There's one feature of today's powerful personal computers that's seldom advertised: noise. Mind-numbing noise. Noise so bad, at times, that you can't concentrate while typing a document on a word processor. It's the kind of noise that can kill the enjoyment that might otherwise be gained from using the latest and greatest personal computer, so it pays to be "noise aware" the next time you go shopping for a PC.
Computer noise has several sources. First, there's the computer's power supply, which usually contains a fast-spinning fan. Then there's the CPU fan -- required to cool the PC's main processor, which can get so hot that it will literally burn out if not cooled. And finally there's the graphics card fan. Graphics cards these days contain processors almost as powerful as the one that powers the computer itself. So of course ample cooling is needed for that as well.
Add it all up, and you've got fans -- lots of fans -- and the noise that goes with them. Because these fans are tiny and often spin at high revolutions per minute, they can emit a high-pitched noise unlike the calmer rumble of fans you might find in your house. These tiny PC fans are annoying.
"Whether fan noise is irritating depends not so much on how loud it is but at what frequency the noise is emitted," says Peter Knaack, a computer expert with the Stiftung Warentest in Berlin, Germany.
There are ways to silence the noise that comes from most computers, though, and some manufacturers are getting smart about silence.
The first and best way to eliminate fan noise from PCs is to get rid of the fans altogether, says Sascha Faber, analyst at Munich-based PC Professionell magazine.
That's possible with so-called "passive" cooling technology -- which involves using lower-energy parts, which emit less heat, in combination with beefier heat dissipating heat sinks, or on-board ventilators. Also, greater attention can be paid to the layout of cables and parts inside a computer to maximize the airflow in the case.
Such PCs might not always be the fastest on the market, but they're preferable, in the end, for most home users, Knaack says.
"Few really need the insane power offered by today's high-end PCs, which emit a lot of noise," he says. "It's more important that you can actually live with a machine, that it emphasizes quiet operation.
Manufacturers that pay attention to how loud a PC is often but not always advertise the noise level. When they don't, you can often call or inquire about the noise level, or pay attention to designations such as "suitable for audiovisual" work, which can sometimes signify that a machine is made to run quieter than typical computers.
The major chip manufacturers Intel and AMD are doing their part to keep noise levels down. Both companies have largely abandoned the race to make single chips run ever faster -- and hotter and louder -- in favor of dual-core and quad-core designs, which put the power of two or more low-energy processors on one die. The result are chips that run cooler but still pack a punch.
And even if you get stuck with a machine that's louder than you'd like, there are steps you can take to reduce the noise.
"Vibrating components such as hard drives, fans and power supplies can be resecured using vibration-reducing dampers made out of silicon or rubber," says Bjoern Bartsch, a computer retailer in Linden, Germany.
Such dampers are available at many local computer shops or over the Internet. Such materials can absorb the vibration that otherwise would get transferred to the computer case, resulting in further vibration and noise.
Noisy power supplies can be replaced entirely with units that are designed to be silent or close to silent. There are even a growing number of fanless power supplies on the market. If you or your computer dealer determine that your power supply is the primary source of noise in your PC, see about getting a replacement. Power supplies are inexpensive -- often costing no more than US$60 -- but should probably be replaced by an experienced PC technician, Bartsch says.
Gamers or those who "overclock" their PCs may just have to put up with more noise, however, Faber says. Or they must deal with expensive water-cooling systems for internal components.
"High-end components generate lots of heat, and that heat has to be vented out of the computer case somehow," Faber says. "Otherwise, the PC will die of heat stroke."
Others, though, can take reasonable steps to make sure that their PCs are quiet to begin with. When they're not, a few simple component replacements or a trip to the PC store to replace noisy parts may be well worth the effort.
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