1. Keeping a Cool Head

2. These days if you buy a new computer it will probably be quite quiet. That's because manufacturers have learned that silence is golden and more achievable than ever before. I once asked for a "quiet computer case" foolishly thinking that it was the case at fault. It's not the case - it's the cooling fans and possibly the hard disks. Nothing else makes a noise; certainly not the case itself. A padded case will only get hotter and therefore noisier!

3. Good Airflow AIRFLOW: in a vertical desktop "tower" design air is sucked in at the bottom and expelled through the power supply at the top and/or case fan. This may put the physical centre of gravity in the wrong place but it's much more important to have that flow of warmed air up and out which is the natural way to go.

4. BIOS setting BIOS setting: modern computers allow hardware control of fan speeds, largely by either "smart" setting or setting of target CPU temperature from within the BIOS. Make sure yours is set optimally.

5. Typical BIOS Fan Control

6. FAN size FAN size: bigger is better because bigger fans can shift a given volume of air more slowly therefore more quietly. CPU fans tend to be small because the processor is small. Get the biggest heat sink you can fit in your case and the biggest fan to pull air across the CPU, hopefully directing the warmed air straight out, aiding and abetting the case fan. Graphic card fans are best avoided if you do not require a fast graphics card - ask for a passive graphic card. And keep your fans clean!

7. Case Fans Different sizes; different qualities… Also check for worn bearings – these can make a fan howl like a banshee! Replace as necessary.

8. Dirty Fans Dirty fans are noisy fans – they are intrinsically noisy and cause overheating. All fans and cooling fins should be regularly cleaned. Vacuum/brush/blow (if outside). Think of a computer as a sort of static vacuum cleaner…

9. CPU Cooling Note both CPU and North Bridge are cooled here. The lengths some people go to!

10. More Practical CPU Cooling

11. Graphic Card Cooling (noisy)

12. Graphic Cards (silent)

13. Power Supplies Power supplies can be noisy Choose one with high efficiency and a big fan Or choose an expensive fanless one! They almost all seem to be the same physical size Old style one Fanless one (about £100)

14. Build one yourself?

15. This one has a big fan and a “modular” cable arrangement. You get a package of cables with your power supply and only connect the ones you really want (not sure where you keep the ones you don’t want). This one will be highly rated for efficiency, very quiet and modestly expensive – but probably worth it!

16. Reminder

17. HARD disk HARD disk: anyone with Windows 7 or above should be using a solid state hard drive - much faster and totally silent. Old HDD New SSD New OCZ SSD

18. Other formats A horizontal desktop computer is going to be smaller, with smaller fans and lack the opportunity for ergonomic air flow. Therefore likely to be noisier. Laptops have to deal with further compromises but generally have lower power processors. Also their fans get full of dust.

19. You can do it!

20. Summary for reference only Keeping a Cool Head These days if you buy a new computer it will probably be quite quiet. That's because manufacturers have learned that silence is golden and more achievable than ever before. I once asked for a "quiet computer case" foolishly thinking that it was the case at fault. It's not the case - it's the cooling fans and possibly the hard disks. Nothing else makes a noise; certainly not the case itself. A padded case will only get hotter and therefore noiser! BIOS setting: modern computers allow hardware control of fan speeds, largely by either "smart" setting or setting of target CPU temperature from within the BIOS. Make sure yours is set optimally. AIRFLOW: in a vertical desktop "tower" design air is sucked in at the bottom and expelled through the power supply at the top and/or case fan. This may put the physical centre of gravity in the wrong place but it's much more important to have that flow of warmed air up and out which is the natural way to go. FAN size: bigger is better because bigger fans can shift a given volume of air more slowly therefore more quietly. CPU fans tend to be small because the processor is small. Get the biggest heat sink you can fit in your case and the biggest fan to pull air across the CPU, hopefully directing the warmed air straight out, aiding and abetting the case fan. Graphic card fans are best avoided if you do not require a fast graphics card - ask for a passive graphic card. Dirty fans and worn bearings howl like a banshee. POWER supplies: Power supplies can be noisy; Choose one with high efficiency and a big fan; Or choose an expensive fanless one! They almost all seem to be the same physical size This one has a big fan and a “modular” cable arrangement. You get a package of cables with your power supply and only connect the ones you really want (not sure where you keep the ones you don’t want). This one will be highly rated for efficiency, very quiet and modestly expensive – but probably worth it! HARD disk: anyone with Windows 7 or above should be using a solid state hard drive - much faster and totally silent. A horizontal desktop computer is going to be smaller, with smaller fans and lack the opportunity for ergonomic air flow. Therefore likely to be noisier. Laptops have to deal with further compromises but generally have lower TDP processors.