[Akeno]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting here.

I wanted to know if any of you has or has had experience building "silent" computers!
Currently, I've been using my SP3 and docking it into my main desktop monitor whenever I'm home. I love the little thing but it just doesn't have enough power to play games or render videos. I want to build my own PC that is nearly as silent as the SP3. Any suggestions as to the types of parts / cases I should look at? I've been suggested the Fractal Design Define Nano S as a case, but all the reviews online say that it's meant for water cooling, rather than silent computing.

[xandros9]

Well if you're looking for quiet, I imagine water cooling to be the way to go. It often goes hand-in-hand with quiet. But yea I would expect a lot of decision making in the near future.

I did run into this article a while back.
It's Been a Fun Ride, But I'm Done Water Cooling My PC

But eh, I'm not experienced with high-end desktop assembly. (glances over at Pentium 4)

[gpobernardo]

I've heard about the Zalman CNPS9500A before, and it seems to be living up to its reputation. The Zalman has been "nominated" by other users as their top choice.

Most of those CPU cooling contraptions have been designed to be quiet, and thermally efficient, too. Water cooling contraptions are more effective, but there could be a concern in being able to replace the water once it gets dirty. If the liquid can be replaced, it could be even more efficient by replacing it with an environmentally-friendly refrigerant (but consult the manual first!).

Air coolers are more common and simpler, but the concern there would be the accumulation of dust and lint which will decrease the heat transfer efficiency of the contraption, or even throw the balance of the fan blades off causing advanced wear and the unwanted noise.

My recommendation would be to find a way to fix a filter (a simple thin-cloth type filter) onto the PC case vents if you're going for fan-based cooling... or simply clean the heat transfer fins once a month.

P.S.
There are "Nofan IcePipe Fanless Coolers" which you may look at, but I haven't compared their efficiencies yet. They use some trade secret capillary action natural convection. Sounds neat, with 0.0 dB of noise; but in my engineering classes, forced convection (with fan) is almost always more effective than natural convection (no fan).

[MMissionary]

A NZXT H440 is really silent and a great case for a rig.