DAMPEN PC Case Noise

[jonathan1107]

I'm looking for tricks and tips to damper the noise coming from the fans and components inside my PC.
I've read on the web that I can use sound dampening "foam" ... How well does that work?
Any recommendations as to which one to buy?

 

[Arrakis9]

sound dampening foam works by reducing the "drone" of case doors and panels from components that are in direct contact with the case such as fans and mechanical hard drives. if you really want to reduce the noise inside your pc one of the best ways to do it is to slow spinning fans, the trade off for less noise inside a pc is higher temps on your components. if your running two fans on that radiator for your all in one i would probably recommend taking the rear fan off and having the front fan blow air across the fins as adding a second fan to a radiator without a shroud will typically create a lot more noise.

as for a recommendation on what to buy, go with akasa paxmate foam. its inexpensive, comes with 4 sheets (top, bottom, sides) and works just as well as the $40 a sheet "premium" foam

Also look at the silicone gaskets for fans and rubber screws if your using full plastic frame fans, its a cheap and effective way to deaden the vibrations from fans in the case.

Spoiler

try putting the computer on the floor... it may not be as cool, but having the pc on the floor and not at ear level greatly reduces the "noise" it emits.

 

[erocker]

sound dampening foam works by reducing the "drone" of case doors and panels from components that are in direct contact with the case such as fans and mechanical hard drives. if you really want to reduce the noise inside your pc one of the best ways to do it is to slow spinning fans, the trade off for less noise inside a pc is higher temps on your components. if your running two fans on that radiator for your all in one i would probably recommend taking the rear fan off and having the front fan blow air across the fins as adding a second fan to a radiator without a shroud will typically create a lot more noise.

as for a recommendation on what to buy, go with akasa paxmate foam. its inexpensive, comes with 4 sheets (top, bottom, sides) and works just as well as the $40 a sheet "premium" foam

Also look at the silicone gaskets for fans and rubber screws if your using full plastic frame fans, its a cheap and effective way to deaden the vibrations from fans in the case.

Spoiler

try putting the computer on the floor... it may not be as cool but having the pc not at ear level greatly reduces the "noise" it emits.

Sums things up nicely. That being said, you may want to look into a case that is made with silence in mind.

Personally, I have an air cleaner that's running 24/7 to drone out the noise.

 

[Arrakis9]

Sums things up nicely. That being said, you may want to look into a case that is made with silence in mind.

Personally, I have an air cleaner that's running 24/7 to drone out the noise.

and here i thought i was the only one that did that... white noise is the best.

 

[Kursah]

I'm looking for tricks and tips to damper the noise coming from the fans and components inside my PC.
I've read on the web that I can use sound dampening "foam" ... How well does that work?
Any recommendations as to which one to buy?

First thing to do is to optimize the RPMs for your fans... find that sweet spot between airflow and fan RPM, try to use a fan controller on your MB or if using Molex plugs, you can move the wires to different positions to go from 7.5-12v. There was an article here on TPU that has to be 10 years old but still useful. I'll see if I can't dig it up.

Block side panel mesh, using 1/8"-3/8" felt mat, or foam mat, don't go too thick... keep it thin so that it's easier to apply. Also the heavier the density of the material, generally the better it is at blocking sound. But in perspective, getting something rigid will bounce sound around. You want foam to absorb the waves instead of bouncing them. Check your local crafts store...I've had great luck with craft glue and dense felt mats. Trim to fit, get black or dark gray or whatever suits your fancy, attach to at least the side panel you'd normally remove to service your PC, possibly the other sidepanel if you can do that with cable management, and the tops and bottoms as well. I wouldn't go overboard...and just doing the one sidepanel that is usually vented nets great results while also reducing dust buildup, and I've even had better cooling by 1-2C in SOME applications due to airflow optimzation when you have a rear and top fans exhausting, a couple of front fans intake, the side panel vents don't usually do much...and I prefer to block them, give the PC a wind tunnel effect. It has worked well for me. Dampening the side panel has made the biggest change in my experience. Metal = bouncing sound, more open areas = more areas for sound to get out.

Also consider different fans if they are noisy even at medium speeds, or consider rubber bushing mounts...or make your own with 1/8" rubber pads, maybe with one side that has adhesive. Cut out some blocks for each mount location.

Cable management is big too, as a bunch of cables in the way of airflow can create some noise as well. Really it comes down to cooling effectiveness and how much you want to invest in making your system quiet and cool running.

 

[DayKnight]

1: Better and silent fans.

2: Good case.

 

[Jetster]

Foam and dust filters help quite a bit. But its really a battle between cooling and noise. Positive pressure helps also.

http://www.moddiy.com/products/Premium-Dust-Filter-Material-(50cm-x-40cm-x-3mm)-.html

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g33/c117/list/p1/Ultra_Quiet-Computer_Case_Silencing.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999222

Most silent cases come with foam installed

 

[sneekypeet]

If you are set on adding material to dampen the noise levels, I would opt for the mat style sound deadening material. It will take up less room, most of the better design silent cases use this, and its just peel and stick! Something along the lines of Dynamat, but for PCs it is black rather than having the reflective backing.

Thinner foam, rather than egg crate style...
http://www.performance-pcs.com/noise-pax-sound-dampening-material.html

multiple materials....
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...und_Dampening_Pack_APU.html?tl=g7&id=GigETNnX

even on a budget....
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ZQGY2/?tag=tec06d-20

As for the cloth embedded stuff like Nanoxia and others use, that stuff seems extremely hard to locate, although it could be my google-fu is weak.

 

[OneMoar]

just goto autozone buy some dynamat and call it a day

 

[jonathan1107]

I added some silverstone material (dampening foam) and it helped a little but didn'T quite achieve the effect I was hoping for but I found ways to play around with my case fans that helped a lot too. And in the end, I've made my piece that at certain times, my rig is just gonna make more noise at times. Especially with the way I intend to use it lol