Frequently Asked Questions

In order to ascertain where the noise is coming from there is a very simple test you can carry out, just take a pencil or plastic pen lid and 'stop' momentarily each fan within the PC, including the PSU. If the noise stops/reduces you have located the offending component which would benefit from replacement with a quiet alternative.

Some motherboards have difficulty measuring low fan RPM speeds on CPU coolers. The problem can sometimes be fixed by updating the motherboard BIOS to the latest version available on the motherboard manufacturer's website. However, with some motherboards, the problem remains. Regardless, this will not affect performance. In addition, some motherboards will not boot if the CPU fan speed cannot be measured, as a safety feature. After rotating the Fan Mate speed control fully clockwise to enable booting, this feature needs to be disabled in the BIOS setup (set "CPU Fan Detect" or similar to "Disabled")

Yes, there should be no problem attaching any of our hard drive solutions to drive rails. Just keep an eye on the temperature of the drive for the first day or so after installation, since heat dissipation from the acoustic enclosure into the PC chassis could be slightly reduced compared with mounting the enclosure directly using screws.

Most hard drives have breather holes which prevent pressure differences building up inside the drive. The inside of the drive enclosure will not form an airtight seal on the drive's breather and therefore will allow it to work as intended - to eliminate any possibility of pressure build-up. In summary - there is nothing to worry about!

It's possible that the power supply may be faulty, but here are some simple things to check. Firstly, a power supply will not work if you simply plug it in and flick the switch. The power supply will only turn on if you connect it to a working motherboard and associated items (processor, memory, video card, etc). It is actually the motherboard which tells the power supply when to switch on.

Secondly (if applicable), check the voltage is set correctly to 115/230 volts depending on what country you are in. Thirdly, if possible it would be good to try the power supply in another PC to see if it works, or try another power supply in your PC to see if that works. You can then tell whether it is the power supply which is faulty or the actual PC itself. If all else fails, please contact us for further support, and/or return details.

Virtually all the noise generated by a PC power supply originates from the cooling fan inside it, so simply replacing the fan with a quiet fan may seem an obvious way to go. However, if you are thinking about attempting this operation, please bear the following points in mind:

1. Your existing power supply will be designed to run with a specific amount of airflow in order to adequately cool the components inside and reducing the airflow may lead to overheating and damage to the power supply and/or PC.
2. All PC power supplies contain very high voltages and even with the power disconnected, the voltages stored in the capacitors can be easily enough to kill. It is not recommended to take the cover off any PC power supply for this reason unless you are absolutely confident of your own ability. Because of the grave dangers involved, all PC power supplies by law carry a warning label forbidding removal of the power supply case.
3. There will be no standard PC fan connector inside the power supply to use to connect a replacement fan, and it would probably have to be soldered directly into the PCB inside the power supply, or have a specialist power connector attached. This can be a tricky operation to say the least.

Please consider the above points very carefully before proceeding with an operation to replace the fan in your existing power supply!

The best answer we can give to this question is to go ahead and take an intelligent "guesstimate"! There are no hard and fast rules about what size of power supply any given PC needs as a minimum. Our advice would be that if you are replacing an existing power supply, then consider a new one at least of the same wattage as the old one. In addition, if you wish to build in a "safety margin" to allow for reliable running and possible future upgrades, consider adding 100-200 watts to the rating of your existing unit.

If you are building a new PC, most customers now buy a power supply rated in the region of 500-800 watts depending primarily on the performance level of their graphics card(s) and number of drives to be installed. But in any event if you are unsure about which power supply would be best for your PC then please do contact us by phone or email and we will be happy to give you a specific recommendation based on your budget.

We receive many customer enquiries about this. In fact, most of the 24-pin compatible power supplies we sell come with special motherboard connectors which can be converted to 20-pins with no additional conversion cables. All you need to do is look carefully at the connector and you will see that the end four pins can be slid off, turning the connector into a 20-pin compatible one (see below) - easy when you know how!

Image showing how to change a power supply's 24-pin motherboard connector into a 20-pin connector by unclipping the end four-pin block

If you are interested in being "green" and saving the planet, you might like to read a short explanation of how our power supplies can save energy using Active PFC (Power Factor Correction), not to be confused with Power Conversion Efficiency which is also very good in most of our PSUs. "Power Factor" is a measure of how efficiently electrical power is consumed. Ideally, Power Factor would be 1 (or 100%) and known as unity.

Unfortunately in the real world, Power Factor is reduced by highly inductive loads down to values of 0.7 (70%) or less. This induction is caused by equipment such as small electric motors, fans, fluorescent lighting ballasts and transformers such as those in PSUs. This is bad news for the electricity generating companies who can impose a surcharge on heavy users if they have a consistently low Power Factor, as more electricity has to be produced to make up the shortfall.

Power Factor Correction (PFC) is used in some equipment to minimise the inductive component of the electrical current. This helps to reduce the losses in the electrical supply to that equipment. Power Factor Correction capacitors are normally used to reduce induction in an electrical load, which minimises wasted energy and hence improves the efficiency of a company and reduces electricity costs.

It is not usually practical to reach unity, i.e. Power Factor 1, and it seems that most electricity supply companies accept consumers having a Power Factor as low as 0.94 (94%) without imposing a surcharge. Unfortunately most of the cheap (and not so cheerful) PSUs tend to have a Passive PF as low as 0.75 or 75% which in a large office can lead to a PF surcharge.

However, the good news is that most of Quiet PC's PSUs implement a system known as Active PFC which involves some clever electronics. This means that their power factor (PF) can be as high as 0.94 or 94% (at full load), while harmful harmonic frequencies are reduced to well below legal requirements. So by using our products, you can be happy in the knowledge that you are doing your bit to save the planet!

No - the rated wattage of a power supply refers to the maximum amount of power it can deliver at full load, not how much power it uses. More powerful PSUs will consume around the same amount of power as lower powered power supplies in any given PC system, so your electricity bill will not be higher when using a more powerful power supply!

The best way to reduce your electricity bill when using your PC is to use a more efficient power supply or make your PC consume less power by removing components which are not needed, such as extra drives and expansion cards, or by choosing a cooler-running processor or graphics card.

Answer taken from the Quiet PC Forums:

Hi Everyone!

I expect you are reading this because you are looking for a new, quieter CPU cooler but are not exactly sure which one is suitable for you. You may have looked at the range on offer on our website but have been overwhelmed by the choice available, if so, this is for you.

I have tried to keep things as generic as possible so that this article will still be valid in 10 years time when all current CPU’s and socket types have become obsolete.

Before I start a note to Dell owners: At the time of writing, Dell use a lot of non-standard parts in their systems making it very difficult for you to actually replace the CPU cooler. The CPU socket may be non-standard as might be the fan connector. A lot of Dell’s simply have a fan fitted on the back or side of the case which blows air down through some ducting onto a heatsink fitted on the CPU. All you can do if your system is like this is to replace the fan where possible.

Now, in this the first part, I will tell you what you need to know before you even start looking for a new cooler.

Step 1 - How much heat does my CPU generate?

This is the first question you should be asking yourself because if you don’t know how much heat is generated then you don’t know if you need a small, medium or large CPU cooler.

If you are lucky and still have the CPU box, it may tell you on there how many watts of heat it generates. If not, you need to know the model number. For instance, at the moment the Intel Q6600 generates 95w of heat while most of the Intel Core 2 Duo’s only generate about 65w of heat. At the other extreme end of the scale, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ generates 125w of heat.

So how can you find out? Well currently, if you know your CPU model number, you can go here - http://mysite.verizon.net/pchardwarelinks/elec.htm and search for your CPU model within your browser.

This was the result for the Q6600:



As you can see there are two versions, one is 105w and the newer version is only 95w. Also handy there is the maximum CPU temperature.

If you don’t know your CPU model number then you need to download a tool called CPU-Z from this website - http://www.cpuid.com/

Running this will tell you the name of your processor, its code name, the revision and the socket type used on your motherboard, e.g. 775, AM2, Core I7 (LGA 1366). These are circled in red on the image below.



Also on there is the Family, Model and Stepping codes (marked in blue) - 6 F B for this particular processor. If you have found more than one version of your processor, this will help you identify exactly which version you have. In this case, it’s the 95w model.

The code name (Kentsfield in our case) is important too because the same processor can undergo an odd revision and appear more than one on that list of processor specifications as you have just seen with the Q6600. For example, the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8GHz appears at least twice, once as a socket 939 processor (code name Venice) and again as an AM2 processor (code name Orleans) and both have differing wattage and temperature specifications.

Here’s an example of the Venice core:



And again for the Orleans core:



Step 2 - What size CPU cooler do I need?

Well, CPU coolers come in all shapes and sizes and it’s safe to say that in general, the bigger the heatsink, the more efficient it is. If it is fitted with a fan, then the bigger the better. Large fans can rotate slowly while still moving a lot of air and being slower, they are usually much quieter.

If you only have a low wattage CPU, say 40w to 70w there really isn’t much point in going for the largest cooler available, you would be better going for the cheaper, small to medium sized CPU coolers.

If you have a CPU around or greater than 70w then you want to go for the bigger, more efficient CPU coolers.

Step 3 - Do I need a 3-pin fan or a 4-pin (PWM) fan?

Most if not all motherboard these days have a 4-pin CPU fan header on the motherboard. This is so you can set the temperature/speed ratio of the CPU cooler in the BIOS or through supplied utility software that comes with most motherboards.

For instance if the your maximum CPU temperature is 70 °C, you could say in the BIOS that the CPU fan can run on its lowest speed until it hits 65 °C and then turn up the speed to say medium or high when it gets too hot.

With his method, you do tend to notice the fan revving up and down so you do need to play about a bit with those temperature/speed ratio’s until you get the balance right.

Also, the amount of control you have over the fan speed may range from not much to quite a lot. Generally the more expensive the motherboard, the more control you have. On a good board, you can have the fan speed typically anywhere between 40% and 100% of full speed. On a cheaper board you may only get the option of slow, medium or fast!

Many people still prefer 3-pin fans because of the amount of control they offer. If you have a 3-pin fan it means that the fan spins at a constant speed or (by using a fan controller) you can change the speed of the fan. They even work on a 4-pin fan header. Usually, you want to turn the fan speed down as far as possible while still ensuring the fan is spinning fast enough to ensure it doesn’t overheat, no matter what you are doing.

A common misconception is that you have to keep your eye on the temperature and keep adjusting it at regular intervals. This isn’t true. However you do need to set the fan speed while all of the cores in your CPU are under full load. Search the net for such programs. Currently, CPU Burn-in is a popular example of this type of utility.

If you have say 4 cores on your processor, run 4 instances of the program and adjust the fan speed so that the CPU temperature doesn’t go over it maximum (but perhaps is 5 - 10 °C lower than maximum). That way no matter how much load your CPU is under, you know it can handle it. When you have done setting the fan, it will be running slower and quieter than it would have been at full speed.

Step 4 - The motherboard - Socket types and layout

The very first thing you need to do is know about your motherboard is your socket type (see step 1 if you are not sure). Popular socket types at the moment (Nov 2008) are 775, AM2 and the new, up and coming 1336. So as well as choosing a cooler you must also choose one that is compatible with your particular socket type.

Currently, a lot of CPU coolers are compatible with most of the popular socket types although there are some only support one socket type.

Beside the socket type, the layout of the motherboard can also determine which coolers will or won’t fit. Take this board for example:



...if you have a motherboard like this, which is relatively un-cluttered around the CPU area, you can probably fit just about any compatible CPU cooler on there without a problem.

However, many motherboards these days have a lot of heat pipes surrounding the CPU, like this:



So how do you know what will fit or is most likely to fit?

Well it is surprising what you can get in that space. I myself have the motherboard pictured above and also a copper Ninja :



...which is big yet it still fits. Admittedly, clamping it down in the corners was a bit tricky but as always the result was well worth the effort!

Many cooler which appear quite large have fins which are just far enough away from the base of the cooler to clear the surrounding heat pipes. Some manufacturers even have a list of popular compatible motherboards on their website for each of their CPU coolers although they are few and far between and don’t get updated regularly.

Step 5 - Being reasonably sure the cooler will fit.

You may get to a point where you want a certain CPU cooler but looking at your motherboard, it might not be obvious if a cooler will fit and you would rather get one that fits first time around so you are not messing around sending it back and getting another more likely cooler. So what do you do?

Well, if the area around the CPU is pretty cluttered with heat pipes then consider a cooler design which stands proud of the motherboard with a narrow base, ones such as these:


(from left to right, Noctua NH-C12P, Zalman 9300-AT, Scythe Andy Samurai Master, ASUS Silent Knight II)

Step 6 - Ensuring it fits in your case

One common reason I get CPU coolers returned is because they were too big to fit in a case. Some of the images on our website can be deceiving, some cooler are in fact pretty tall (15 cm plus!) so it’s always a good idea to take a few measurements inside the case and compare those to the measurements listed on the website before you place an order.

Step 7 - If you are still unsure...

Well if all else fails and you are still unsure what to get, feel free to email QuietPC technical support with as much information as possible about your system (see step 2) motherboard make/model, CPU make model and if possible, send a clear picture showing the inside of your case. That way I can gauge the space you have in there for a replacement CPU cooler and so recommend accordingly.

Finally, what if it doesn’t fit when it arrives?

We all make mistakes but not to worry, at QuietPC we won’t penalise you for that. If your cooler doesn’t fit then by all means let us know and we will issue you RMA details so you can return it for a refund and we can look at other alternatives.

Hope that helps!
Kind regards
Andy

Electrically, there is no problem doing this - the fourth pin on the fan cable is used purely for PWM control and is not needed in order for the fan to run. So you can plug the 4-pin fan connector onto the 3-pin motherboard fan header, leaving the fourth pin not connected to anything. The fan will potentially run at full speed, so if you would like to reduce the speed of the fan you will need to adjust the fan speed setting in your BIOS or use fan control software such as SpeedFan in Windows.

The only other problem to consider is that occasionally, components immediately adjacent to the motherboard fan header can get in the way of the larger 4-pin fan connector, physically preventing connection. This problem also occurs if you try to use an in-line fan speed controller such as Zalman's Fan Mate or an Ultra-Low-Noise resistor cable such as Zalman's RC56. Both these components have an enclosed 3-pin fan header, so a 4-pin connector is physically too large to connect to them. A possible solution to this is to use a knife to remove the plastic enclosure around the fan header, but it isn't necessarily an easy or pretty job.

Another avenue to explore is the possibility of using a bay-mounted fan controller. Several models are available now which provide 4-pin fan headers, so this is an easy way to use 4-pin PWM fans in a PC system which has only 3-pin fan headers on its motherboards. When using this method, you may find it necessary to disable any fan warning settings in your motherboard BIOS, since the motherboard may incorrectly believe that its CPU fan has failed when the fan is connected to a fan controller rather than directly to the motherboard itself.

When you first install your new CPU cooler we recommend that you run its fan at full speed to ensure that everything is working properly and the PC boots successfully. Then you can turn the speed controller's knob down to its minimum setting and appreciate the difference in noise level! Most people prefer low noise rather than maximum cooling for everyday computing, so clearly it makes sense to turn the fan speed controller to its minimum setting and see how it goes.

If you are running your PC in a particularly hot environment, or if you are experiencing stability issues then try turning the speed up slightly for more cooling. Generally speaking, virtually all the coolers we sell will adequately cool any modern processor at their minimum fan speed setting. However, if you want to be 100% sure that your CPU is in no danger of overheating, then you can check its temperature in the BIOS setup (press Del or F2 etc. when you first switch your PC on, then look for the CPU temperature reading in "Hardware monitor" or "PC Health Status" option or similar).

If you want to check the manufacturer's maximum recommended CPU running temperature, please look up your processor on Chris Hare's comprehensive and regularly updated processor electrical specifications page, paying attention to the "Max Cover Temp." column. Interestingly, his page is also very useful if you are in the market for a new processor and wish to buy one which uses less power and will therefore cost less to run and be easier to cool quietly! But in summary, some customers prefer the minimum noise level while others prefer a lower CPU temperature, so at the end of the day the choice is yours!

The resistor cable (also called Ultra Low Noise or ULN cable) is designed to allow the fan to run slightly slower for even quieter operation. The benefit in lower running noise is significant. Although the airflow will be reduced slightly, this usually has minimal effect on PC temperature. We would generally recommend using the ULN resistor cable for best results in almost all circumstances.

Hold the fan so that the round fan sticker is facing you. You are looking at the rear of the fan. When you plug the fan in, the air will be blowing towards you. If you want a fan to act as an air intake, then the fan sticker will be facing the inside of the case. Some fans also have two small arrows moulded into their plastic housing - one arrow shows the direction of airflow, and the other (at 90°) shows the direction of blade rotation.

The size of fan you need will generally be determined by the size of the fan fitting position in your PC case. The sizes of all the fans on our website are shown as measured along any one of the fan's four sides, NOT the distance between the fan's screw holes! Our most popular fan size is 120mm, followed by 80mm. This isn't really dictated by customer preference, but more by recent designs of PC cases.

As for the thickness (depth) of the fan, generally 25mm (1 inch) is by far the most common depth, although smaller fans can have shallower depths such as 15mm or even 10mm. All our fans are 25mm thick unless otherwise stated. If you have any questions about which fan you should order, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Branded servers are notoriously difficult to service using standard PC components because they generally use higher-specified proprietary items which need to be sourced from the manufacturer and which, apart from costing a lot of money, often run very noisily. Rather than replacing the internal components in such a machine with quiet ones (which is the course of action we recommend for standard PCs), you may like to consider enclosing the entire server in an acoustic rack which will significantly reduce its noise level, and will not interfere with its reliability, warranty or service contract. Please see our sound-proofed cabinets page for further information.

Due to space restrictions, silencing SFF machines is often a tricky task. Consider installing a variable fan speed controller to reduce the speed of your case fan and therefore the noise it makes. Also, if your motherboard has a fan attached to the chipset you could replace it with a silent motherboard heatsink. And finally, you can often enjoy a significant reduction in noise level simply by installing some soundproofing material which is an easy and inexpensive course of action.

Quiet PC only supply components to cut down on the acoustic noise generated by PCs, rather than fully-built PCs which have been designed to be quiet from new. If you want to buy a new PC which has been built to run quietly, we know of several companies which will be able to help. To find the names of these companies, please look at the chart of resellers on our contact page.

Maybe you care, maybe you don't! Generally most people only care about the noise generated by their PC if the room is normally quiet with the PC switched off, because then they really notice the PC noise more. Of course there are other people with specific reasons for needing or wanting peace and quiet, such as musicians, tinnitus sufferers and hi-fi enthusiasts. The strange thing about background noise is that you only notice how intrusive it is when it stops.

Probably not, because virtually all the products we sell can easily be removed and re-used. Assuming the components in your new PC are compatible, our products can easily be re-fitted for many more years of further enjoyment!

Macs run quieter than PCs as a rule, but if you need your desktop Mac to run quieter still, you could consider installing some soundproofing material which is an effective, easy and inexpensive course of action. Or, if you have an Apple laptop, you will find it runs much cooler and quieter if you situate it on one of our notebook coolers.

See our customer comments page here. Here's a random comment from the many we have received from our customers: