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Noise. The bane of many people’s office-life and the blight of managers looking to increase productivity. Studies have shown that noise can not only reduce productivity, but also increase stress – not to mention the fact that it is annoying, something we don’t need a study to verify. In many business situations (radio stations, TV/music studios, etc…), the working environment demands silence. Such cases often force individuals and business to stow their noisy computer systems away in cabinets, closets, etc – an awkward situation indeed.

Apple has done wonders for noise reduction with their iMac, G3 and G4 systems which run very quietly. The G4 Cube, in fact, makes no fan noise whatsoever (because it has no fans!). Unfortunately the PC community is a few years behind in this respect, although there are a few companies that are making some headway. The German based SP, which was formed in 1979, is one such company that has developed what they call the Silent-PC.

The "Silent-PC", which is distributed by SP North America based in Ann Arbor, MI., is a chassis / motherboard combo designed to not only run quieter, but also to reduce the amount of electromagnetic interference that enters and exits the system. This high standard for EMI increases system stability and reduces the likelihood of the computer interfering with other equipment operating around it (radio frequency hum and other quirky problems). Both the case and the motherboard play important roles in the success of the Silent-PCs operation – roles we will look at more closely in the following sections.

The Case

Front & Rear Shots of the Case

The SilentPC uses a modified version of SP's Pro S model chassis. This is a mid-tower case that has been adapted to reduce system noise and EMI interference and it also sports some interesting usability and security enhancements. The power supply fan was specially designed to reduce noise by using a unique fan blade as well as high quality ball-bearing components. This fan-speed is also controlled by the motherboard. The sides and bottom of the case are lined with noise absorption pads and attached to the rear hard-drive cage is a rubber-esque vibration absorption pads.

The Pro S is a sturdy case. The side panels fit very tightly against the main chassis and require a fair deal of force to remove them. Thankfully the panels only need to slide a few centimeters before they pop-off (i.e. they don't have to be slid the full length of the case). The side panels also have latches which lock them in place at the back of the case.