A silent PC?

Games, Gaming & Hardware
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So, I am in dire need of an upgrade for my PC, and I probably need a completely new one. Now the problem is that I cannot simply pick the most powerful parts, throw them together and be done with it. This is because I have somewhat sensitive hearing (probably bordering on a disorder, although I cannot say this with certainty).

So, I need some tips and help in order to build a nearly silent gaming PC (or I need a link to a complete one…I’m not good at building a PC). I don’t really have a problem to pay extra, when it means that the PC remains quiet or nearly unhearable. I also have no problem to give up some performance.

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i have a decent bit of experience with this, i’m also very picky about noise.

first thing to get out of the way is that “quiet” is really subjective, and also depends a lot on ambient noise.

i don’t really think they make computers for this, at least not if you’re really picky. so you’ll realistically have to either build it yourself or get someone to do it for you (at least here some stores will do it when you buy all the parts there).

so, your computer is only as quiet as the noisiest part. you can’t skimp on anything, because whatever noisy part is left will stand out like a sore thumb.

  1. power supply
    buy something that is semi-passive (or entirely passive), has a very relaxed fan curve and get a lot more than you need. that way the fan won’t spin at all. i have a corsair hx750i, but it’s fairly old now, so probably been replaced.

  2. no hard drives.
    hard drives are noisy, use only ssd storage. both regular 2.5" and m.2 are fine.

  3. cpu cooling
    go with air. custom water is the quietest, but all-in-ones have noisy pumps. get something very big. i’d get a noctua nh-d15.

  4. case fans
    get good, quiet fans. my experience is that most fans have significant motor noise and often click. i am using corsair ML120s and am very happy with them.

  5. case
    there’s a choice between closed case to block noise vs open case to be able to lower fan rpms. i’m personally using an open case.

  6. graphics card
    the ideal card is a lower power card with a cooler designed for a higher power card, but pick gpu based on what performance you want. do research on noise testing in reviews for the various coolers from the different manufacturers, which one is best varies a lot depending on model and generation.

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Do you have any experience with soundproof cases? Would they also help at least a little bit?

All the other tips so far sound good, and I will be on the lookout for specific parts.

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yes in the sense that they block noise, no in the sense that they force you to ramp up fan speeds to keep cooling at the same level. i’m guessing which result ends up being better depends a lot on what case it is and what’s inside of it. i don’t really have personal experience with apples to apples because when i changed my case from a closed to a more open one, i also significantly changed my cooling at the same time.

one tip is to put the computer on the floor. not having it so close to your ears on the table is helpful.

another thing i wanted to mention was that bigger fans are usually better because they don’t have to spin as fast to move the same amount of air. 140s are probably ideal, 120s are good, avoid anything below 120 if you can.

if you have access to good return policies or are willing to spend the money, it can be worth it to buy one of several fans to try each of them out, but that’s kind of extreme. relying on reviews is good as well, but the sound profile of the fan is important as well, not just how much sound it makes.

like i said, i really like the magnetic levitation (ML) fans from corsair, they have very little motor noise, which makes them very quiet. you get more of a woosh noise rather than brrrrr, and the brrr is usually the most annoying sound from fans in my opinion. it’s still a fan though, so it still makes noise, particularly if it spins quickly.

i run mine at 900 RPM when i only wanted to run about ~600 RPM with previous fans. it’s possible this is a theme with magnetic levitation fans, if you can find some other ones as well. i’ve been pretty happy with be quiet pure wings 2 in the past as a more reasonably priced fan, but that was a while ago now so it may have been replaced (perhaps with something better). note that these were both 120s, not 140s.

oh and the rtx 3000 series, probably not the best idea to buy a graphics card until those are available, but that’s very soon now.

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