Maximum PC

I own an HP XW8000 which has 2 x 3ghz xeons, 3gb RAM, and a 1TB 7200rpm internal drive for the system and apps + a USB DROBO for storage. However the noise generated by this pc is extremely loud - I'm guessing ~ 60dB but I'll have to meter it to find out for certain. I discovered that the case fan is a 120mm one so I've ordered a replacement NOCTUA NF-P12-1300 which maxes out at 1300 RPM / 54.32CFM / 19,8 dB(A). However, as long as I'm modding this pc, do y'all have any recommendations for replacing the stock HP CPU fans? I intend to use this pc for audio recording and currently it has been so loud that I can hear the pc another room away, over the sound of my apartment's forced-air heating.

Corsair's line of simple integrated watercooling blocks are very quiet and do a fantastic job of cooling your CPU. I have an H50 with two fans and I can't hear it running when I'm sitting next to my PC. A single fan is all you need for a stock (non-overclocked) PC ... and apparently the newer H70 is even more efficient with a single fan.

I tried to look up specs on that machine, but couldn't get anything worthwile. What does it have for GPU and cooling method on that? I have experienced a significant amount of noise (higher or lower) depending on the GPU and it's cooling method.

the cpu is a 604 series Xeon with stock hp heat sink and fans. i'm not looking to overclock and water cooling is a little more $$$ than i'd want to spend.

specs are here
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quic ... ifications

The H50 is around $50.

I'd second Jipstyle's recommendation of the Corsair premade water systems. In the same price range as a decent air setup, and as easy (if not easier than some) to set up. It also reduces noise by moving the CPU cooling fan into the same place as a case fan (killing two birds with one stone), and in most cases reducing the total number of fans in your system.



Get your CPU cooling sorted out first, but I'm still guessing that a decent amount of noise is coming from the graphics cooler. The workstation market isn't the same as the gamer's desktop market, so these are likely basic reference cooling designs. Nothing like the big heat-piped coolers you'll see on some gamer cards. Basic OEM coolers tend to create a lot of turbulence and other resistances to airflow that increases the noise from the graphics card.

If your efforts with the case fans and/or CPU don't get the results you're looking for, Something like this Zalman VGA cooler for $30 might help. Unfortunately, you would likely also need some passive HS for the RAM/VRM as well, which may cost as much as $20 more.