Re: [tlug] Bitsa Woes

[Stephen Lee <sl-tlug@example.com>]

CL <az.4tlug@example.com> wrote:
> The main culprits are the fans in the video card and the CPU fan, both 
> supposedly rated at a max 30Db.

I'd check whether the fans slow down after booting the OS.  Maybe fan
control is not working and they are always running at 100% which would
be noisy.

Try underclocking and reducing the voltage to the CPU, which should
reduce its power consumption and heat output.

You can also set a spin down timer for your HDDs with hdparm so they
don't put out motor noise and heat when not used.

> I used a 400W PS [...]  Does it seem logical that more watts will equal 
> many fewer Db?

In general power supplies are most efficient at ~50% load.  (You can go
to the 80 PLUS website <http://www.80plus.org> and look at certified
PS's efficiency graphs yourself.)

If your PC only consumes 200W, a 400W PS will probably be more
efficient than a 650W PS if both are at the same 80 PLUS level.  More
efficiency means less wasted heat so it reduces the need for cooling,
though that may not directly translate to less noise since that depends
on the design of the PS, fan used, etc as well.

So the answer to your question is that there are too many unknowns to
say that one PS will definitely be more quiet than another.

-- 
Stephen Lee <sl-tlug@example.com>