Some random thoughts below... Chris Knadle wrote: > Hey, Bruce. > > On Friday 19 October 2007, Bruce A. Locke wrote: > >> I'm thinking about putting together a small server running a number of >> small services such as file serving, vpn, mail storage, etc. >> >> I'd like for it to be as quiet and cheap as possible. > Hard disks > =-=-=-=-=-= > If you want quiet for hard hard disks -- look for ones that have a fluid > bearing > Yeah, I've found that disk drives seem to put out as much noise as cooling fans. As the commodity drive market pressures get more intense, expect to see cheaper (noisier) bearings. > Power supply > =-=-=-=-=-=-= > I've been happy with the Enermax "Whisper" or "Noisetaker" supplies. > These both come with a small knob on the outside of the PS to set the > variable fan speed; this lets you set it for the best cooling vs noise. > Unfortunately, power supplies have losses that produce plenty of heat, and you're not going to find fanless unless you spend beaucoup bucks on a liquid cooling system (where you can place the compressor and fan outdoors).
Don't forget that the CPU and possibly the graphics card will also have their own noisy little fans... and as market pressures increase, they'll get cheaper and noisier :-( . Rather than expending lots of effort on extra-quiet drives and fans, have you thought about just going with the usual stuff and encasing the whole box in a soundproofing case? It would be lined with sound-absorbent material and have baffled air intake and exhaust paths to knock down the sound coming from the box. Just be careful to have adequate air flow and not to block any intakes or exhausts on the computer. Maybe a bank of very low speed fans at the back of the outer case to draw through enough air? The trick is to have the cooling air moving as slowly as possible (which means moving large amounts of it). If you make the sound case nice enough, it could double as an end table or some other piece of furniture (good for a small apartment). Just make sure you design the case so it isn't a PITA to get access to the computer inside for routine (and non-routine) events. _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium Oct 3 - Security and Privacy Nov 7 - Django Python Application Framework
