Thanks Nick, do you know if there is some other water cooling system without fan like the Zalman Reserator 1 V2?

Juan

I would like to point out an issue. What is the reason to prefer a fanless pc?.

There are two main reasons in my opinion:

a- 0dB noise

b-to eliminate the negative influence on the SQ produced by the fans.

So far I've been using a pc with fans but the level that the evolution of XXHighEnd has reached requires also an evolution in the hardware to be at its height. An important step in this direction is to remove all the hardware that is not essential and the optimization of this hardware to achieve an SQ with all the possibilities that this day offers XXHigEnd. Especially if we think in the tandem XXHighEnd/NOS1.

About a silent pc I can think of three different paths:


1 - Adapt a normal pc to a silent pc

These would be in my opinion the steps to follow:

a-Remove all the hard drives inside the PC case and place them in aluminum boxes or in another way that allows passive ventilation. Connect to PC via USB 3.0 and eSata. The use of a linear power supply for these hdd seems also to enhance the SQ.

b-Use an SSD for the OS and XXHE. Although the noise produced by an external hdd placed in a box is negligible, so also this option is feasible.

c-Use ramdisck for XXHE and Playback Drive. Placed in memory decreases the influence of if XXHE is originally located on a HDD or an SSD. With respect to the Playback Drive to place it in memory avoid another hdd.
Once loaded the data (music) in the Playback Drive that is in memory (ramdisk) the hdd can be disconnect.

d-Use a fanless power supply. Again the use of a linear power could also enhance the SQ.

e-Use a small passive VGA since it is not required a high performance in this regard.

f-Use of a water cooling system with a tower and place it outside the listening room eg the Zalman Reserator 1 V2 (not sure if it is still in production) http://zalman.com/global/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=183

g-Downsize the PC performance (CPU and RAM frequency), which in turn seems to favor the SQ, so the need for cooling is less demanding and can use other passive CPU coolers, such as eg Zalman FX 100 which allows TDP (Thermal Design Power) of up to 95W without fan (http://www.cpu-world.com/Glossary/T/Thermal_Design_Power_(TDP).html):
Zalman FX 100 http://www.zalman.com/global/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=782


2 - Use a silent pc made entirely from the start

There are several types of computers created from the start as silent pc, obviously need some adaptations to use them for XXHighEnd:

Quiet PC Fanless Media PC Sidewinder:http://www.quietpc.com/sys-sidewinder

Goodwin Fanless Music Server: http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=fanless_music_server

CAPS: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/section/c-p-s-489/

Intense fit PC: http://www.fit-pc.com/web/fit-pc/intensepc/


3 - XXHighEnd Pc

This is undoubtedly the best option for those who do not want to build its own pc. I wait eagerly for the new forum board about Peter´s silent pc and see if some of his findings could be applicable to the ones who prefer to build its own silent pc.


Best regards,
Juan

I see that there is a tendency to eliminate as far as possible the fans to make a silent pc. I'm not sure if anyone has put a post about how to configure a PC to make it completely silent, I mean, how to build it up and with what case, motherboard, power supply etc. I´m not talking now about the subsequent modifications in the bios and software, I´m talking about the hardware needed to build it.
This is the reason why I start this new topic. Anyone looking to build a silent pc for XXHighEnd can post his questions and doubts here and the ones that know how to do it please put some pictures, if possible, to explain better how to do it.
I'm going also to try to build a silent pc but at this moment I´m not sure how I can remove all the fans. I´m thinking on water cooling but I see that it also uses fans. At this point I have all the hard drives outside the PC box, the graphics card I use now is a little one, passive, that don´t need much cooling, so if I use a fanless power supply then I´d only need to cool the CPU and motherboard. This could be a good starting point: how to refrigerate the CPU without fans.

I hope your help, especially from those ones who have more sophisticated PCs and that already have made them as silent as possible or even better a totally silent PC.

Best regards,
Juan

In my pc case the Seasonic could go in the upper part the same way as the Corsair (I guess). All the four sides of the ps will be vented that way.

Juan

I see, thanks Peter

Juan

Peter, is your bequiet! also fanless?, what model is it?

Juan

Hi Paul,

Have you finished the IPL S5's?, what´s the IPL S5's model you have built, the S5tl Kevlar Ribbon or the S5tl Waveguide? and how you compare it to the other models (S2tlP and S4TL)?

http://www.iplacoustics.co.uk/ipl_acoustics_____transmission_l.htm

Juan

Hi Brian, I get going. You have also purchased the SS-400FL2?.

Juan

   

Thanks Nick. So far my Corsair AX 750 is working fine, I do not hear any strange noise nor have I ever been able to hear if the fan is operating or not. The sound is fantastic but who knows...I haven´t tested other ps. I have a bequiet! in my work pc and maybe I´ll give it a try to see if Peter is right  .
I would like to hear from Brian when testing the Seasonic, for now let him enjoy his vacation.

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Nick,

I wonder why you have chosen the SS-400FL2 in front of other models like the 460 or 520. Is it because of the better measurements of the 400 model or just because 400w is enough?

Best regards,
Juan

Would be easier if we have a clear explanation on what can be done and what can´t and if can be done how to do it correctly, if it must be done in the BIOS and not in the OS, with XTweaks ON or not, etc.

Best regards,
Juan

The Velociraptor with another OS/XXHE is still inside the case but disconnected, now I´m experimenting with the eSata SSD, the advantage could be that the SSD don´t take the power fom the computer power supply, so less work for the ps. But as I say, the Velociraptor is still there waiting for another test in some more time. And another different test will be also with the Velociraptor outside the case in place of the SSD.

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Peter, I expected the question, with this hot weather we have here I just want to lie down and drink iced tea ... hahaha
Okay,
I use a power conditioner but I used to have just plugged in the external hard drives and not the Music PC. This conditioner has two large transformers (among other things) these two transformers are independent from each other so I can connect two devices in an isolated way (almost). Now I connected the computer to one of the outlets of the power conditioner and the hard drives to another (in fact there are one pair of outlets per transformer). I use only two external drives at the same time (no internal disks), one SSD with OS/XXHE eSata connected, and one hard drive with music connected with USB 3.0. On the other hand I use ramdisk configured in a special way (thanks to the genius of Alain) with two virtual disks A and B, one with XXHE/XXData and another as Playback Drive. Now, once the Playback Drive is charged with the music just a few seconds after I hit play, I disconnect the hard drive with Music, and also physically turn off the screen, disconnect the keyboard and mouse and only keep connected the eSata SSD. This way the Music PC has only connected the SSD eSata and the NOS1, remember that XXHE/XXData are also in the ramdisk which probably contributes to a better sound. Now the sound is clean and very musical and the differences, although perceptible, between Q5=5 and Q5=3 are less notorious.

By the way, I'm building, well not me but a technician friend of mine, a linear power supply for external drives, it sure will help to improve the sound, with the configuration I explained I´d only need one of those power supplies for the SSD. I´ll let you know when I get it ready and see if the sound is even better than now.

Best regards,
Juan

I´ve changed some connections and the differences between Q5=5 and Q5=3 are minor although perceptible. Yes, Q5=5 is smother and the soundstage seems bigger but the sounds are correctly located now, the bass is similarly defined. Great sound with Q5=5.

Best regards,
Juan