djmt Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Considering a mini desktop as a music server/roon core. Is what I'm seeing online about excessive fan noise a real concern or the occasional unit having problems. I would appreciate any input from those with first hand experience. Fanless could be an option but most suppliers (at least to my knowledge) are based overseas. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypr1961 Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Ive got an i3 nuc (cant remember which one but its one of the new models) sat on my desk and I cant hear a thing from it. Got an older one downstairs that streams to the TV and you can hear the fan if youre about a metre from it and theres no other sound in the room but that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelter Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 My Gigabyte is as quiet as mouse . . When its not squeaking. Sounds good too :) But any PC should be used with audio filtering software and hardware such as: Fidelizer, JPlay, Empirical Audio Offramp, USB shortblock filter or similar. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaynin Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 (edited) PC fan noise can be an issue. I've got five NUC's. 3x i5's and 2x i7's. Yes you can hear them, so it has to be a consideration if you're using in the room that you're listening. You can manipulate the fan use in the BIOS, but you don't want to cook the PC obviously. On a similar note, I added some fan cooling to my DAC/streamer via USB - from the AC Infinity range, and that fan is quiet! Maybe an option for you by turning the PC fan off if it's too noisy and using one of these - https://www.acinfinity.com/quiet-usb-fans/ Edited October 17, 2018 by Kaynin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blybo Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Kaynin said: On a similar note, I added some fan cooling to my DAC/streamer via USB - from the AC Infinity range, and that fan is quiet! Maybe an option for you by turning the PC fan off if it's too noisy and using one of these - https://www.acinfinity.com/quiet-usb-fans/ Agreed, I had older version of these on my old AVR that used to get quite warm. It was super quiet and mine had no speed control. Only downside for me was my AVR's usb was permanently powered so it ran 24/7. https://www.acinfinity.com/component-usb-fans/multifan-s2-quiet-usb-cooling-blower-120mm/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedog Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 You can buy specially made low noise fans for not much money. The will be quieter than the ambient db in your room, so you won't hear them. Both for the motherboard and for the exhaust. Then it depends on if the internals of your PC allow you to switch fans. There's also this: http://www.fit-pc.com.au/airtop fitpc makes very good small fanless computers. There are other models, I don't know if they are available in OZ. Not cheap, but good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmt Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 1 hour ago, firedog said: You can buy specially made low noise fans for not much money. The will be quieter than the ambient db in your room, so you won't hear them. Both for the motherboard and for the exhaust. Then it depends on if the internals of your PC allow you to switch fans. There's also this: http://www.fit-pc.com.au/airtop fitpc makes very good small fanless computers. There are other models, I don't know if they are available in OZ. Not cheap, but good. 4 hours ago, blybo said: Agreed, I had older version of these on my old AVR that used to get quite warm. It was super quiet and mine had no speed control. Only downside for me was my AVR's usb was permanently powered so it ran 24/7. https://www.acinfinity.com/component-usb-fans/multifan-s2-quiet-usb-cooling-blower-120mm/ 5 hours ago, Kaynin said: PC fan noise can be an issue. I've got five NUC's. 3x i5's and 2x i7's. Yes you can hear them, so it has to be a consideration if you're using in the room that you're listening. You can manipulate the fan use in the BIOS, but you don't want to cook the PC obviously. On a similar note, I added some fan cooling to my DAC/streamer via USB - from the AC Infinity range, and that fan is quiet! Maybe an option for you by turning the PC fan off if it's too noisy and using one of these - https://www.acinfinity.com/quiet-usb-fans/ 6 hours ago, Flamenco_diego said: My Gigabyte is as quiet as mouse . . When its not squeaking. Sounds good too But any PC should be used with audio filtering software and hardware such as: Fidelizer, JPlay, Empirical Audio Offramp, USB shortblock filter or similar. . . . 6 hours ago, gypr1961 said: Ive got an i3 nuc (cant remember which one but its one of the new models) sat on my desk and I cant hear a thing from it. Got an older one downstairs that streams to the TV and you can hear the fan if youre about a metre from it and theres no other sound in the room but that's it. Thanks to all for your input. I'm currently using a laptop, Pentium quadcore, 8 gb ram and 1 tb hdd and never hear the fan. Just curious why the minis have more issues with the fans? The reason I'm considering the change is to accomodate roon (the real reason) and aesthetics (my sales pitch). I trialed fidelizer, but only the consumer level as the computer has multiple duties. Thought some positives, particularly detail, some negatives, soundstage and bass. Not the best ears and tinnitus to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerly Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 There are lots of silent mini PCs on the market - just take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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