[Shiunbird]

Hi everyone,

As I go through writing my code and studying, I find often in old documentation performance optimisation tips for Indigos and Indys.
How loud are they? I avoid keeping my Octane on for any longer than I need just because it is extremely loud.

The idea:
- having a machine I can use more often without earplugs.
- a machine I can experiment more with, software-wise (my Octane is fully loaded and I'd have no way to restore what's installed there)
- a low-end system to test my game.

Depending on the answer, I will post a WTB thread in the marketplace.

[Irinikus]

An Indy is as loud as the SCSI drive you fit into it. If you had to fit an SCSI2SD adapter, it would be very close to completely silent.

[weblacky]

Second that. I’m dealing with Indys right now and the hard drives usually covers every other noise. When I test Indy power supplies on the bench their fan revs to 100% but I still don’t find that to be a problematic sound. Most old SCSI drive sound like jet engines.

If you can find a quiet solution whether that’s a more modern drive or a solid state one you’ll be happy. I would say that the Indy tends to be louder than most O2s I’ve encountered.

[Raion]

The Indy or Indigo2 are quieter for sure but they're more delicate usually and I would not use them for compilation. It's been possible for years to replace fans and thus reduce Octane noise, just make sure you use fans with very high static pressure ratings (not CFM!, Not the same) because otherwise risks overheating.

[lunatic]

I can definitely recommend replacing the power supply fans in the Indy/Indigo2 machines. Just make sure you get a replacement with a similar airflow. It's a huge improvement.

[weblacky]

I can definitely recommend replacing the power supply fans in the Indy/Indigo2 machines. Just make sure you get a replacement with a similar airflow. It's a huge improvement.

I was led to believe it was always the small CPU fan that was the noisy one and totally not findable. I’ve never heard of someone replacing the power supply fan. What model are you recommending?

[lunatic]

the power supply fan and case fan are pretty standard. I shopped a few fans on eBay. Just check the specifications of the original and get a proper replacement that is the same size and has the same airflow. A few years ago, I had this urge to tinker with fans and bought a couple of fans to replace the fans in Indy, Indigo2, and even some VAX and DECstations. Turns out it was the same type of fan everywhere. Now, I only have one MIPS SGI left, an Indigo. It is again the same type of fan, but the power supply is somewhat less easy to open and so far I never replaced this one, because the original fan is still rather fine in this machine.

I just checked my email archive and I got a couple of "Noiseblocker" 80 x 80 x 15mm fans rated at 18dB each. I guess you could get whatever is available and suits your needs. It's a standard part.
If the CPU fan bothers you, check that one and see if you can replace it. I once picked up a Sun Ultra 1 in really bad shape and I replaced all the fans including the small CPU fan. It is really quite now.

[Shiunbird]

I'm building very, very, very single purpose and small code. Nothing that I do will take more than 15 seconds to build on my single CPU 400 MHz Octane.

The problem is more making the machine more bearable for extended use. I'm not too keen into playing around with my Octane, as it is so far the only SGI I've got, therefore my production machine. I already have things there that I'd hate losing access to and I'm not that skilled.

Raion, unless you can point me to the way of making my Octane quieter... then maybe I'd consider that.

Everyone here knows the drill... new machines are so unsatisfying to use and I more and more appreciate what I get from my legacy machines - but they grow more and more fragile over time.

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In any case, I think I'll try to go the SCSI2SD + Indy/Indigo way. If the machine is not my main machine, I will feel more comfortable in replacing the fans and make it more of a daily driver.

[weblacky]

Well, SGI's solution was to move the station farther away from the user...hence the extra long peripheral cords for like Onyx and such.

[Raion]

There's a thread in the hardware section.

Among the modifications was to remove the middle grade covering the power supply fan which just leaves the shield in place and that reduced noise.

Additionally you can reduce some of the shrillness of the front plane by cutting the metal grate on the front.

Beyond that you need a replacement fan to make any difference. Nobody has really found a decent power supply fan because it's a wide diameter and you need a high static pressure because it's the only fan that cools the peripherals.

The front plane fan is difficult to get in the same form factor. The drive cage fan is probably reasonably flexible enough to take a noctua or something.

I don't know any of the pinouts you're going to have to create a thread asking or improvise.

Beyond that let me explain why the Indy doesn't get good cooling. Of the two power supplies only one of them actually cools sufficiently, the n i d e c. The one by Sony does not kick on its fan until it's well and truly overheating. This is why when I have Weblacky do me up a replacement I'm going to request that he modify the circuit.

Other than the power supply fan there is no cooling in the system. The processor isn't the major concern it's the graphics card and i SCSI disk. You can probably add cooling to the unit following the guidelines that high-end servers use and probably set up some baffles and fans but by that point you're going to have a bit of a monstrosity. There's also no easy place to connect for power other than the molex connector which probably is going to get exceeded if you have a particularly power-hungry disk.

The indigo 2 is less of a concern because it has more fans to it and a much better design. It can still get pretty noisy and they are incredibly freaking fragile.