Making a server computer quieter

[sarcasticphoenix]

Hello, I have been trying to make this server computer I bought for cheap quieet enough so I can withstand the noise coming from it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140696037376?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1013wt_1272
I have followed many peoples' tips, and I have:
- Replaced the loud fans with quieter ones
- Cleaned the fans that I will keep using
The server has gotten MUCH quieter, but not quiet enough yet.
I decided to tweak the second CPU heat sink.
Here is the current layout;

I have already exchanged the fans for quieter ones.
The two tiny fans are the most loud fans in the entire computer.
However, what if I did this (and I removed one of the smaller fans):

The large fan sends more air, and it is quieter.
Do you think that is a good idea?
Also, if I decide to do that, will I have to make the fan float above the heat sink, or will the fan not melt if placed directly on the heat sink?

[Geek-9pm]

...
The large fan sends more air, and it is quieter.
Do you think that is a good idea?
Also, if I decide to do that, will I have to make the fan float above the heat sink, or will the fan not melt if placed directly on the heat sink?

The fan is made of tough stuff.
It can withstand will over 100º C and sill work.
Still, noise is less if it does not touch.

[sarcasticphoenix]

Okay, I will first see how much noise the fan makes directly on the heat sink, then I will probably make it float.

[patio]

How will you make it float ? ?

Generally the more you onvest in fans the quiter they are...

[sarcasticphoenix]

I put in "rubber pads" where the screws are supposed to go in the fan and I placed it on the heat sink, barely any noise at all.
Currently trying to get Windows Server installed.
I am met with more problems:

 - My server cannot get the Windows Aero Glass effect due to it not having its specific graphics driver.
   I looked for hours trying to find a graphics driver, no luck. Will someone tell me a driver I could install into it?

 - The tiny fan in the power supply is making me go deaf. I looked at some power supplies... but it is pretty confusing.
   I don't care much about the looks, hence the fan on the heat sink won't let my server close anymore.
   Will someone give me a good suggestion for a quieter power supply that is under $350?
   Here is the one currently being used:
   http://www.ebay.com/itm/RACKABLE-SYSTEMS-450W-2U-1U-POWER-SUPPLY-3F27-45-1-/380452384850?pt=US_Server_Power_Supplies&hash=item5894bab052

[patio]

I was under the impression that Aero was not included in Windows Server Edition...but i've been wrong a bunch lately ...

[sarcasticphoenix]

Never mind about Aero, I used the UX theme patcher and installed Aero themes.
Now all I have to do is find a power supply that doesn't have a 10 billion RPM tiny fan inside that is made to make people go deaf.

[sarcasticphoenix]

I am in desperate need of help.
The fan in the power supply is causing way too much noise, so I decided to buy myself a new power supply.
Here is the current one being used:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380452384850+&item=380452384850&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466#ht_2815wt_1039
I found the same one on eBay.
I looked at the power supply, and this is what I can identify:
(As seen in the image of the auction listing:)
One of 24 pin connector
2 4-pin connectors
and...

...
one 8 pin connector.

I have looked over the internet, not many supplies have the "8-pin" connector.

This is the closest I have found:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=253

I want to buy the new power supply as fast as possible, so...
Is that power supply compatible with my server?

EDIT:
The one has "Single PCI-E 8pin and dual PCI-E 6pin connectors support", will it work?

[Geek-9pm]

Here is a good reference for this kind of thing.
http://www.quietpc.com/download/hp_white_paper.pdf

There are ways to reduce fan noise. The PSU fan is held to the case by screws. If you can 'float' the PSU fan, the noise level goes down. Also, you can place soft  material behind the fan, outside the case, but leaving air flow, and that  reduces the noise bouncing off the wall.

[sarcasticphoenix]

Ok, thank you for the information.
However, will the power supply be compatible?

[Geek-9pm]

That PSU is made to work on almost anything. It has all the most used connectors. Check the physical dimensions.

[sarcasticphoenix]

Ok, I do not care wether it fits inside the server or not, I just wanted to know if the connectors would connect, since I didn't see the "8-pin" connector on many other PSUs. 

[Geek-9pm]

Ok, I do not care wether it fits inside the server or not, I just wanted to know if the connectors would connect, since I didn't see the "8-pin" connector on many other PSUs.

6-pin Most modern computer power supplies include 6-pin connectors which are generally used for PCI Express graphics cards, but a newly introduced 8-pin connector should be seen on the latest model power supplies. Each PCI Express 6-pin connector can output a maximum of 75 W.
6+2 pin For the purpose of backwards compatibility, some connectors designed for use with high end PCI Express graphics cards feature this kind of pin configuration. It allows either a 6-pin card or an 8-pin card to be connected by using two separate connection modules wired into the same sheath: one with 6 pins and another with 2 pins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_unit_%28computer%29#Connectors

The PSU the OP choose is one great PSU with very low acoustical noise.  He won't have any problem with that unit. It does either 6 or 8 pin PCI express, if needed.

[immental1200]

Never mind about Aero, I used the UX theme patcher and installed Aero themes.
Now all I have to do is find a power supply that doesn't have a 10 billion RPM tiny fan inside that is made to make people go deaf.

Your not using a server as your main machine are you? (Aero.... don't see why you'd want it otherwise.)
It generally uses more power ... and the hardware is optimized for the wrong tasks, that and a whole host of applications won't install on a server OS...

[sarcasticphoenix]

No, I am not using a server for a main computer.
I am using the server as a server.
The only reason I installed Aero is because I did not want to be greeted by the low-quality Windows graphics from the 1990s whenever I go to fix it.

[DaveLembke]

I had a similar issue with noisy server many years ago. (My wife didnt like it in our bedroom running 24/7.) It was a Dual CPU Pentium II 333 Mhz. I got mine quiet by installing that massive motherboard into a full height tower with 3 of the 5.25" bays.

I did have to make a slight alteration to the case which was to cut with a dremel tool to remove about 2 inches of the tail end of 2 of the 3 - 5.25" bays which conflicted with installation of the massively large motherboard. (Cut metal out without board nearby since lots of metal dust. Then blew it out with compressed air outdoors and inspected for metal frags. When no metal frags found I was able to install that motherboard and run my NT4 Server quietly with just the 2 small cpu fans on the Slot 1 heatsinks, and 80mm muffin fan on back of case and fan in 350watt PSU that were quiet and kept everything cool.

Prior to that major swap it was installed in a loud server enclosure with fans like you mention that are like 25k rpms..LOL

Some motherboards can be swapped to full height towers while others can not, such as the 1U and 2U servers that are designed only for that case and have slim riser cards for extra single PCI slot etc would be a nightmare transferring guts to a full height tower. I got lucky with my PII 12 years ago. Also to mention I have also seen where some motherboards for servers have custom pinouts for PSU to main boards while others stick to the universal ATX type power connections.

You could always make a cabinet for this to mount into with 4 x 120mm fans ( 2 x 120mm inlet fans, and 2 x 120mm outlet muffin fans ) and have a 3" diameter hole for cables to all snake thru to it. I had to make one of these cabinets once for a auto service center which was killing their computer server about once every 6 months. They thought it was taking power spikes and paid another contractor to add power protection, but got frustrated and called me when they had bad luck with the other contractor. I opened up the case and saw brown brake dust and grime all over inside of motherboard. This caused the system to burn up by allowing for shorts. I made a cabinet and added 4 x 120mm muffin fans with air filters on intake side. Server is still running 2 years later and they just need to remove air filters and blow them out with compressed air every few weeks and reinstall them. Since then they spread word of my creativity and I got more work in addition to a happy customer with quarterly maintenance to their server and systems for security updates and proactive maintenance. So if you are good with carpentry and minor electrical connections and have a place to place a cabinet, this is a possibility to solve for noise issue without introducing other troubles by modifying the fans of the server. Most servers have tachs on their fans and if they are not spinning to correct speed the main board will shut itself down to protect itself. Seen that problem before with fan replacements with installing slower moving fans in place of original faster fans.

My fans in my custom cabinet were powered off of the servers PSU unit off of an available P-connector with 12V tap.

Good Luck on whichever path you chose to take... Many ways to quiet it down and run reliably!

[sarcasticphoenix]

I like the idea of moving the motherboard away of the tiny case. I might try after I get a bit more time.
I am guessing that because my server has hardware RAID, I will have to cut the drive bays out (which is essentially a huge chunk of metal) and smash it into a large case... or leave it outside. I guess I will look for a nice large case, so instead of having to shove in 40mm fans that go at 25000 RPM into a already-cramped 2U case, I could get a nice, large, 120mm fan that doesn't make any noise sitting right next to all the heat sinks.
But then again, to sufficiently cool the computer and to prevent warm air brewing inside the case, I might have to carve a few holes for a couple more case fans.
The server I have is pretty large... would it be wise to get something big as 4U and spaciously put everything in?

[patio]

Here Ya go...

                                 

[sarcasticphoenix]

Even though I highly doubt I could do such a thing in a regular home, I would rather have that than those 10 billion RPM fans.
Anyways, I decided to get myself the Graphics Driver for this server.
However, I am experiencing a couple of problems:

 -Some of their pages are corrupt
 -The Arima Corp NM64X motherboard is actually quite old... so I am having trouble with research.
 -Arima's main page is written ENTIRELY in Chinese, and Google Translate is not cooperating. No sign of any drivers.

If you want to see it:
http://www.arima.com.tw/

So... could anyone decode the Chinese or help me find the drivers?

[immental1200]

Even though I highly doubt I could do such a thing in a regular home, I would rather have that than those 10 billion RPM fans.
Anyways, I decided to get myself the Graphics Driver for this server.
However, I am experiencing a couple of problems:

 -Some of their pages are corrupt
 -The Arima Corp NM64X motherboard is actually quite old... so I am having trouble with research.
 -Arima's main page is written ENTIRELY in Chinese, and Google Translate is not cooperating. No sign of any drivers.

If you want to see it:
http://www.arima.com.tw/

So... could anyone decode the Chinese or help me find the drivers?

Your not really going to gain anything by updating graphics drivers on a server.
Plus with 16MB of video ram ... you'd be wasting your time anyway.

[sarcasticphoenix]

True, but I wonder if I could get a BIOS update.
Also, I bought the new power supply, testing it as soon as I get back home.

[immental1200]

True, but I wonder if I could get a BIOS update.
Also, I bought the new power supply, testing it as soon as I get back home.

BIOS updates shouldn't really be required unless its to fix a known fault ...
Personally it could just cause problems.

If it works... why 'fix it'.

[w0ls0n]

I am in desperate need of help.
The fan in the power supply is causing way too much noise, so I decided to buy myself a new power supply.
Here is the current one being used:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380452384850+&item=380452384850&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466#ht_2815wt_1039
I found the same one on eBay.
I looked at the power supply, and this is what I can identify:
(As seen in the image of the auction listing:)
One of 24 pin connector
2 4-pin connectors
and...

...
one 8 pin connector.

I have looked over the internet, not many supplies have the "8-pin" connector.

This is the closest I have found:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=253

I want to buy the new power supply as fast as possible, so...
Is that power supply compatible with my server?

EDIT:
The one has "Single PCI-E 8pin and dual PCI-E 6pin connectors support", will it work?

I am curious if you can tell me if this is the PSU you used and did it work?

Thank you.

Bill