Notebook that can be temporarily silenced?

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murian · #1 Post by **murian** » Wed May 18, 2011 8:28 pm

Can you guys recommend me a thinkpad that can be reliably, even if temporarily, silenced (older or newer system, the cheaper, the better). I'm looking to buy a machine which could be silenced so I could make critical voice recordings with it using an external soundcard and microphone.

It has to have ExpressCard/34. I saw threads about TPFan control, but it has been impossible for me to draw a conclusion whether that program really works. If it does on which models? Does it work with newer Windows 7 models?

I'm not a gamer so, strong graphics cards are not a priority for me.

To sum it up, I just want a silent laptop with ExpressCard/34 that can be reliably silenced to be used for voice recording.

Thanks for any advice!

Q-Ball · #2 Post by **Q-Ball** » Wed May 18, 2011 10:41 pm

Hmm... I'm thinking you're going to want to buy a slate PC (no fans at all) if you need absolute silence. On the other hand, finding a slate PC like that with an ExpressCard slot is a tall order, so...

Most ThinkPad fans are very quiet anyways- on the T510, for example, it's not really audible unless you're running it at full power, plugged in.

For example (might be a bit unrelated), you don't hear it at all during a Skype conversation or normal use (web browsing, taking notes, programming). Keyboard's almost always louder than the fan is.

To be honest, ThinkPads don't generally need to sound like jet engines and the newer ones don't have the problem with the fan spinning up to 100% every 5 seconds just to slow down to 0% after. They don't usually give off high-pitched whining noises.
Just make sure that the seller tests for those conditions.
Models older than the T61 can have this problem (CPU whine can get the newer ones), but it's easily fixed with TPFanControl (why that software was written, in fact)- it does work, by the way, for any Windows OS you happen to have on there.

By the way- the older models that have ExpressCard slots (remember that ExpressCard/54 slots fit /34 cards) are the:

R51e and newer (not standard R51)
T43 and newer
X200 and newer (but not X30x or X1x0 series)
Z60m and Z61m (the Z61t might also have it, check before you buy. Also, the other Z models don't have ExpressCard)

If you're buying one used, I'd suggest looking at the Marketplace section of the forum. (If that fails, there's always eBay.)

The only thing to do for silence on these machines is to not have a DVD in the drive and to keep the machine at idle when recording. SNR ratios on your microphone and sound setup should do the rest.

sanjuro · #3 Post by **sanjuro** » Thu May 19, 2011 12:56 am

As Q-Ball stated, most thinkpads are pretty quiet. Fan noise would depend on the quality of the fan and the ventilation designs of the chasis. That said, most LV or ULV CPU would be quieter since they produce less heat.

I would try X200s since that uses the last core 2 duo LV CPU before i7/i5. X201s has the same chasis and battery as X200s but the battery hold time decreased somewhat presumably due to greater heat production from i7/i5-based motherboard.

To avoid spinning noise from HD (avoid 7200 RPM), may be get a SSD as well, which would help with write-speed.

Notebookreview finds x200s to be even quieter than previous models:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4718

murian · #4 Post by **murian** » Thu May 19, 2011 9:34 am

Some good suggestions already. Thanks guys.

@Q-Ball: The T510 looks good. It tends to be a bit expensive... You say TPFancontrol can work on pretty much all models? Even the newest ones?

@Sanjuro: LV or ULV CPUs are certainly interesting. It has the "owl" fan design, and I saw that the x200 has the expresscard. However I wouldn't go for a display smaller than 14 inch. Any other suggestions?

Thank you,
Iulian

sanjuro · #5 Post by **sanjuro** » Thu May 19, 2011 6:20 pm

murian wrote: @Sanjuro: LV or ULV CPUs are certainly interesting. It has the "owl" fan design, and I saw that the x200 has the expresscard. However I wouldn't go for a display smaller than 14 inch. Any other suggestions?

Thank you,
Iulian

You can try T400s since that accepts expresscard/34 and uses much of same technology for X30x. But T400s may not be quiet as X200s or X30x since the regular voltage CPU in T400x generates more heat.

comps · #6 Post by **comps** » Fri May 20, 2011 10:15 am

All the common sources of noises can be easily silenced, but what is hard to silence is C2D (and probably others) CPU whining noise (high-pitch). That said, "critical" voice recordings should be done in an isolated room without electrical devices anyway.

hunterman223 · #7 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat May 21, 2011 10:26 am

I almost never hear the fan on my T400, only if I mute the volume with a game running. You could always just lock the CPU to a low frequency using power manger, which would mean less power and heat at the sacrifice of some performance. A T500 would also be a good option, it is more powerful T400 and is just as quiet. Forum member underclocker had a nicely spec-ed mint condition T500 available at a good price. You should definitely send him a PM, that would be a great system for you.

murian · #8 Post by **murian** » Sat May 21, 2011 10:53 am

comps wrote:All the common sources of noises can be easily silenced, but what is hard to silence is C2D (and probably others) CPU whining noise (high-pitch). That said, "critical" voice recordings should be done in an isolated room without electrical devices anyway.

Would the potential CPU whine be avoided with an i3, i5 processor? That means 410, 510 series and above?

You're right about the treated room. At my studio I have an insulated recording booth and there are no issues whatsoever. Now I'm planning to buy a notebook which I can use on the road, with a mic that rejects as much as possible from the room sound and an external soundcard. By critical I mean voiceover work. I could buy a portable recorder that has SPDIF in, but that would mean more money spent and increasing the bulk of my luggage. The laptop I'm carrying it with me anyway, that's why I would just like to use the notebook.

murian · #9 Post by **murian** » Sat May 21, 2011 11:08 am

I was also looking at a Thinkpad L512 as a less expensive alternative for a new machine. It's also greener

. Now according to Notebookcheck, this is one of the most silent notebooks on the market. See link:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 144.0.html

My question is: If need be, can I use TPFanControl or some underclocking software on an L512? I've read somewhere that the bios of the L and SL series is not the same as the T series? Any experiences on this? I didn't want to post this in the L series section of the forum as I would have lost the whole context of the discussion.

murian · #10 Post by **murian** » Sat May 21, 2011 11:11 am

hunterman223 wrote:I almost never hear the fan on my T400, only if I mute the volume with a game running. You could always just lock the CPU to a low frequency using power manger, which would mean less power and heat at the sacrifice of some performance. A T500 would also be a good option, it is more powerful T400 and is just as quiet. Forum member underclocker had a nicely spec-ed mint condition T500 available at a good price. You should definitely send him a PM, that would be a great system for you.

Thanks for your suggestion. Do you notice and CPU whine on your machine? If I make up my mind I would definitely contact underclocker.

hunterman223 · #11 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat May 21, 2011 1:30 pm

No CPU whine can be heard at all. If you do end up getting it I recommend that you undervolt the CPU. There is an excellent guide over at NotebookReview. Basically you lower the voltage, resulting in significantly lower temperatures, less fan noise, and slightly more battery life.

I was actually about to purchase the T500 a month or so ago, but I decided on the T400 which I have now. Like I said, it has excellent specs and he says it has been on for less than 10hrs. (lenovo certified refurb)

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

comps · #12 Post by **comps** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:19 pm

The noisiest part I noticed, when using my T500 in a quiet room, was HDD (5400rpm). It's pretty quiet and shouldn't disturb any recording as long as the microphone is about 1-2 meters away from the laptop. This problem can of course be "fixed" by using an SSD drive.

The fan runs at ~1900rpm during normal operation, sometimes stopping completely (in a cold room). In any case - I can only tell that based on the ACPI sensor, as I'm completely unable to hear the fan during normal workflow (ie. no intensive CPU operations, intel GPU activated). So don't worry about the fan.

The most disturbing noises are made by the AC adapter when I dim the screen anywhere below the maximum brightness (and on other occasions as well).

hunterman223 · #13 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat May 21, 2011 4:23 pm

Yes, the HDD. I forgot that one. As you can see, I have a 7200rpm drive, and it is definitely audible in a quiet room. I believe underclocker's T500 has a 160GB/7200 drive. I would also recommend getting a small SSD for the OS boot drive, and putting the HDD in the UltraBay via an adapter, such as this. (FRU# 43N3412)

The fan on the T400 (most likely similar) is almost always silent, except when under heavy load, and even then it is pretty silent for how efficient it is. You will not notice the AC adapter either, as the cord will allow you to place it several feet away. (I haven't noticed it until now as it is under my desk)
Here is an SSD that would probably be perfect. Like I said, when you aren't recording you can pop in the UltraBay adapter with the main hard drive for more storage.

murian · #14 Post by **murian** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:45 am

Hello guys,

Just a quick update. I ended up buying a T400. I bought it in Europe, a bit less expensive as there were no taxes to be paid. I am happy with it. I did however heard the famous CPU whine several times. I don't think that can be controlled. It doesn't happen very often, luckily. The machine is pretty silent. I can't replicate the AC adapter noise. The hard disk is quite discreet, too (it's 250 GB at 5400 rpm). Thanks for all your suggestions. They were helpful.

Thanks hunterman for your advice and link for the ultrabay adapter. I think i will act on your advice and will also try to undervolt if the CPU whine becomes audible.

Colonel O'Neill · #15 Post by **Colonel O'Neill** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:06 am

I have a P8700, and it almost never whines (it does it for a second or so at boot occasionally). The Fujitsu 250GB 5400RPM drive I had in my T400 stock was indeed really quiet. Sequential reads on it were equal to the 320GB Scorpio Black.

FragrantHead · #16 Post by **FragrantHead** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:16 am

I seem to be too late to the party. Would have suggested an SD-card recorder, such as the Roland R-05 (or Edirol R-09 etc. etc.):

http://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_r_05.htm

#17 Post by **lead_org** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:20 am

from experience the T400s, R400 and X200s are all very quite, the fan rarely kicks on and even it does they don't make a huge noise. You probably would get more background noise from the spinning hdd platter than the fan in these aforementioned machines.

murian · #18 Post by **murian** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:19 pm

Thanks for the recorder idea. I've considered it. But it means more money and more weight on the road. I think the T400 will do the trick. The only week point is the whine. I will record it one of these days so you can hear it.

Actually now I'm looking for an extra battery, the longest autonomy possible (9 cell I assume) and a good SSD, 128 or 256 Gigs. Any recommendations?

Thanks.

LegendaryKA8 · #19 Post by **LegendaryKA8** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:38 am

If you're looking for the longest possible battery life, that would be the 9-cell battery teamed up with the optional Ultrabay second battery which would fit where the optical drive is. I can't comment on how long the 9-cell will run, but before I sold it to a friend my T400 with slightly degraded(70% or so life left, maybe?) battery would last between 5-6 hours. My estimate would be between 9-10 hours with a new 9-cell and the Ultrabay battery, with LED display and SSD. However, keep in mind that due to how the ThinkPad will cycle through batteries that the Ultrabay battery will take the brunt of the abuse as it's fully discharged before cycling to the main battery; used like that they don't last very long at all.

As far as an SSD, I really enjoy the Intel X25-M I have in my G73. It's a 160GB unit and while the G2 model is a bit expensive it's fast and reliable. I also have a Toshiba 256GB drive I use in my ThinkPads, although this is a Lenovo 1.8" SSD and even used is very expensive; I only have this as I bought it from someone who was practically giving them away. However, when using it in my T500 I have noticed it's completely silent; the fan hardly comes on during general use... and if it does it's barely audible. My X200, unfortunately, is noisier.