Water cooled computers?

[gvstn]

I'm running a desktop PC with a Phenom II and an AMD4870 graphics card. The fans are so loud. If go to a new desktop (don't want a laptop) with water cooling, can my graphics card also not have a fan? Is it possible to get a virtually silent PC?

[PoliticAverse]

1. There are websites that specialize in the issue of quiet computing.

Depending on how much of a premium you are willing to pay you can get very quiet.

Note that even with conventional water cooling (of cpus and graphics cards) there are some fans.

Here's an article from March of 2013 showing a build of a completely silent (no moving parts) pc:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silent-pc-gaming-performance,3435.html

[gvstn]

2. Thanks I will have to look into this.

My graphics card is going bad in this PC and I know it is aging. I don't need a phenomenally great graphics card but am just thinking if I have to upgrade I would like to downplay all the fan noise. This computer has been extremely noisy and I want to get a little quiet. Not sure if it is graphics fan or CPU but it is just too loud. Water cooled CPU is becoming mainstream but I was just wondering if I can do the same with graphics?

I will read through your link. Thank you!

[PoliticAverse]

3. Yes the fans on video cards are notoriously noisy under load...

there are aftermarket water-cooling and passive-cooling replacements.

[gvstn]

4. I really think this card has bit the dust.

I am getting random red artifacts in my display on certain websites. I need a new video card, are there any without fans that have about a gigabyte of capability? Or is that something that has to be rigged up to not use a fan? My card is old and probably needs replacing, I just want to get a quieter one. (I don't play games and the most extensive use of my video card is on "Youtube.)

[PoliticAverse]

5. Yes you can get 1GB passively cooled (no fan) video cards for < $100...

Example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102933

[gvstn]

6. Wow! That looks incredibly cheap.

Thanks for that information. I've been putting it off because I thought it would be a $100+.

Thanks again! Mine is really annoying randomly showing artifacts.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. You might want to try pulling the card out and cleaning the fan thoroughly ...

maybe add a couple of drops of light oil.

When the bearings wear out, the fan dies, the ICs overheat, and you get artifacts on screen. I revived a very old (PCI) card by replacing the dead fan with a $2 part, but some dead pixels are now permanent.

[gvstn]

11. I did reseat it and it worked for about a week.

Very little dust, I guess my case has some pretty good filters because there is plenty of dust on the outside of the case.

I've been very depressed this summer and have felt cold so have not run any air conditioning. Maybe that has taken its toll on this card. I'll give it a thorough cleaning with compressed air
(where I have somewhere) before replacing it but I think it has just run its race. The random artifacts only last a few annoying minutes but I think one day it will just die.

[hobbit709]

8. How long have you had it?

Does it have the stock heat sink on the cpu? The stock heat sinks usually are barely adequate.
The faster the fan runs the noisier it gets. Check to see if the cooling fins on the heat sinks are clear of dust.
Does the case have proper ventilation and cooling. Too much heat buildup makes the fans run faster to try to keep the cpu at a safe temp.

Liquid cooling still uses fans on the radiator end, just like the fan on the radiator in your car

My Athlon II FX-8350 with liquid cooling at the rated 4 GHz speed idles at 15° C. The fan on my NVidia GTX 650 ti card makes about the same amount of noise as the cpu cooling fan. Then I have 2 other case fans running-1 for intake and 1 for exhaust.

[gvstn]

9. The components inside the case look incredibly clean.

Considering I have a cat and don't vacuum as often as I should.

I think it is stock as I bought it as a kit and put it together that way. It has adequate ventillation but I would like it about twelve feet from my desk rather than three feet. It is just constant noise.

The fans just run too high. I have tried to adjust in ASUS Bios but it is just a noisy computer. I have to replace the graphics card and maybe at the same time I will look at the CPU cooling system. The CPU ( 4 quad) itself is more than adequate for my needs as I mostly browse sites like DU.

[hunter]

10. You could always use mineral oil in an aquarium...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Mineral-Oil-Submerged-PC

There are thousands of examples on the internet, and some are works of art.

Personally I have zero tolerance for computer fans these days.

I'm not a gamer and I don't edit videos so I don't need fan cooled processors or power supplies.