What to do about a super noisy computer?

It would help if we had a few more details. What kind of computer is it? What hardware are you using?

usually servers are pretty noisy, you can try to buy some sort of sound proof rack for it ( if it’s a rack server). If you think it isn’t supposed to be noisy than check the for debris/dust in the fans and clean that out and then go into the bios and check the heat on your cpu and ram, if their temps. are low enough you can tell the fans through the bios to go down to a lower level which will lower noise, but can cause over heating. Also, if it has a gpu then make sure its fan is on low also.

Its a rack server, with 2 AMD opteron processors. 2GB ram, about 4 fans excluding the power supply fan. Only make name I see is Rackable Systems. No dust what so ever inside.

Yeah rack systems are loud, we have one of those in my house also, though its an older xeon model, it is still loud as balls. I would say try to find a soundproofed rackmount / box for it or just put it somewhere were it won’t bother you as much :p My xeon sounds like a jet when it starts to turn on, and i wouldn’t suggest messing with the fans through the bios since it’s a rack server.

Thanks, I’ll look for a soundproof case, might build a polystyrene store in the attic too..

Depends on how much trouble and expense you want. Quieter, slower fans are an option, but then you have the four old fans still on the table. One relatively easy solution I’ve found to loud case fans is to reduce the 12v power to about 6 – 6.5v. Radio Shack sells a 5 pack of 22 ohm and a 5 pack of 33 ohm, 1w resistors. Solder one of each together = 55 ohms. Solder an assembly in the 12v positive on each fan. Tape or shrink insulate. Now, the fan turns slowly and quietly. Use Core Temp to monitor temps before and after.

Change out the noisy fan/s.

Get a liquid cooling solution for it.

@phoebusg thats not a bad idea, though I’m not sure they made them for those cpus.

I’ve built several water cooled units. I would not do so again for home use, even for gaming. It is expensive and putzy. It’s just not worth it. Heat pipes to a large inside the case radiator with a low speed 120mm fan on the cpu, and quiet case fans can make a machine just a few decibels louder than water cooling.
There are several very good quiet cpu coolers. Here is one example:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=FAN-10XPER&c=pw&hash=9b04wavTIhcJ8xZekH3Wjnm5P2b%2Fwm75hg6pKWfE2S%2FZbwkw4F4UhJlIpIEaRXBr%2BrKefhcsbh02kB68HCR%2FgsNNfB67LOe%2BkqAqu6Cc9%2Faf1obV%2FfXkKvqioqxy3N1d

@Melonking there’s plenty of liquid cooling providers, you can put extra heatsinks. Just get a more powerful unit. Look up thermaltake etc. Tigerdirect has a few models.

@phoebusg you must remember this is a server, not a home computer. I think it might be quite difficult if not impossible to create a water cooling system for it especially because it’s a rack server (aka blade server) meaning its at most 3 inches thick and very long. I have one and theres no space inside it for anything extra so the only way a water cooling solution would work would to make it external somehow.

@superjuicebox you can make it external, in fact there are some kits like that. There’s so many liquid cooling parts, you can custom-create your own solution. But if you’ve got the cash, there’s also liquid cooled rack mounts.

Worth looking at: http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g30/Liquid_Cooling.html?id=8A2Rve8E