The most important step in creating a quiet PC is without a doubt installing a silent CPU cooler.

By far the loudest component in most PC's is the CPU fan. With higher and higher clock speeds comes the need for larger coolers, and fans that move more and more air.

The main problem with most OEM CPU coolers is this: They are designed with two things in mind: size and performance. This means that they have to be small, so they can be accommodated in the majority of users' PC cases. They also have to perform well at the same time.

The only real solution for this is to use a small fan, usually no more than 60 or 70mm in diameter. Unfortunately, the smaller a fan is, the faster it has to spin to move enough air. The faster it spins the louder it gets.

That's the problem, so what's the solution? There are a few options available, depending on your needs and goals in building a silent PC. We'll cover them separately.

Silent CPU Coolers

The quietest option is to use an entirely fanless CPU Cooler. If you're going for a completely noiseless PC, this is the best route for you.

How does this work? Well, as I said above, OEM designers have to design with size in mind. They don't have to consider those of use who want quiet PC's, and will do what it takes to build a quiet PC. Therefore, Silent PC users have to forego the size consideration, and go with a HUGE cooler, sometimes with no fan at all. Something like this:

The solution for ALL CPUs

In the last update, I recommended the CNPS7700 Cu (the big round horizontal style). Well since then, Zalman has introduced a new line of CPU coolers with a totally new design. With the 7xxx series, Zalman quickly found that they were running out of horizontal space to work with - they couldn't make a cooler that is wider than the motherboard! Their solution to this was to simply flip it over vertically. The result is the 9xxx series, and the latest, greatest model - the CNPS9700-LED. This is actually what I am using right this moment, on my Core 2 Quad Q9550.

The specs on this are astounding - with 55 meters of pure copper dissipation area, the CNPS9700 can easily handle any CPU you install it on while maintaining silent operation with the huge 120mm fan spinning at just 1250 RPM. The fan speed can be adjusted manually with the included FanMate 2, or you can get the CNPS9700-NT version which uses the CPU's PWM controller to adjust fan speed - aside from this and the color, these coolers are identical,so I suggest saving some money, and use the Cu version and keep the fan running at its lowest speed.

And best of all - it installs over absolutely every CPU out there today. Socket 775, 468, 939, 754. Socket A is also supported. If you have a CPU and want to cool it quietly, this is THE cooler to do it. Even the hottest, fastest quad core CPUs from Intel and AMD will be handled easily by the 9700.

Got a slim enclosure? Worried about weight?

If your case simply isn't big enough to hold the behemoth above, you could look at the new Zalman CNPS8000. You'll save a bit of money, but more importantly if you don't have much room in your system, the CNPS8000 is specifically designed for smaller enclosures. At just 62.5mm tall and 108mm wide, you should have no problems getting this to work. And when it comes to modern CPUs like Core 2 Quad and Phenom, it will have absolutely no problem cooling them silently. The ultra quiet 92mm fan spins at just 1400 RPM, generating 18 dBA, which should be undetectible to human ears.

This is going to be a short section, since nobody else really focuses on silent CPU coolers anymore as seriously as Zalman. As you'll discover after reading this site for a while, Zalman is a pioneer in many areas when it comes to Silent PC cooling, and I'll be talking about them a lot.

On a budget?

If you are tight for space, and can't fit one of the above coolers, you should look at the CNPS7000B-Cu. It's big, but small enough that it should fit in the vast majority of applications. It weighs 438g, and the smaller fan spins at 1350-2600 RPM. It's not as quiet as the other solutions on this page, but makes up for it in size, compatibility, and price (you should be able to get one for under $25)

I wouldn't recommend strapping one of these to a smoking hot Prescott though.

Quiet Watercooling

Another successful method to attain near silence is to use a quiet watercooling system. There are products out there designed to be almost as easy to set up as a standard cooler. In fact, our recommended cooling system from Thermaltake sits entirely in your case, taking up a few drive bays.

With a very quiet pump that operates at under 16 dBA, and a 120mm fan that spins at just 800 RPM, you will barely hear a thing. The best part is, everything is expandable, so you can add waterblocks for the northbridge and video card, and cool everything with one unit. By default, it only comes with a CPU waterblock though (which may actually be enough if you read the rest of this guide).

Despite the fact that this is an all-in-one unit, it has many robust features including a flow indicator, a transparent reservoir with a water level sensor, and a built-in ESA device that works with software so you can keep an eye on water temperature, water level, pump status, fan RPM, etc.

Now that we have the CPU taken care of, let's cover the video card. Believe it or not, these can be among the loudest components of all in your PC, after your CPU!

Next Page: Silent Video Card Coolers