Stop the noise

[Jo The Veteran]

Hey guys, i'm looking for a utility that can stop the fans of a hardware piece during opperation. Specifically that graphics card of mine generates allot of noice (about 40-50db). Is there a way to stop it's fans, without burning it offcourse! The card should be in a standby/hibernate mode, with most of it's graphics acceleration capabillities turned off. Because i use my pc 24/7 as a server of a network with internet connection sharing, and also because it's next to where i sleep, i would appreciate if someone knew something, or knew someone else who had heard something about something simillar to what i want (woah.. allot of "somethings" here).
Anyone?

[guns1inger]

Google for passive cooling or water based colling systems. These should be a lot quieter. Components that have fans generally have them for a reason, so just stopping them is only going to kill them, usually very quickly, and cost you money.

Once you find an alternate cooling system, it is simply a matter of replacing the fan with your new system and living in peace.

This : http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/tt-clg0003.html is the sort of thing you are looking for.

This : http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=862&cid=9 might remove the need for almost all your fans.

[Jo The Veteran]

I am considering water cooling as an option for my next computer system, it's way to expensive as an upgrade for this antique one of mine. The thing is, i don't mind playing games or working on the pc with the fans on, but when i'm not there IT IS a matter of wasted energy and lifetime of the accelerator's fans. I just want a utility that would simulate a shut down of the agp power flow, only by pressing a shortcut and/or reinstate it back online again by pressing another. There are about 1 Gazilion programs out there doing just about anything you can imagine. I'm sure there's also one for this purpose.

[guns1inger]

If you shutdown the fan, you will kill your card. The fan on the GPU will be regulated by the needs of the card. Even on low usage, the colling is required. I wouldn't be shutting it down. As for energy wastage, you are talking about a very low level of power.

[edDV]

Did you call the graphics card manufacturer about the problem? Maybe there's a way to regulate fan speed from the driver software.

Othewise wrap the computer in foam (with air intake/exhaust holes).

[Jo The Veteran]

You sure are getting all serious about me burning my card huh? Well don't worry, it won't happen (anytime soon that is - everything dies/burns). I'll just quote on to something you wrote so you might understand what i want.

The fan on the GPU will be regulated by the needs of the card.

. Tell me, now. What are the needs of a grapics card in a computer that is turned off? How much air flow is needed for a shut downed system? In your oppinion, what needs would a turned off GPU for air flow whould have, EVEN if the rest of the computer system was on?
That last on is what i'm searching for!

[Jo The Veteran]

Dear oh dear, there is no problem anywhere. I just want to make my life better! Yes, there is software that changes - lowers/hightens air flow, i don't want that though. Please read above.

[guns1inger]

Are you saying the GPU fan is running when your system is turned off ? If so you have a short somewhere, as it should be powered off with the mainboard. Are you sure it's the GPU ?

[Jo The Veteran]

I'm not saying that at all. What i'm TRYING to say is that i WANT to simulate the opposite of what you are saying. I want the system on and the card off. I can't say it simpler than this.

[träskmannen]

You can use speedfan to reduce the fanspeeds as much as you dare, but I guess you want something to set your complete graphics card in sleep mode. The Power Options in the Control panel in XP has the function to automatically turn off the monitor after a certain time but I have no idea if that will put the graphics card to sleep or not.

Can't you just make the computer count electric sheep or sing a nice digital lullaby for it?

[Jo The Veteran]

HAHAHA, that didn't work on the computer last time, but it did for me! i fell asleep in about 96 sheep i think (a full pen).
Seriously though i tried everything that windows xp with sp1 have to offer, standby for example. Before standby GPU Temp was 51 degrees celsius, 5 minutes after it was 51 again (generally it stays 50-52 all the time) - Besides, standby stoped all the activity on the pc, including the hard drive, so if someone from the network wanted something from me, i was nowhere to be found and so was the HD. Nothing Nothing.. and Nothing again. You see, the guys at microsoft don't really care about power because they get it for free, and about the hardware, they upgrade it every month, so they don't worry it will wear out.
Speedfan is already installed in my system, but as you said, i don't "dare" reduce anything. No i'm looking for something that will moreover send just the GPU to sleep and leave anything else on. I won't be able to see anything on the screen, but everything else would work.

Don't read it all, you fall aslep.

Rock a bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

[Mr. Dweezel]

i'm looking for a utility that can stop the fans of a hardware piece during opperation.

These links are for hardware, not utilities.....

http://www.directron.com/speedcontrol.html

http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/11/Zalman+Multi+Fan+Speed+Controller/

http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/06/15/fighting_fan_noise_pollution/index.html

http://www.dansdata.com/digitaldoc5.htm

It's unusual that you want to stop the fan noise while you're sleeping. Some people
would rather have the noise to help them sleep!

My noise problem isn't the fans themselves, but the tiny bearings. They eventually
make loud clicking noises, but a drop of oil takes care of it!

Rock a bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

There once was a girl from Nantucket,
Who crossed the sea in a bucket,
And when she got there.............................. nevermind :P



.

[TBoneit]

is the fancier card needed? I use a low end fanless videocard to keep noise down. Alternative would be put it in another room and run the audio and video cables through the door plus wirelss mouse and Keyboard. I've done both in the past.

[Dr_Layne]

I don't believe you can "unpower" the video card while the PC is running. At the very minimum, in order for a computer to run, I believe a GPU must be present just as memory and cpu must be.

As for the noise, you'll get used to it. I used to sleep with my computer that ran 24/7. The computer has two intake fans, two exhuast fans, cpu fan, video card fan, and two PSU fans.

A_L

[Jo The Veteran]

At the very minimum, in order for a computer to run, I believe a GPU must be present just as memory and cpu must be.

Unfortunatelly i agree with that assumption. It's impossible to boot a pc without the existance of a GPU, so it is also presumable that removing it during operation would cause a crash or worse. You cannot blame me for asking though.

is the fancier card needed

It was the best buy i could find at that time. Sure, i could settle with a simple GeeForce 6200-6600, but when the cheapest card i could find was at about 80Euros (a 6200 Lite Edition) i choose to instead give 120 for the one i own now. If you check the specs you can see big difference between those 2. Also, i would never consider buying one of the 5 series or an ATI one, so i guess, the one i bought was the most logical choise.

Thanks for the links Mr. Dweezel (wow, allot of leds in these panels, kinda make night into day)
I find it impossible though to use noises from the pc to help me sleep, no way man. The word "bearings", do you mean some kind of resonance effect that is caused be the metallic parts of the towers? If so i absulutelly agree man. Fan noise or no noise when the tower resonates you'd wish you were somewhere else.

This looks like a dead-end search. Well, can't blame me (again) for trying though. I believe it's about time for some serious googling. If i find anything i'll be sure to post it back here.

[Mr. Dweezel]

Thanks for the links Mr. Dweezel (wow, allot of leds in these panels, kinda make night into day)
I find it impossible though to use noises from the pc to help me sleep, no way man. The word "bearings", do you mean some kind of resonance effect that is caused be the metallic parts of the towers? If so i absulutelly agree man. Fan noise or no noise when the tower resonates you'd wish you were somewhere else.

The bearings are tiny round balls on the motor shaft that reduce friction.

[jagabo]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

[Xylob the Destroyer]

is the fancier card needed? I use a low end fanless videocard to keep noise down. ...

I think he hit the nail on the head here.
If you're just using the PC as a server and internet connection sharing, why do you need a video card that has a fan on it? If you're not doing hard-core gaming or anything else that needs a fancy card, just go to CompUSA or whatever they have where you live and buy a cheap-ass $40 card?
I picked up a Radeon 7000 for $25 over a year ago and it does a kick-ass job on the computer in my office -- you don't need anything fancy for internet and MS Office....
plus, that would be a hell of a lot cheaper and easier than a liquid cooling system

[Soopafresh]

At least something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186002

[Jo The Veteran]

(jagabo, Soopafresh) No No No! Don't get me wrong and thanks for the links but, all you guys talk is about hardware. I was looking for software from the very start. I am not going to upgrade or change the fans with anything until they wear out completelly. I was just trying to lower the noise (in a little anorthodox way, that's for sure).
(TBoneit, Xylob the Destroyer) I never said that this i a server ONLY machine. Neither did i say, i am not a hardcore gamer.
As i said above - dead end!

[Mr. Dweezel]

Build your own.....

http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/1784/

Additional circuits and info can be found here.....

www.epanorama.net

Turn off your pop-ups if you go to epanorama!




.

[RoopeT]

I use a little piece of software called "Expert tool" by Gainward to reduce my Geforce 6600 GT fan speed to 50%. At this fan speed the card is nearly silent and temperature difference in desktop use is only about 5 C (Currently my card reports 49.5 C, which is perfectly safe. If the temperature would hit 80 C then I'd start to worry).

Even though the software is made by Gainward it should work with all Geforce 6xxx models (My card is made by Asus).

There is other software too for the same purpose: nTune by NVidia and Rivatuner, but I haven't played too much with these. I tried them with Vista, but neither of them have the fan control functionality in Vista (Expert tool doesn't work either). Without being able to control my Geforce fan speed in Vista I'm not interested in the OS.

BTW, all of the software mentioned above are also capable of underclocking your GPU and GPU memory when in 2D mode, and thus reduce the power consumption.

[Jo The Veteran]

THANKS allot RoopeT!!! It's not what i've been searching for EXACTLY but i'm sure it will do the trick. Thanks again!!!
Mr. Dweezel, do you have any links about make-your-own little-smart-electronic thingies, something like this http://lnx.manoweb.com/lirc/

[RoopeT]

It really doesn't pay off building your own fan controller. I did my first fan controller myself (just a few potentiometers on floppy disc slot), but commercial solutions can be bought in the 20 Euro price range.

I bought the Sunbeam Rheobus (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article84-page1.html), which is rather nice .... However, I'm not currently using it as I can slow down my Geforce fan speed with the above mentioned software and my CPU fan is really silent (at 50% speed, controlled by my MB BIOS). My only other fans are a 120 mm rear fan (Antec tricool) at the lowest voltage setting (5 V) and my Fortron PSU fan (120 mm too, running at really low speed after I removed the temperature sensor connected to the heat sink inside PSU and replaced it at a cooler spot inside the PSU).

Hard discs decoupled from the case too. I know a few tricks that would still make my PC "less noisy", but I guess I'm happy with what I have now. I'm living in the middle of nowhere, meaning that there's absolutely no noise during night time. In the quitest hours I can probably tell if my computer is on just by listening, but usually I can't. And even now the most noise is generated by my 19'' CRT monitor