I am getting tired of loud laptops. Would like to purchase a quiet notebook (no mac stuff). What are some good offerings. I heard dell 700m, older t40/t41s are some good options.

Any advice?

6/3/2008 9:28:59 PM

Asus laptops are great....no hard drive just flash memory...yeah.

the eeepc

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 9:58 PM. Reason : c]

6/3/2008 9:58:17 PM

I hate loud laptops too. That's why I love my Mac.

6/3/2008 11:49:20 PM

suspend the laptop in oil while you're using it. the oil will keep it cooler so the fans don't have to work so hard, and also absorb any noise.

To be serious though- you could replace the harddrive with an SSD and you could, if you're comfortable with it, replace the fans with quieter ones off of a parts site like newegg. The second is cheaper and more effective, but someone who doesn't know what they're doing could destroy the laptop. Even someone who knew what they were doing could destroy it if they were careless.

[Edited on June 4, 2008 at 12:39 AM. Reason : ]

6/4/2008 12:37:09 AM

Have you cleaned out the heatsink blades with compressed air lately? Can't even hear my harddisk running, and the fan on the R40 almost never runs unless the vent slots are blocked by my bedsheets or the carpet. Even when it does, it's not ridiculous like my roommates' dell laptops. Sounds like a hair dryer on some of those things.

6/4/2008 12:41:52 AM

Yeah, the consumer line of dell's (inspiron 15.4" bricks are what I'm talking about mostly) seem to be built with the worlds most poorly polished ball bearings in their fans. I swear they get them made by Revolutionary War recreationists with extra time and musket-ball making skills.

I replaced the fans in mine myself and now the loudest component to my setup is my cheap-ass external hard drive (which is drying.) Time to get a Seagate and a decent enclosure.

6/4/2008 12:46:54 AM

can anyone suggest a specific model, aside maintenance. ive built systems for friends and family and really don't need advice on maintenance or creative ideas. just been out of loop on THG, anand and others for couple years. i know seagate makes quiet drives for desktops, but thats different ball game.

[Edited on June 4, 2008 at 1:36 AM. Reason : d]

6/4/2008 1:35:34 AM

why no mac stuff

i've never heard my macbook pro... ever

6/4/2008 6:31:00 AM

I've never heard my macbook.....

but look at those small laptops 7 inch'.

6/4/2008 7:25:54 AM

my hp dv2700 series is inaudible EXCEPT when i'm burning a cd/dvd or when i'm running folding (at 1500ppd, how could i not? )...even then, the fans on the proc are relatively quiet at full speed (it's propped up, too)

the hard drive is a 200gb 7200rpm seagate with perpendicular recording, and i never hear it (i put it in aftermarket)

[Edited on June 4, 2008 at 9:52 AM. Reason : .]

6/4/2008 9:51:22 AM

I bet I have the loudest laptop. It's an older dell 9100 when they still put Pentium 4's in them. Got a pentium 4 3.2 w/ HT and an ATI 9700 Pro. I can pick out the difference between the HD, the CPU fan, and the GPU fan.

6/4/2008 10:10:54 AM

Most new laptops are more often quiet than not. Just don't get a desktop replacement 17" behemoth. Stick with 14" eye squinting screen and under and you're pretty much guaranteed low noise with most modern laptops. The new $texas$ SSD drives will help. And crappy integrated graphics will most likely keep your fans at 0.5 CFMs.

6/4/2008 10:32:30 AM

my lenovo t61 is whisper quiet. unless its loading a CD (which it rarely is) you cant even hear the fan unless the space you are in is absolutely pure dead silence and even then its barely audible.

6/4/2008 11:38:03 AM

fuck a 14" screen

i rock a 12.1"

6/4/2008 12:03:54 PM

15.4" ftw for me. anything smaller I dont like looking at for long periods of time for some reason

6/4/2008 12:52:17 PM

12.1" is too small...14" is too big...13.3" is JUST RIGHT

6/4/2008 1:28:40 PM

^yeah for an ultraportable i'd love to have a 13.3".

My laptop is 15.4 at 1920 by 1200. So who else has a 15.4" at 1920 by 1200?

6/4/2008 1:33:39 PM

^ I do. Love it.

6/6/2008 2:11:50 PM

man my laptop has a 7" widescreen at 3840x2160 in 48-bit color.

6/7/2008 1:11:10 AM

I have a Dell Latitude D620. Quiet. Never heard it.

What processor does your machine have? If you get one with a core 2 duo, you won't have heat problems, no matter the brand/model

[Edited on June 7, 2008 at 9:39 AM. Reason : .]

6/7/2008 9:39:01 AM

yeah well show me a convertible tablet with a 13.3" screen

6/7/2008 12:45:21 PM

Quote :

"why no mac stuff i've never heard my macbook pro... ever"

6/7/2008 1:32:26 PM