I’m Rebuilding A Quieter PC

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was worried how it will all come out. I always am when it’s PC build time.

I’m writing tonight in case I can’t write this afternoon! I’m about to make modifications to my desktop PC, always a little chancy. That’s especially true this time. To install the new component I bought this computer’s motherboard must be removed!

I built the computer myself. It’s got a beefy quad core AMD Phenom II cpu. The cpu came with a heatsink and fan which I mounted directly onto the chip itself.

It works well, but it’s NOISY!

For most common applications the computer chip throttles back and the fan slows down. The noise is there, but not too bad.

When I’m transcoding video or working with large Photoshop files it’s the opposite. The cpu gets busy which makes it hotter (a little over 100&#176 Fahrenheit). The fan responds loudly.

My purchase was a Cooler Master Hyper N520. It’s a huge cooling structure with two fans that circulate air past copper tubes surrounded by aluminum fins. This massive heat sink and slower running fans should cut the noise to a whisper… at least that’s the claim.

In order to do this the computer itself will have to be dismantled. Though the N520 sits on top of the cpu it is screwed to a bracket underneath the motherboard–inaccessible without disassembly!

This is a little nuts. I know!

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was worried how it will all come out. I always am when it’s PC build time. Usually my fears are unwarranted. That doesn’t reduce the tension.

I will report back after the job is finished. It’s not the kind of task historically undertaken by “all thumbs” guys like me.

9 thoughts on “I’m Rebuilding A Quieter PC”

  1. I took an adult education class one time on dismantling a computer and putting it back together again – I loved it! It gave me the confidence to replace my CD drive when it crapped out.
    Good luck!

  2. I have a coolermaster hyper 212. A beast of a cpu cooler and it is whisper quiet on my i5 760. Even overclocked from 2.8ghz to 3.8. I think you will be fine with the heatsink you chose!

  3. Those pipes are filled with some sort of coolant that transfers the heat from the CPU to the fins. I had a heatsink fail (a Dell OEM heatsink) because it developed a leak and whatever was in there evaporated. Until then I didn’t know a heatsink could fail – I just thought it was a hunk of metal.

  4. since the fb link was pretty much hijacked:

    Pretty funny, I actually just replaced the stock CPU fan (which died) on my HTPC (also a Phenom II X4) back in January – also with a Cooler Master. I went with the TX3, which is also pretty beefy, but didn’t require removing the mobo. It’s got a single fan with the option for 2, but I stayed with the 1. MUCH quieter than the stock CPU fan.

  5. I have absolutely no idea what any of you are talking about, but it sounds as if you do. So that’s what counts. I used to “fix” my old TV by whacking it hard with my fist. It often worked.

  6. May the gods be with you Yon Voyager for into the depth thee surely go. I have a Mac, just to stir up controversy I suppose, and it is silent. OK, Before we get into which is better, faster, cuter, quieter, I’d like to ask everyone something:
    Have you ever noticed how eager your friends are to “help you” with your computer? Inevitably, everything winds up disconnected, you’re distraught, out of Tums, the friend has gone home and you can’t even access the internet. I go by the “One computer – One person rule. Never let anyone touch your computer. Consider it your toothbrush or drinking glass, or wife for that matter. I’m sure that last analogy will enliven some comment. The computer is a sacred thing of personal value. Love you’re own and leave the others alone. 😉

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