Frequently Asked Question

Question: How quiet will your products make my PC?

If you use the full line of our products that are appropriate for your type of computer (quiet power supply, CPU fan, hard drive enclosure or quiet hard drive, and silent case fan if required), you can easily quiet the noise your entire computer system to approximately 25 to 28 dB (even less at idle). This means you may not be able to hear if your computer is turned on or not without putting your ear right up to the machine. Keep in mind that a very soft whisper is about 30 decibels.

How quiet our products make your PC will depend on primarily two factors:

1. How many of our silencing products you use
2. How much cooling your computer requires

How much cooling your computer requires is determined by:

• The heat production of your CPU
• The heat production of your Video Card
• The heat production of your Motherboard
• The heat production of your Hard Drive
• How well your Case or your Computer Configuration facilitates cooling

Take for example, a computer running an Intel Core 2 CPU, a GTX 280 video card, a 7200 rpm hard drive. Because of the extra heat generated, this computer setup will probably require an extra case fan. However, you may be able to get by without an extra case fan if you use a power supply such as the RX-1.1K or the RX-8500 quiet power supply, which pulls air out of the case and creates ample airflow to cool many machines. If you are unfamiliar with how much cooling you need for your particular setup, we recommend monitoring your case temperature or adding a quiet case fan. There are many ways to do this, including the use of the Scythe Kaze Master Fan Controller.

  

Using our silent products will make a very hot, high Ghz computer very quiet (much quieter than any products available anywhere else). Yet, all things being equal, a greater heat generating computer may make slightly more noise than a cooler, lower Ghz computer.

So, if you are building a silent computer, whenever possible you should try and use components that produce less heat and can be adequately cooled without a fan, or with slower spinning fans like the ones we carry.

Another thing to think about is using a video card and motherboard that does not require a fan. If the video card or motherboard you require comes with a fan attached, consider using the Zalman Video Cooler or the Zalman Motherboard Heatsink as a quiet way to cool those components.