# When is a pc considered 'silent'?



## emiahn (Oct 23, 2010)

Hi,

When is a pc considered 'silent'?

I have been looking at the GTX 580. 41 dBA during load, and 37 idle. All of the other components i am considering for my next build keeps below 20 dBA. I am looking for a high-end gaming rig.

So, what is considered silent?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Here is a comparative decibel chart. This should give you a good idea what silent is. IMHO 20dB is extremely silent for a pc. My pc runs at approx 35dB with all the fans on low. It sounds like road noise in a BMW 5 series with the windows up. When I turn the fans up (manual dial for Xaser) It sounds like wind noise on a bicycle wearing light earmuffs. Lol. I hope my comparison helps. :GRIN:


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Also note how the PC is being used. Typically PC's that are designed to be "silent" are low to mid-range systems that don't get stressed. The typical "silent" PC use, for example, would be a HTPC, where except for the power supply and cpu, you can get by using fanless components. 

If you are building a gaming rig, for example, you will need hardware with fans and good airflow through the case. In such instances, you are looking for "quiet" or low noise PC, not "silent".

It's all a play on words. Most noise is the result of fans. So to reduce noise, you reduce the number of fans and/or eliminate hardware that uses them. With that said, any medium to heavily used computer will need fans to keep the hardware cool. So it's a trade off, keep the expensive bits cool and happy or make it "silent" and cook all the hardware.


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## evildead789 (Aug 27, 2009)

two words: water cooling

and one reply it's expensive


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The greatest noise source for a PC, air or liquid cooled, is fans.
Fans move air and that creates noise. Gaming PC's use larger GPU's that draw more power and emit more heat. The only way to dissipate that heat is by moving air.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

when it doesn't make any noise  if you are running silently then its very likely the system is not very powerful. Fans spin faster when there is heat caused by power.


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