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Anyone using "Sound Dampening Material"?

D

deadken

Diamond Member
I just bought some sound deadening material. I bought 4 sets for 3 pc's (Hey, I want absolute coverage).

1) Has anyone used this or anything very similar?
2) How were the results?

I have 2 Antec SLK3700AMB's in my house (a third is waiting to be built in my garage). Both have (1) 120mm Intake(s), (1) 120mm Exhaust(s), one has dual 120's on the side panel, the other has a single 120 on the side panel. I would like to quite them down a bit more. They both have 92mm CPU fans. I am a 'fan' of larger fans that move higher CFM's at lower RPM's/dBa's. All four computers in my house run 24/7/365, and all fold at close to %100 CPU load all of the time. Please let me know of your experiences with this material.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions. I wish I would learn to ask questions here BEFORE I order stuff, but I might wisen up someday...
 
I'm using regular carpet pad in my systems, because it's free.. 🙂
It does make some diff., I find that using 120mm fans make the bigest diff.

You may want to use some sort of fan control. ie zalman fan mate
This way you set it to whatever speed/noise level you desire.

Regards,
Jose
 
Thanks, I am glad to hear that it makes a difference. I already use large fans, and I do use some voltage reducers on some of them. I have an Antec True 480W power supply which has 2 dedicated 'Fan Only' plugs. These special plugs will have lower voltages when the temps are lower. Of course the sensor to determine how much voltage the 'Fan Only' plugs get is in the Power Supply, but hey, it does the trick!

I am not really worried about keeping "more heat in the case". I truly doubt that ANY real heat gets removed through my steel panels (whether they be side, top, or bottom). Add to the fact that in my case, I have (4) 120MM fans, (2) 92MM fans, and (1) 80MM fan. As I said, I have one 120 intake, one 120 exhaust, two 120 side panel intakes, one 92 CPU fan (SP-97), and one 92 and one 80 in the Antec PS. I REALLY am not to worried about airflow! Now, I am NOT including my NB fan, and my 9800Pro fan. I just want to quiet down the fans I have, without SLOWING them down anymore.

Here is a trick I use to set my RPM adjustable fans. I put the screwdriver in the little adjustment screw, and then I close my eyes. I adjust the fan RPM up until I hit the spot where the fan really starts to make noise. Then I back off (with my eyes still closed) until I hear the fan quiet down. You'd be surprised how much of a difference this makes! Try it!
 
Sound dampening foam doesnt do anything unless you have not so many holes in your case. Problem is that sound will escape through the fan holes before it gets absorbed into the sound dampening material.

As of now, I have a 92mm panaflo m1 @ 7V, Antec 120mm @ 5V, and Evercool 120mm @ 5V and my Antec TrueBlue 480 along with the stock GPU fan on Radeon 8500 is the main noise makers. The noise comes from the back mostly. Some noise exits from the front fan as well.
 
OK, I understand that sound will escape from any openings (fan holes, etc...). I also understand that sound bounces around off of hard flat surfaces (Like the panels on a case).

I figure, that alot of sound can be absorbed and NOT bounced out of the case. I agree that sound will come from the holes, but I assue a lot less of it will, when sound absorbtion material is used.

I am going to check out my local carpet store this week. I might just use some carpet padding in my other 2 cases and use the 'better' stuff I ordered on my 3 Antec Cases.

Thanks for all of the answers, and keep them coming!
 
Originally posted by: Tiamat
Sound dampening foam doesnt do anything unless...
Click to expand...

Sure it does. Overclocking lost its novelty? Tired of system stability? Add exciting challenge to your life with soundproofing!

I agree with the other guys. Unless you don't have any blowholes or sidefans in your case (which means it is going to get really damn hot) it's a waste of money and will probably lead to the death of one component or another.

For a friend, I built a studio computer (digital audio workstation to interface with recording equipment) with one of those pre-lined Lian Li quiet cases. For stability purposes absolutely nothing is overclocked, and it has a weak video card which produces little heat and isn't used for gaming. It uses quiet (but slow) fans, and has a power supply with adjustable fan speed. Set to low, the computer will heat up to the point of bluescreening unless I take the side door off. And then you can hear the quiet fans (and especially PSU) about as well as a normal closed case with reasonably quiet fans.

What's worse is that most of the soundproofing sold today (for computers) actually has absolutely no scientific basis on which to call it "sound proof". Just because something is foam doesn't mean it's going to cut down on noise like professionally engineered soundproofing materials (which you can sometimes get through performance car audio shops).

If you buy cheap soundproofing, it won't work and heat up your computer. If you buy expensive soundproofing, it will work somewhat and heat up your computer a lot.

If a truly silent computer is what you're after, you're going to need to get into water cooling. But that's also expensive.

Still mind a little noise?
 
well, i didnt see what case u got, and i guess if it's already steel it wont make too much of a difference in heat. however, i would up the speed on some of ur fans maybe, because then it's just gunna be cool and possibly less noise, but that may not be necessary. Just keep an eye on ur temps
 
Originally posted by: Lufusol
I agree with the other guys. Unless you don't have any blowholes or sidefans in your case (which means it is going to get really damn hot) it's a waste of money and will probably lead to the death of one component or another.
Click to expand...
OK, but as I have said repeatedly, I DO have 2X120mm Fans mounted on the sidepanel of my case.

Originally posted by: Lufusol
What's worse is that most of the soundproofing sold today (for computers) actually has absolutely no scientific basis on which to call it "sound proof". Just because something is foam doesn't mean it's going to cut down on noise like professionally engineered soundproofing materials (which you can sometimes get through performance car audio shops).
Click to expand...
This is news to me. I understand sound to 'reflect' best off of hard flat surfaces. Therefore if you cover your hard flat surfaces with soft porous foam, you will cause that surface to absorb some sound. I also understand that different density foams will absorb different frequency noises. I believe that soft foam absorbs high frequencies best and dense foam absorbs low frequencies best. Have you ever noticed that recording studios have either eggcrate or pyramid shapes on the soundproofing material? Flat surfaces reflect sound.

Originally posted by: Lufusol
If a truly silent computer is what you're after, you're going to need to get into water cooling. But that's also expensive.

Still mind a little noise?
Click to expand...
I am NOT looking for absolute silence. My computers are rather quiet to begin with. I have chosen quality components (starting w/the Antec 3700 cases) and larger fans whenever possible. I was just inquiring about other peoples results using "Sound Absorbing Materials".

I still don't have a CLUE how (FLAT) padding on the (FLAT) sides/top/bottom of the inside of your PC will make it overheat. If you are going to carry on about it "insulating" the case, then you really need to explain how you figure that painted flat steel panels radiate significant amounts of heat from your case!

Geez, in an era where guys spend $7-$10 on special "thermal compounds" to go between their "lapped" heatsinks and their high temp components (which by the way, are mounted with tensioners (to squeeze out any air, which is a bad conductor of temperature)), and we are squabling whether insulating the flat steel panels from the interior air of a case (which don't even make contact with hot components) will make a significant difference on the ability to cool the temperature of the components inside!

How much air gets RADIATED off of your computer? Not much whether you have sound absorbing material or not!

I will say that I am speaking of a case with decent airflow. Of course, I realize that if there is NO airflow, then radiation would be a significant way to remove heat. INHO, in a situation like that, the would be contact against the panels, and the panels wouldn't be flat.
 
Originally posted by: drpootums
well, i didnt see what case u got, and i guess if it's already steel it wont make too much of a difference in heat. however, i would up the speed on some of ur fans maybe, because then it's just gunna be cool and possibly less noise, but that may not be necessary. Just keep an eye on ur temps
Click to expand...
Yeah, I kind of planned on that... If my case gets much more quiet, then I will turn up the RPM on my adjustable fans. The intake and exhaust fans I use are the Enermax "Manual Adjustable" ones.

Thank you for your suggestions.
 
i used melamine sound foam in my case and it made it a ton quieter. put a piece standing against the wall so the fans blow into it, and that will help too. it does raise case temps a few degrees tho

 
Wow! Thanks! Just what I was looking for....

Depressing, but helpful. I can only hope that my steel panel case has slightly better results then that Aluminum one.

Of all the things I read here, I think that I REALLY must try putting a piece of this foam behind my computer to help absorb/deflect the noise coming from there. Apparently this is a major source of PC noise.

BTW: Does anyone know where to buy those silicone fan mounts? Those little Christmas Tree looking ones. I have seen them for $7.50 for a four pack. I just figured that someone must offer them at a more reasonable price. Otherwise, I am looking at another $40 for a 'quiet' upgrade... I need to stop off at Home Depot on my way to work today, and see about buying a bunch of rubber/silicone washers. I will re-mount my fans using them, and see what happens...

Thanks again for all of the help. I appreciate everyones efforts.

 
the alluminum is gunna be louder no matter what because it's probably thinner and definatily less dense and lighter. The only 2 problems i see with steel is that it retains a lot more heat and is a lot heavier.
 
The idea of a back exhaust muffler works well for me. I have 9" behind my computer case to the wall. I used some spare bed foam stuff and some thick pieces of syrofoam. Basically noise can escape from the side not facing my bed. Noise went down by 1/2.

Now, I have noise coming out of the front, and side from the graphics card (annoying noise). Not much I can do here except buy a new graphics card with better cooling (its a R200 so its due for an update)
 
I think the biggest noise deadener is the use of silicone gaskets and washers (antec offers good ones). They really kill the vibration in a system. Sound matting takes out the high frequencies like the "wEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" that some inexpensive fans make.
Gasketing, good fans, matting and fan controllers all kinda work together.
Short answer?
Good stuff.
 
"I am wondering about results."

dampen sound?????

seriously, putting foam rings around all the screw holes will cut vibrations a lot. covering the sides will help for stuff like hard drive and fan noise, but not if there are big fan holes facing you
 
Originally posted by: deadken
Wow! Thanks! Just what I was looking for....

Depressing, but helpful. I can only hope that my steel panel case has slightly better results then that Aluminum one.

Of all the things I read here, I think that I REALLY must try putting a piece of this foam behind my computer to help absorb/deflect the noise coming from there. Apparently this is a major source of PC noise.

BTW: Does anyone know where to buy those silicone fan mounts? Those little Christmas Tree looking ones. I have seen them for $7.50 for a four pack. I just figured that someone must offer them at a more reasonable price. Otherwise, I am looking at another $40 for a 'quiet' upgrade... I need to stop off at Home Depot on my way to work today, and see about buying a bunch of rubber/silicone washers. I will re-mount my fans using them, and see what happens...

Thanks again for all of the help. I appreciate everyones efforts.
Click to expand...


your better off just spending for a sonata or sonata type case. ithink they are 60 at frys right now after rebate, with a 380watt truepower no less. its unlikely you'll be able to match that level of silence. i've tried a lot of things in the past, most are futile and just money down the drain.
 
you can use carpet padding, felt, or the padding shipped with motherboards, also professional audio dampening material for cars if you want hardcore, just remember that it will insualte your cae and allow hea to build up
 
Have you tried cutting the fan grills off the SLK3700amb? Should make a difference since the honeycomb grills are pretty thick on the back of that case. Also try removing the plastic fan holder up front. instead directly mount the intake fan to the chasis with some kind of fan isolator-like these.
 
You are definately on the wrong forum if you're trying to quiet your computer. Check out Silentpcreview if you're serious about silent computing.

The current project of mine involves a steel case, a P4-266, a bunch of different types of foam dampening, and one 120mm fan cooling the whole thing, including the PSU. It's quiet and cool....but did take some effort to construct.

Contrary to some of the posts in this thread, dampening can work effectively, if properly constructed and intelligently applied.....
 
yes, but thats with your expert knowledge and hardware choices. slapping some foam into a regular case, esp one not designed for silence and possibly aluminum will do diddly squat.
 
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