SGI: Hardware

Hello!

It turns out that I am usually playing MP3 anf FLAC files in my 02. I Have a semi-pro sound system connected to the PC but, since this machine is usually rendering things, in some cases I prefer to use the SGI for these kind of light tasks.

The only problem I find it is that the little girl is quite noisy. There are two sources of noise, one of them, the hard disc drive, it is almost unavoidable (I would have to substitute the HDD for and SDD to solve this problem and it would be quite difficult and expensive). However, I think I should be able to do something with the fans and keep or improve the cooling of the computer. In my PC, I am using low noise Papst fans and they work really great (the machine has around 8 fans and it is really silent). I wonder if some of you have tried to install those, or similar ones, into an 02 and have improved the noise levels of the computer. Any particular recommendation ?

Thank you!!

most guys recommend newer scsi HDs , as they're way less noisy than the old ones. if you manage to fit an ssd, you'll be in peace nirvana but i have no clue how to do that inside the blue2

the psu fan is an easy replacement, i've done it myself. you can use any 12x12cm 80x80cm fan that fits your silence levels. i went for a noctua one back in the day (it was the only one i could test before buying). i see four 12x12cm models but i can't recall which one i used.

Thank you for the info!. It also seems very easy to replace the CPU fan.



For replacing the HDD I should make an adaptor. It is not impossible, but quite hard, hehe.

Did you notice any positive change in the noise levels? .

ah claro! i forgot the cpu fan in the r12k models

in my case the noisiest thing was the ageing panaflo psu fan and yes the difference was pretty obvious (after you've spent some time here you'll notice that i'm allergic to fan noise and salestalk :))

another user confirms how simple it is to replace the psu fan here

btw, haven't forgotten the plastics alberto, spring-cleaning in 3 different places takes time

Oh! do not worry about the skins, I am not in a hurry, hehe . By the way, do you know the size of the CPU fan?, I guess it is a 50 mm one but I am not completely sure and I would not like to open the computer just to check it .

Second the newer hard drive. Not sure about your O2, but the last one I got had a real screamer in it.

I think the PSU is 80mm not 120mm. Try to get something that promises to move air, just replacing the old fan should help though.

fu wrote: most guys recommend newer scsi HDs , as they're way less noisy than the old ones. if you manage to fit an ssd, you'll be in peace nirvana but i have no clue how to do that inside the blue2

the psu fan is an easy replacement, i've done it myself. you can use any 12x12cm fan that fits your silence levels. i went for a noctua one back in the day (it was the only one i could test before buying). i see four 12x12cm models but i can't recall which one i used.

Yes, it is a 80 mm fan, I checked it this evening .

I have a 36 Gb HDD installed in my 02 but I have not checked how old it is. I bought it very cheap on e-bay (the seller claimed that was a refurbished item, but this is strange for a HDD) and, honestly, it works great but it is also a bit noisy. The question is that I would not really like to spend a lot of money in a new good SCSI HDD. They are very expensive and my O2 is a hobbyst project .

Check here -> viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16719862

If you buy second hand, they're not that expensive.

For sure, it would be really nice to have a silent hard disk drive . But first, I am going to replace the PSU fan with this guy:



I think it is going to improve the system a lot, my O2 is like a hairdryer. Of course, I can notice the hard disk drive, but the sound of the fan is really everywhere in the room .

I have already ordered it and I am waiting for the arrival, hehe.

Well, I have finally installed the fan and the improvement was huge, hehe. Now I can only hear the HDD spinning but it is not annoying at all. The computer became really silent . I will post some pics of the replacement process as soon as I have some time. Maybe they will be useful for somebody...

yes please do post pics if you've got them, we can wikify them for others.

(and yes it's an 80x80 fan, the 120x120 was meant to go into the fuel )

At the end, I did a tutorial showing how to replace the CD-ROM unit and the PSU fan . I plan to create a PDF and upload it but, first, I have to check the text I wrote very carefully. I am sure it has tons of mistakes, hehe. I have never been good at English .

you don't have to bother w/ creating a pdf c-e, start a wiki article and we'll take it from there

even easier/faster: post a draft in this thread

Well, I have created a PDF file describing the process of upgrading the computer . I still have to correct the text a little bit (is is too bad?). When ready, I will upload the draft to the thread and attach all the pictures. Then, it should be easy to make the wiki article, hehe.