For those older drives, there are kits you can buy that wrap the drive up in silencing material to help quiet it down. One such product is called SilentDrive. Pictured below, you can see that it is basically a case with silencing material within. It is much like putting extra insulation in a wall to “sound-proof” the room. Basically, though, you’re putting the hard drive in a box. For this reason, drives with rotation speeds higher than 5400 RPM should not be used with SilentDrive. Faster drives produce more heat and will cook inside this thing. It does, however, make a difference in sound output.
Pay attention to the PC case when silencing your PC. A well-designed case dampens the noise. Cheaper cases do not do anything about the sound. Large metal cases can sometimes be louder because drive movements can vibrate the case enclosure and create sound. You can install small rubber strips under the drives to provide a small padding between the drive and case and absorb vibration. you could also consider a plastic PC case as long as it is structurally sound.
More Extreme Acts of Silencing
There are more, shall I say, desperate methods to silence down a PC, but these are not things that the normal human would do. So, let me tell you all about it, huh?
Using sound absorbing material.
Some have come up with the crazy idea of layering the case with sound absorbing material of some sort. Of course, the sound still gets out the air holes in the case, so I don’t know how affective this would be. It also introduces an issue of heat dissipation. But, for the sake of discussion, I thought I’d include it.
Under-Clocking.
Some have used this as a way of quieting down the PC. The theory is that if the CPU is not running at full speed, it is not producing as much heat. And, with a variable speed CPU fan, the fan will not have to be on much at all because the CPU isn’t making much heat. If you also reduce the core voltage of the CPU, you could probably get away with just one large heat sink and due away with the fan altogether.
Power supply removal.
The power supply has a built in fan and, yes, the PC does need it to operate. But, who says the power supply needs to be in the PC case? Some have actually removed the power supply from the case and connected it to the rest of the PC by an electric cord. Just by getting it out of the case allows it to better cool. Sometimes it can cool itself by convection, without a fan. If a fan is still running, then you can just move the power supply to a place that can’t be heard and have it remotely run the PC from a distance.
It Can Be Done
Silencing down a PC is a cool little tweaking job to take on. For most, it doesn’t really matter. For some, the noise is just annoying. Some need quiter PCs because they work in an environment where sound is an interference. Whatever the reason, I hope the above tips may lead you in the right direction.
Silencing the PC takes a little thought and planning. The idea is to lessen the use of mechanical devices, as these are what make the noise. Quieting down the hard drive is a big plus. Silencing those fans or getting rid of them is another. A little cleverness can do the trick.
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