[Mark N]

I've looked through a lot of quietening methods for the quicksilvers. I've done a few. I haven't yet replaced the fans. Most all the articles are a few years. What I'd like is a quiet Quicksilver. I'd like to keep it in the QS case. I'd consider just selling, but it's still a good machine, and probably worth more than I could get out of it. So I'm open to ideas.

[powertrippin]

...heh.

Seriously though, cutting the fan guards off hte back of the machine should quiet it down a LOT. I'll do that when I revamp my case this summer. Also look forward to the coolest modded quicksilver case ever.

[DrBoar]

www.g4noise.com have a lot on different mods on G4s. The first step is to figure out it is the big case fan or the powersupply fans that are the main offenders. Then there are many good fans from Nexus, Panflo, Adda (panasonic) and Pabst.


The Apple fan has to be made for a worst case scenario that is a hot room and the case crammed full with disks and stuff. If you do not have that you can manage with far quiter fans.

[duncan_jaques]

I've got a dual 1GHz QS 2002, and it's deafening.
I've removed the metal fan grille from the PSU, leaving just the plastic one on the case, and swapped the fan for a Thermaltake unit (only thing I could find with similar airflow and bearable noise).
I've removed the perforated area behind the 120mm case fan, leaving a clear hole to the space between the metal and plastic walls of the machine, and changed the fan for a 21db Thermaltake unit (with blue LEDs - very pretty).
I've lined the entire thing with sound-absorbing foam.
I've removed the screws from the damned noisy 60mm CPU fan.
I've experimented with running some of the fans at 7V instead of 12. The PSU seems happy on 7V, but I'd like to check the operating temperature to be sure.
It's still deafening.
I think the Quicksilver and MDD cases are poorly layed out. Apple should have redesigned them when the original QS came out - they're fine for all the old G3s and 4s with passive CPU heatsinks and low wattage PSUs, but the case can't cope with the heat of a fast dual G4 queitly. The problem with replacing fans is that you almost always lose airflow if you reduce noise levels. The very nature of fans means that there is a finite limit to noise reduction through design - the rest is down to the speed of the fan, and consequently the amount of air it shifts.
I do a lot of audio work, and I also intend to take my mac gigging, so I'm currently in the process of moving the innards into a 4U ATX aluminium rack case. That way I get to use 2 80mm fans for the CPU, meaning I can run them at next to nothing and still get the same airflow, and I still have a 120mm exhaust. I'm also considering running the PSU fan backwards to draw cool air in to the unit, and possibly running a duct from the back of it to the side of the case to get the nasty hot air out.
I will be mounting my RAID array of IBM Deathstars inside acoustic isolatiion boxes in the spare 5.25" drive bays ro further reduce noise. My boot disc is a Seagate Barracuda, which is quiet anyway. :¬)
I stripped the beige paint off the rack case, so it looks really industrial now (still not as pretty as a G4 case, but noise is more important to me now - do what you will), and a bit more like the current G5s.
I'll be using a temperature-sensitive fan controller to monitor the current CPU and PSU heatsinks, as well as case/hdd temperature, so I'll hopefully be able to match the airflow and temps in the new case, but with less noise.
Sorry for the essay!
I'll let you know how I get on!

[Link]

You can always stick your g4 in a G5 case as well,

http://www.mlode.com/~stuka/g45/

[Lateralus]

You can stick a QuickSilver in a lot of things, wouldn't call any of them a cooling modification though.

[Mark N]

Thanks for the suggestions. I bought a couple of SilentX fans for the CPU and Case fan. Now I can only hear the PSU fan. How hard is that to replace? I clipped the metal guard from the fan, but I didn't try removing the fan.