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[Denti]

I’m sick of hearing the fan on the PC I’m currently using. It’s so darn loud. I’d like to build a PC that has the CPU and RAM to do 4xDSD and HQ Red October, but without a fan. Is this possible? I’d like not to have to spend too much, but I realize that may be wishful. Thoughts and recommendations?

[wer]

Yes, a fanless PC can be built.

You can also get very quiet fans, that cannot be heard more than a foot or two away and certainly can't be heard over whatever music or video you are hearing. There's a big difference between general purpose fans and specialist fans.

Call either of these companies and enquire.

https://silentpc.com/
https://www.pugetsystems.com/

You'll need align your budget with your priorities.

[Denti]

Well, it looks like I should start with new fans, since those PCs are out of my budget. Unfortunately my main fan is a power supply fan. Not easily replaced. Maybe I should just get a new power supply?

[Wheaten]

Looking at the system specs, these should also be able to do the trick:

http://global.shuttle.com/products/productsDetail?productId=2403

https://www.amazon.nl/HUNSN-Fanless-Desktop-Computer-Windows/dp/B08FZ3PPHC

Silent fans:
For the case: Fractal Design Silent Series
For the processor, you can opt for a water cooled version
Silent PSU:
https://www.custompcguide.net/10-most-quiet-power-supply-units-your-computer-will-love/

[Manfred]

There are fanless PSU's:
https://seasonic.com/prime-titanium-fanless

I use some Noctua fan's. They are not audible. If you put your ear on it, you hear the air flow.

[tdot]

I’m sick of hearing the fan on the PC I’m currently using. It’s so darn loud. I’d like to build a PC that has the CPU and RAM to do 4xDSD and HQ Red October, but without a fan. Is this possible? I’d like not to have to spend too much, but I realize that may be wishful. Thoughts and recommendations?

Do you have an old laptop sitting around doing nothing?  If you do, use it as a renderer, and do all the processing like upsampling on another machine in another room.  The renderer will never run hot and the fan will stay quiet. That is what I do.  I even got a used Amazon Fire HD 8 for $30 as my remote control running Panel. 

[wer]

Well, it looks like I should start with new fans, since those PCs are out of my budget. Unfortunately my main fan is a power supply fan. Not easily replaced. Maybe I should just get a new power supply?

Fanless power supplies are pretty expensive, considering all you get is a power supply.

If you want a simple turnkey solution that is not pricey, Zotac has some fanless mini PCs in their ZBOX line that are quite good.

https://www.zotac.com/dk/product/mini_pcs/zbox_c_series

[Denti]

Fanless power supplies are pretty expensive, considering all you get is a power supply.

I thought so too, but the SilverStone NJ450-SXL is less than $200, which ain’t bad at all. In my case, in seems like the CPU fan is the real culprit. I’ve ordered a new one that is supposed to be quiet and will go from there.

[Denti]

WOW! All I did was replace the CPU fan with a heat sink/fan combo that reviews said was very quiet and it’s like it’s dead silent! HUGE difference. I guess it was all that crappy Intel stock heat sink/fan. If fans can indeed be this quite, then I guess seeking fanless only is overkill. Alright, this changes everything. Now I’m saving up to build an HTPC that can output 4K and handle DSD 8x (over IES, if MoBo come with those these days). All while remaining relatively silent.

[wer]

Glad it worked out for you.  Like I said before, there's a big difference between ordinary fans and specialist fans.

The specialist fans can sometimes be several times the price of an ordinary fan, but you're talking maybe $20 instead of $5, so overall it's not a lot.  But it can be the difference between noisy and effectively silent.

Gelid, Scythe, and Noctua have some very quiet fans. Ones with fluid bearings seem to be best.  But look at the specs.  Good fan manufacturers will actually publish specs for airflow (CFM - cubic feet/minute) and noise (db).  I have mostly Gelid and Scythe, and I've found them to be very quiet and durable.