only downside could be the quality of voltage/current. Staying away from the cheapest 300W ones should do the trick though, I'm thinking.

Then, if the system still is too noisy, I'll get a Noise Control Big ATX with Whisper Box. They seem quite nice, but expensive of course. Last resort. ;)