This is a little off topic in that it does not have to do with using a PC as a DAW. I've got my p4b266 in an Antec Plus1080 case. It has the obvious power supply fan, two fans on the back and one on the door. It is certainly not super quiet, though no more noisier than my old IBM Aptiva 166 which appears to just have the power supply fan.
We have two other PCs in the house. One is a 2.5 year old HP 600 mhz which I would call noisy. So noisy that we had them replace the fan. It is a little quieter but still mildly annoying. It is now sitting on the floor, under a table, which helps.
The other PC is a 6 month old Dell 1.7ghz. You have to stick your head right up to it to determine if it is even running. It is so quiet!
I'm not even considering using a Dell for a DAW. I need to get a new PC for my in-laws and am curious about how Dell is able to have such a quiet machine.
Question:
- do you think that Dell has discovered some super cooling technique that the other manufacturers have not, or could Dell just be running their machines hotter that our Asus machines?
Comments
Unless Dell did something extremely weird in that last few weeks
Unless Dell did something extremely weird in that last few weeks, they don't make fans. What they do do is spec custom case desgins for efficient heat transfer throughout the case, typically with large heatsinks and slightly smaller power supplies with airflow connected very directly to the airflow of the case around the processor. The case design is crucial, just as it was with, say, the fanless G4 Cube of just a while back.
Dell certainly hasn't discovered a super-cooling technique. By using a not-quite standard ATX case design, they can make efficient airflow through the PC to adequately cool the interior with less air thoroughput...
Vincent is correct. It's the airflow design around the processor
Vincent is correct. It's the airflow design around the processor and instake venting system they designed within the case..take a look inside the system. You will notice a very large plastic housing over the processor which has a fan on the rear drawing air out(or in...not sure on that one) Also notice that's the only fan in there! No front fan needed really. That's how they keep it cooler.
If you want a very quiet fan look into Enermax fans..they make some that are whisper quiet.
If you're going to look into just a case look on the web for some cool case deisgns...there's a ton of em out there
(also Elias will be glad to post his link to his PC Case designs.... :D
Without fans, computers generally make very little noise. If the
Without fans, computers generally make very little noise. If the fan on your dell is super quiet and you want to get more of them for your other computers, you might want to just take a look at the sticker on it. If you can't see the sticker due to the way it's mounted, then remove it so that you can see the sticker. It should have the brand and model number on it. It might be a fan made by Dell, or it might be a fan made by one of the fan manufacturers. Either way, you can probably get your hands on more of them if you have the brand and model number.