The "Silent PC" is not only very quiet but is compact and unobtrusive as well. The silver LCD monitor matches the keyboard and the brushed aluminium case.

Back in October 2002, I wrote a letter to Mailbag about building a silent PC. What? A silent PC? Are you crazy? Look in any computer magazine and you will see "more power", "more GHz", "more fans", more noise!

Our computer lives in the living room where we can all share it without being unsociable. That's great but try watching a movie while a conventional PC is on and you'll soon tire of the constant whir from the cooling fans. Want proof as to just how much noise your PC makes? Just sit quietly with your PC for five minutes and then turn it off - the silence is deafening!

Yeah, maybe we should turn the PC off before watching a movie. But what if someone wants to use the Internet while the movie is on or use the computer for homework or to play games?

Alternatively, perhaps you have built an MP3 box. Doesn't the noise from the PC spoil the sound from your latest album? Or perhaps you want to add the PC to your home entertainment system so that you can watch DVD movies and listen to music.

Clearly, it's preferable to quieten down the PC so we can live with it instead of banishing it to the study.