Really Loud Computer?

How To's, Questions, and Solutions for problems. This covers anything from computer hardware problems to software recommendations to tutorials for various software programs.

Note: Neither Gametoast nor any of its members/visitors are responsible for any damage to your computer as a result from advice given in this forum. Follow advice at your own risk and be sure to back up any important files.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
EraOfDesann
Jedi Admin
Jedi Admin
Posts: 2170
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 5:22 pm
Location: North Texas
Contact:

Really Loud Computer?

Post by EraOfDesann »

This is something that's been bugging me for about a year. My computer is just really loud compared to other computers. Sometimes it sounds like it's going to explode any second. It just randomly happened one day. Any ideas about what's causing it?
TheTao

RE: Really Loud Computer?

Post by TheTao »

Overheating, or perhaps a broken/bad fan. Open up your computer and make sure the fans work properly, and that a decent number of your components feature heatsinks. Of course, your fans could just be very loud, in which case you should simply replace them.
User avatar
EraOfDesann
Jedi Admin
Jedi Admin
Posts: 2170
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 5:22 pm
Location: North Texas
Contact:

Post by EraOfDesann »

Thanks for the advice. This whole time I was afraid there was something wrong with my computer. :lol:
User avatar
guru
Jawa Admin
Jawa Admin
Posts: 2390
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:45 pm
Projects :: swbf 1 vanilla
Games I'm Playing :: any mobile rpg

Post by guru »

yea when that happens i goto newegg.com and buy a new power supply for $9 and its all good for over a year. Dirty fans ftw!
Leviathan
Missing Jedi Admin
Posts: 3277
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:54 pm
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set

Post by Leviathan »

Off-topic : I honestly do not know which exact sorts of Power Supply Units you could get your hands down on for such a Price, guru, but I nevertheless assume that these same Products must be way far from sharing Common Points with the latest ones having been released by Enermax Technology Corporation®, Antec Incorporation® or Thermaltake Technology®, unless you would be able to provide me Proofs demonstrating how wrong this Statement might be... :wink:
TheTao

Post by TheTao »

My LAN party computer has a 12 buck PSU that runs really well, I think it's 350W. My Alienware has some $500 beastie that's loud as hell but pumps out 600W.

...

Come to think of it, that's a pretty lousy price difference.
User avatar
guru
Jawa Admin
Jawa Admin
Posts: 2390
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:45 pm
Projects :: swbf 1 vanilla
Games I'm Playing :: any mobile rpg

Post by guru »

alienware is sharing the same parts as all the other compcrap and hewlitt crapperd now since the merger of 05', bulk korean "gremlin ware". I would never get anything more then a 400w power supply even running all the addons I use.
TheTao

Post by TheTao »

Actually, my Alienware sports some great components. 512MB ATI Radeon X1600 Pro, 3.2GHZ Pentium Dual-Core, 2GB of Corsair RAM, and a nice mobo. I don't understand the flak Alienware seems to get.

And to any pre-built computer haters out there, I built my other computer, so yeah. I'm no n00b.
Leviathan
Missing Jedi Admin
Posts: 3277
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:54 pm
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set

Post by Leviathan »

Off-topic : Should we be really amazed by such Technical Specifications, TheTao ? Indeed, it has appeared that Alienware Corporation® has almost never ceased ordering and assembling Components and Devices which might be considered as being somewhat "Uncommon" and "Exotic" for their different Purchasers, which may partly explain the worrying Price of the individual Power Supply Unit mentioned earlier, since the Company in charge of the producing of such Designs have become rather specialized in engineering other ones whose Nominal Power could easily exceed 1000 Watt...
RC-1290

Post by RC-1290 »

My computer was very loud as well and I did buy a fan wich should make less noise but the problem seemed to lie somewhere else. To see if it was becouse of the heat, I removed the side panel and let the side panel lean to the computer. Now my computer makes way less noise... exept for when I remove the panel in total...or when I put it back, in the original way...

maybe it's becouse of the way the air goes in and out... what do you guys think?

RC-1290 'Dreadnought'
Leviathan
Missing Jedi Admin
Posts: 3277
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:54 pm
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set

Post by Leviathan »

Off-topic : Before considering the Removal of the Lateral Panels as being an efficient way of reducing the annoying Noise produced and permanently maintained by your Personal Computer, I would like to remind that proceeding so will incidentally generate sort of "Electrostatic Field" which will enhance the Amount of Dust and Dirtinesses usually present inside Cases and hindering the Air Flow exploited by common Fans. Furthermore, if I were you, I would check out whether your Sound Troubles aren't caused by your Power Supply Unit, especially if this one features Internal Cooling Openings directed towards the Interior of your Machine's Tower...
RC-1290

Post by RC-1290 »

Yea, well, I bought a new Power Suply with larger fan's(directed outwards). That didn't solve the problem. Thanks for informing me about the static field. I'll just have to remove the dust some more often ( with the cool "dust off" spray :D, cleaned air...).
User avatar
guru
Jawa Admin
Jawa Admin
Posts: 2390
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:45 pm
Projects :: swbf 1 vanilla
Games I'm Playing :: any mobile rpg

Post by guru »

TheTao wrote:Actually, my Alienware sports some great components. 512MB ATI Radeon X1600 Pro, 3.2GHZ Pentium Dual-Core, 2GB of Corsair RAM, and a nice mobo. I don't understand the flak Alienware seems to get.

And to any pre-built computer haters out there, I built my other computer, so yeah. I'm no n00b.
dell = alienware = ford pinto parts in a ferrari case.
TheTao

Post by TheTao »

Meh. *hugs computer* Works for me. *hugs other computer* I must admit, my LAN PC matches the Ally's performance and was like, a 3rd of the price. Alienware= expensive? Yes, you're paying for the case. Alienware= crap? Absolutely not.
Leviathan
Missing Jedi Admin
Posts: 3277
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:54 pm
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set

Post by Leviathan »

Off-topic : You are actually not only paying the well-known Case having become a real emblem of Alienware Corporation® while assembling and ordering one of the Personal Computers this Company may propose, but you are equally compensating Losses generated by the fact some of the Individual Components sold by it are not that picked up by their multiple Purchasers, such as either INTEL® Xeon or AMD® Opteron Processors, additionally to the different Optimizations its Engineers can make before sending the concerned Gaming Machine towards its Legal Owner, which must require additional time, and so, must incidentally enhance the Amount of the Final Cost...
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

My computer has two single-core processors (plus 2 CPU fans), 8 hard drives (120GB-250GB), 1 AGP card, 2 standard PCI cards, 2 64bit PCI cards, 1GM memory, and 6 fans. It runs off of a 350w and a 400w power supply (total of 750w).

Just wondering: TheTao, since you built your computer, why do you call it an Alienware computer?

Removing the side panel doesn't create an electrostatic field. Your computer will get more dusty, but extra dust won't be drawn to it.

Opening your case may improve or hinder your airflow. It all depends on your fan setup and location/size of your system parts.

The cheapest way for a quiet computer, is to buy the more expensive quiet fans. Except for one of my processor fans, my computer (9 other fans) is as loud as a humming monitor (which are normally very quiet). Cleaning any dust out helps, but a loud fan will always be loud.

Edit: Sorry TheTao, I didn't proof read my post.
Last edited by [RDH]Zerted on Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
2_lowiq_clone

Post by 2_lowiq_clone »

I don't know if this applies to your computer, but mine has an option to turn down the speed of the fans with a little knob on the front.

off-topic: Me and my dad bought some cheap pantyhose (shutup!) and cut some fabric out and stretched it over the air intake, and it dramaticly cuts down on the amount of dust. I then take a vaccum to it about every 6 months.
TheTao

Post by TheTao »

[RDH]Zerted wrote:TheTaco, since you built your computer, why do you call it an Alienware computer?
1. I have 2 computers, an Alienware AND one that I built.
2. Call me a taco again and I'll... do something bad.
Leviathan
Missing Jedi Admin
Posts: 3277
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:54 pm
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set

Post by Leviathan »

Off-topic : Although the aimed user seems to have paid attention to this Remark, I seriously hope that you had not eventually planned on engaging a Discussion entirely dedicated to this Mistake and its annoying Consequences, TheTao, especially if it was launched inside the current thread. On the other hand, in order to return to the main Subject mentioned here, I would anyway remind that a large part of Fans being exploited nowadays generate an Air Flow - Caused by both the Front Propulsion and the Rear Aspiration of the concerned Cooling System -, which usually attracts the Dust being contained in the Around Atmosphere, additionally to the fact such an Element work the same way as the Propellers of common Air Apparatuses. Eventually, be sure that removing the Lateral Panels of any Case will greatly favour the capture of Supplementary Aerial Dirtinesses, contrary to what you may have imagined so far about that, Zerted'...
TheTao

Post by TheTao »

Leviathan wrote:Off-topic : Although the aimed user seems to have paid attention to this Remark, I seriously hope that you had not eventually planned on engaging a Discussion entirely dedicated to this Mistake and its annoying Consequences, TheTao, especially if it was launched inside the current thread.
Relax, 'twas a joke. I wasn't going to pursue an argument over how to spell my name. :roll:

Anywho, getting back to the techy discussions, a really good way to keep a computer cool is to place one of those blue kool-pak things near the back of your computer. Trust me, it works.
Post Reply