When the bark is louder than the bite
Dealing with mini-PC noise pollution.
“Due to their smaller dimensions, the amount of cooling air within the case is much more limited than a standard PC.”
If you’re building a miniature PC, there’s a good chance that it’s going to be living in your family room or home theatre. As such, you expect it to be a well-behaved little box, just like your Blu-ray player, gaming console or set-top box. Unfortunately, there’s one issue with mini-PCs that can be annoying if not addressed — fan noise.
Due to their smaller dimensions, the amount of cooling air within the case is much more limited than a standard PC. This means there’s less air around for your motherboard, video card and CPU’s heatsink to disperse heat into, which can lead these components to running hotter than usual. As a result, the fans on these coolers have to spin up to higher speeds, which can lead to the annoying buzz factor, where the humming of several fans makes your PC sound like a hairdryer. Not exactly wanted when watching a movie during a silent, suspenseful scene.
This is why we don’t suggest a mini-PC if you’re looking at overclocking, as this increases running temperatures right off the bat. It’s also why we recommend buying components that are designed to keep noise levels down. In cases, this is usually in the form of sound-insulation on the panels, as well as low-noise fans. As for components, you can find CPU heatsinks that are specially designed to be quiet while remaining small enough for mini-PCs, and video cards that have quieter coolers than the rest. Sure, these components may cost a little more, but the saying “Silence is golden” exists for a reason...