wojtek@tensor.3miasto.net (Wojciech Puchar) writes:
> anyway VIA-only machine doesn't look nice.
> 
> nice X terminal from used 486 will be nicer thing to use. after removing
> disk adding network etc. it doesn't make much heat, so just change main
> fan to 7V instead of 12V (connect it to 12 and 5V)

After going through the exercise of making my Athlon machine
ultra-quiet I can impart a few tidbits.

1) get a really quiet disk.  The Seagate Barracuda IV 80gigs are
   quieter than any of the already quiet laptop disks I have in the
   other machines.

2) get quiet case fans.  The Panaflo FBA08A12L1A are a touch noisier
   than the disk, but not much and the noise is mostly air-noise and
   not the annoying motor-squeal that many other fans have.  The
   airflow in my computer case is quiet respectable.

3) get a high-flow case.  The bigger the entrance and exit holes the
   slower the fans can turn and still get the same amount of air
   exchange.  I really like my Antec 1040.  (The OEM name for that
   case is Cheiftec Dragon.)

4) the cpu fan needs to be replaced with something quiet.  I put a
   normal 80mm case fan on a 80mm to 60mm adaptor and used that
   instead of the AMD OEM fan on the Athlon.  This allowed me to
   substitute a slower turning fan for the high-speed whiner that AMD
   gives you with the boxed Athlons.  Warning: Newer Athons put out up
   to 80 watts.  Mine was being an older model (1.1Ghz) only puts out
   40 watts.  You may need to get a much larger heatsink before you
   can put a slower/quieter fan on it.

5) a stethoscope (or 3ft section of garden hose!) will do wonders at
   finding the exact source of noise.  If you've never done it, it
   sounds silly as all hell, but try it.  You'll be able to tell
   exactly which rotating item is responsible for each part of the
   cacophony you hear coming from the case.

-wolfgang
-- 
Wolfgang S. Rupprecht 		     http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/