I am about to start work on a low budget production in which a writer is often sat in front of a computer (sounds exciting right?). The PC we are using has quite a loud fan and I'm in search of a cheap and safe solution for knocking out a huge percentage of the noise it generates. It does have to be on during dialogue btw. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
Tips on reducing fan noise from PC
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Capt Quirk
Veteran
First, use the stock fans. Often times people will spend ridiculous amounts of money on a CPU fan, and it is usually louder, and barely more efficient than what came with the heatsink. When I originally built my AMD Edit box, I spent like $40-$80 on a ThermalTake fan. It sounded like a jet turbine, even all the way down the hall with my office door closed. I eventually replaced it with the stock fan, and couldn't be happier.
Second, they make rolling cabinets that keep out dust and moisture, and keep in the noise. You may want to look into one of these especially if you are in the field.
Second, they make rolling cabinets that keep out dust and moisture, and keep in the noise. You may want to look into one of these especially if you are in the field.
Steve House
Veteran
Here's a thought - I'm assuming it has to be on because we see the screen as he's typing. But does the computer that's seen in the shot HAVE to be the one that the keyboard and monitor are connected to? Have a prop in the scene and use hidden extension cables to connect t he monitor and keyboard/mouse to the real one that is located outside the room.
William_Robinette
Shallow Member
Agree with the above post.
Or even better, can he be running off a laptop? I find those to be much quieter in general then desktop computers. Or maybe build a three sided enclosure to be a barrier between the tower and the room to help capture some of the noise.
Or even better, can he be running off a laptop? I find those to be much quieter in general then desktop computers. Or maybe build a three sided enclosure to be a barrier between the tower and the room to help capture some of the noise.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
I was going to say "switch to a Mac". But seriously I wonder if that's not part of the reason Mac's have started showing up everywhere on TV and films. Watch a bunch of films and you would think Apple had 90% of the market.
BUT If you have to see the computer I would vote for extensions for the keyboard and monitor and use a dummy computer on set. You could also cut a piece of green screen card to fit the screen part of the monitor and add it in later. If it doesn't have to be a PC then a Mac is also an alternative. And you could install Windows on it if it needs to be running a specific app. The intel and G5 Mac's are near silent. PC's in recent years seem to have gotten louder. Seems strange since the guts of an Intel Mac and a PC are pretty much the same.
BUT If you have to see the computer I would vote for extensions for the keyboard and monitor and use a dummy computer on set. You could also cut a piece of green screen card to fit the screen part of the monitor and add it in later. If it doesn't have to be a PC then a Mac is also an alternative. And you could install Windows on it if it needs to be running a specific app. The intel and G5 Mac's are near silent. PC's in recent years seem to have gotten louder. Seems strange since the guts of an Intel Mac and a PC are pretty much the same.
Capt Quirk
Veteran
That is because Mac is a Hollywood Whore, it gets whatever placement it can.
Amen to that!
I am always amazed at how much sound my PC makes in comparison to my Macs. Apple really does put nice components into their system. That being said, there isn't a "Mac only" fan that won't work on a PC. Look around at good computer fans, many have a dB rating & buy ones that are quiet.
Or you can just plug the keyboard, mouse & monitor into a hidden laptop which makes less noise.
Or buy extension cords & move the tower away from the desk. My brother was recording his band in the basement a couple years ago, to cut down on the computer fan noise he bought long cables & moved the computer into the closet.
JordanBlock
Well-known member
Another option would be to leave the computer off and add the on screen stuff later. If that wont work, then as others have said, run extensions to a PC away from the desk.
I did a shoot where we had a number of laptops in a few scenes and the power supplies gave a pretty serious hum. Unplugged, they were effectively silent as long as they were idle.
I did a shoot where we had a number of laptops in a few scenes and the power supplies gave a pretty serious hum. Unplugged, they were effectively silent as long as they were idle.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
To be fair Mac's were all over Sex and the City and that was a strictly NYC production. So if they are whores they are bi-coastal ;~)
Look, stock fans or not, it doesn't change a thing. Differences (at the same speed and size) are minimal. What does differ is what speed you use those fans at. Google and download speedfan and use it to reduce your fan speeds - I have mine running at 50% and they are much quieter.
If you're serious about the computer, stop all background programs on that computer and make it that cpu usage is below 2% on average. Then you can nearly stop most coolers.. Watch at Speedfan though, it will tell you the temperatures in your computer. If they get too hot, with your CPU anyway, the computer will shut itself down.
Also, if you're really serious, stop all the coolers with your finger (pay attention). You'll see that its propably only one or two that are really loud. Buy a bigger one, you'll be able to let it run at less rounds per minute, thus moving the same amount of air, but with less noise. You can also try using heatsinks..
And guys, macs are hip, and they're white instead of beige/black, thats reason enough why you'd want them in a picture.
If you're serious about the computer, stop all background programs on that computer and make it that cpu usage is below 2% on average. Then you can nearly stop most coolers.. Watch at Speedfan though, it will tell you the temperatures in your computer. If they get too hot, with your CPU anyway, the computer will shut itself down.
Also, if you're really serious, stop all the coolers with your finger (pay attention). You'll see that its propably only one or two that are really loud. Buy a bigger one, you'll be able to let it run at less rounds per minute, thus moving the same amount of air, but with less noise. You can also try using heatsinks..
And guys, macs are hip, and they're white instead of beige/black, thats reason enough why you'd want them in a picture.
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Capt Quirk
Veteran
Just like Kevin Smith, anytime and anywhere he can get his face on camera
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Actually they are aluminum for the towers, aluminum, white, and black for the laptops. The SatC laptop was the old black wallstreet model originally.
j1clark@ucsd.edu
Veteran
Well, there is the saying, can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear... which is perhaps why Windows boxes are avoided...
Which actually is part of the issue... a Windows 'box' comes from one of several companies, and these companies seem to have the design principle of 'cheesy' designs, if they try to design a package at all beyond The Box (for any value of box...).
One of the principles that Jobs has maintained from about day 1 of the Apple ][ onward, was Apple will design and produce the package, there will be no 3rd party producers that run Apple OS software. During Jobs' absence in the early 90's, Sculley did open up Apple to 3rd party hardware producers... but as soon as Jobs returned to the faltering Apple, he closed that up tout suite...
On the other hand the Windows box manufacturers are highly competitive on issues of cost of 'the box', because that is the only place where their 'value' comes in... hence, basic box, cheesy plastic fins, or little blue LED's here and there...
But on the topic of quiet... I don't have a desktop Intel box, but I would suspect that one of the reasons for a preceived difference in 'fan' noise, has to do with the size of the heatsink used in the Mac box, vs what a Windows PC box may have... the heatsinks in my Mac boxes, ranging from 68K and PowerPC cpu based systems, were 'massive' relative to those I have found in most consumer Windows PC boxes. This allows more heat to be disapated with less air flow, hence less fan noise... (The only place I've seen the same sized heatsinks in Windows PC boxes, are boxes that cost >3-4K $US and are for 'dedicated' server applications...).
To wit... The Wife has a G5 (most power consumptive of the PPC line...) next to her Windows PC (AOL/Mail) box... the Windows PC is always running the fan, even when the task manager indicates there is no process runing anything... (like no process is over 1%...)
The G5 on the other hand, even running Photoshop and doing a massive filter function on a multi-gigabyte image, runs quiet...
Hey... but as a note... I just saw "The Day the Earth Stood Still"(2008), and in one shot in 'the evil/inept' government lab facility, there was a big screen with a Windows logo in the middle... it was surrounded by big ugly government looking thugs, and the set had the look of being buried deep inside "Iron Mountain"...
Guy_Cochran
DVXUser Sponsor
I wound up going with a 15' Gefen Extension cable for our Mac Pro and RAID array. It extends DVI, USB 2.0 and FireWire. We shoot a few podcast episodes near the computer in our studio and the noise was very apparent in a lot of shoots. The cost was over $300, but I'm amazed at how quiet it is the room now. Getting those noisy fans and drives out has allowed me to think better - it's peaceful http://www.gefen.com/index.jsp Well worth the cost in my opinion. Especially after looking at $800+ "hush boxes."
http://www.gefen.com/index.jsp Well worth the cost in my opinion. Especially after looking at $800+ "hush boxes."
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
This is getting way OT but part of the reason the Mac desktops are quiet is because they were designed to be quiet. The one area Mac has held considerable market share for a long time is in media. The last generation G4 DP's were nicknamed Hoovers because the fan used to kick on to high speed and they were LOUD. It was fixed mostly in software but Apple listened and the G5's were designed to be quiet. There are a ton of fans but the air flow is carefully controlled so they all (under normal circumstances) run quite slow. A G5 can sound like a plane taking off if it decides it needs some serious cooling. Mine has done that two or three times in three years. Usually the fan-less FW drive that sits on top of it is the loudest thing going. PC's could be just as quiet and probably some are but most are just big open boxes that other than looks are not any different than my old 486 box. Whether your a Windows or Mac OS person Apple makes some nice hardware.
My prediction is that clones will open up Mac OS to other boxes the same way they opened DOS away from IBM. The only real way to stop it is to use proprietary CPU's. As long as Apple is using the same CPU's PC's are using it's never going to be a big deal to make a clone. And litigation has been historically useless in dealing with the issue. Actually most companies that fought that battle are either gone or moved out of the market after litigation. IBM, Ashton-Tate, Lotus etc.
What was the topic?
My prediction is that clones will open up Mac OS to other boxes the same way they opened DOS away from IBM. The only real way to stop it is to use proprietary CPU's. As long as Apple is using the same CPU's PC's are using it's never going to be a big deal to make a clone. And litigation has been historically useless in dealing with the issue. Actually most companies that fought that battle are either gone or moved out of the market after litigation. IBM, Ashton-Tate, Lotus etc.
What was the topic?
j1clark@ucsd.edu
Veteran
The quiet hum of fans cooling lawyer's Windows based PCs... from a scene for the docu-drama, 'Apple vs The World'...
Cole
Well-known member
I don't know about anyone else but right now the fan on my PC sounds like a restroom hairdryer.
Does the PC need to be in the shot or is it just on to show the activity on the computer's screen?
If it needs to be in the shot I like the idea of using a decoy on screen and running cables to the one that is on from a safe distance. But make sure there is a light on or the continuity police will come a Knockin'.
LOL - "The docu-drama 'Apple vs The World." I can see the trailer now.
Mac
"Hi, I'm a Mac." (smiles)
PC
(no reaction because he couldn't hear over his fan)
Cole
Does the PC need to be in the shot or is it just on to show the activity on the computer's screen?
If it needs to be in the shot I like the idea of using a decoy on screen and running cables to the one that is on from a safe distance. But make sure there is a light on or the continuity police will come a Knockin'.
LOL - "The docu-drama 'Apple vs The World." I can see the trailer now.
Mac
"Hi, I'm a Mac." (smiles)
PC
(no reaction because he couldn't hear over his fan)
Cole
composeralex
Member
You might try replacing the computer case with a quiet one. I recently upgraded my studio computer case to the Antec Performance 182, and the difference in the ambient noise is incredible. The whirring, humming, and clicking is barely audible at all. I can barely tell it's on. You can get it for well less than $200.