Best sound dampener?? foam or cork??

[AznBruin03]

Hey everyone,

I'm about to build my new system, and I want it to be as quiet as possible. I was just wondering what you guys are using for sound dampening?

I've already decided to use panaflos and an antec powersupply, and now i'm deciding on what to line the case with. I've decided against dynamat since some of you have said it was not too affective.

I've been to http://www.pyramid19.com/vh/index.htm and checked out alot of the moded cases in their gallery. I'm deciding between eggcrate style foam or cork lining. I've heard both suggested on this as well as other forums, and I was wondering which would work better and where I would be able to find these products.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mechBgon]

Kinda OT, but it's not too hard to ground the extra case fan(s) to the +5V wire instead of the ground wire, which will run them at 7V. This can drastically reduce the noise of my YSTech 60mm fans, but then again, they're a notoriously noisy fan to start with. You could even set up a 7V/12V switch if you liked.

As far as sound damping, someone suggested carpet, and that sounds like a very affordable material to experiment with, just pick up a couple of pieces from a carpet place.

 

[2Cool]

Seems like the cork, being denser, would absorb more vibration. Keep in mind that any fans exposed to the outside environment will be just as loud, so the only noise redustion will be that of the internal fans and components.

Both types of noise control should be available at any hardware or Home Depot type store for fairly cheap.

 

[rahvin]

Cork can burn and foam can melt.

Sound deadening and car undercoating (also a sound deadener) is made from asphalt. Asphalt needs temps in excess of 300^F to burn (unless a direct flame is applied, but even then ignition isn't guaranteed). You can buy spray cans of undercoating type material at Home depot.

 

[Bry]

I've bought Dynamat (premium) without getting the sound deadening results I'd like. I'm hoping I can get a cheap foam but exactly what foam to add on top, I don't know? Dynaliner seems to be multiple layers of different foams, so I'm not sure hwich is actually the best to use for our application..

 

[AznBruin03]

hm.. i remember seeing someones case with eggshell foam about 2cm deep. I was wondering if someone knew where I could find this stuff?

 

[TuffGuy]

there's also the SilentDrive.

http://www.nedcomp.com/silentdrive.html

 

[dszd0g]

Dynamat original handles -30ºC to +177ºC(-22ºF to +350ºF). It's what audiophiles use and I've heard it's pretty much the best stuff out there. Dynamat premium handles -30C to +120C(-22F to +248F). Dynamat super handles -34C to +232C(-30F to +450F). So all of them handle the temperature just fine.

http://www.dynamat.com/

I have used dynamat in car audio application and obtained great results. There website mentions computer application, but Bry mentions bad results.

Dynaliner is used to remove resonance and it is generally used underneath dynamat to the best of my knowledge. Dynaliner handles temps -40C to +107C(-40F to +225F).

Bry, could you describe your experience better. Dynamat should work just fine with computers.

 

[pyr]

DONT USE DYNAMAT. The stuff really really sucks. you wont get any sound insulation out of it whatsoever. Total waste of money, and the sh!t ruins your case

 

[Bry]

Well the dynamat does just what it's advertised to do, which is reduce vibration. The difference for me was, vibration was already minimized with my case.. e.g., I have all Panaflo low speed fans, am using a lower speed fan for my alpha heatsink, and got all fans mounted with rubber grommets (in other words, drill out the fan screw mounts, put in a rubber grommet so that the fan doesn't have direct contact with the case, and remount). So vibration noise went from "very low" to "very very low".. The case does feel more solid though. and people have commented that my case is pretty quiet... on a car, i'd imagine dynamat would make a big difference since it's really really loud to begin.

I don't expect the Dynamat to do much for sound deadening just because it's so thin.. so I'm looking for something thicker to absorb sound. people have suggested cheap opencelled foam but I'm willing to spend more for dynaliner if the difference is audible, but I'd want to read some testimonials before jumping in.

 

[mechBgon]

I am getting a system set up for my sister in an Enlight 7237 with an Enermax PS. I put a Panaflo 80mm fan in the rear vent and also screwed one to the CPU heatsink in place of the two 50mm fans, and both of those are running at 7 volts, which is really quiet. The PS started to warm up and the fans sped up a bit on it (it has two fans, hehe, I'm getting jealous of her already... ), and I wondered if I could quiet things down even more with some short-pile carpet on the floor of the case and on the left side. Well, the carpet doesn't seem to make any difference either. Granted, it's a mouse compared to my howling dualeron... but still, gotta tweak it! I also tried some of the leftover foam from my drawer liners for my Craftsman toolbox... this stuff is about 1/2" thick semi-open-celled foam. It doesn't help either. My next try is going to be acoustical ceiling tile, which I'll try to score tomorrow. Stay tuned!

 

[Liquid_Lenny]

One thing that may help is to make mounting gaskets for the fans, to isolate them from the metal of the case.

Another thing to try is cut out the fan openings, and use regular metal grills. Depending on the case, the stamped fan opening cause some turbulence, and consequently some noise.

Instead of Dynamat, I used mineral-filled vinyl mastic. Get it from McMaster-Carr, and industrial Supply house: Http://www.mcmaster.com/ and search for item 9709T26. It's a 24" x 54" sheet and costs $22.50 US. Plan on using two layers worth for maximum sound reduction and have enough to cut fan gaskets to further quiet your case (although foam rubber window sealant makes a better fan gasket).

I'm also using three PC Power & Cooling Silencer Case fans, the 2CoolPC Cooler, and a GlobalWin CAF12 that has had the Innovative P.O.S. fan replaced with a 120mm Quiet Sunon fan. Realistically, it's the 120mm Sunon and the 2CoolPC that you hear.

My wife's computer has the same case I do, with four PC Power & Cooling Silencer Case fans, one as a blow hole fan over the K6-III, and the 2CoolPC. Her computer is a bit quieter than mine.

It's really hard to keep a case totally cool and dead nuts quiet, like an OEM computer manufacturer (Dell, Gateway, etc.).

 

[JJHendrix]

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: VERY CHEAP!
Foam....today my dad went to REI and bought some teva's, he also picked up some foam for the inside of his ski boots - to make them fit better.
He said they gave him the foam for free - it's not something they sell packaged, he said they had it in a big roll in the back or something. It's black and looks like pretty nice stuff.

I have no idea if this could work, but it the price is right.

 

[mechBgon]

Well, the ceiling tile isn't really doing any better than the other materials. A friend of mine just told me about 3M's spray-on rubberized car undercoating, and said he thinks the part number is 8881. Anyone got any input on that approach?

Very ironic, but the loudest fan in my sister's computer is now the video card's 5V fan (it's a Diamond Monster Fusion). I know it's 5V because I plugged it into 7V and it sped up...

 

[ApacheXMD]

got a can of rubber undercoating from my local Kragen autoparts for only 3bucks and change.
it was a manager's special or something like that.. onsale.
maybe it's a chain-wide thing, check it out

edit: oh, btw, it's mar-hyde brand and it's No. 4211.
big 18oz can.
UPC symbol: 83463 42111

-patchy

 

[Bry]

Avoid the spray coatings.. bad stuff could happen, and at best it will provide not much of a difference in a computer case.. just think about it, how much can a spray do? =P

 

[dszd0g]

I am really curious if you guys will come up with something that actually works. It's disappointing to hear that Dynamat doesn't work for computers, it does great things for cars.

Anyone, know what that foam they use in recording studios is? I knew the name and brand of one of the vendors at some point. I just can't manage to kick my head hard enough to remember



<< how much can a spray do? >>


Man, how much can a spray can do? If a spray can can spray goo?

 

[dszd0g]

I found a bunch of related threads over at HardOCP forums:

http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002654.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000220.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000306.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000895.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum2/HTML/003653.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000002.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000023.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000048.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000661.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000690.html
http://64.27.77.160/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000746.html

People seem to get very mixed results with Dynamat. It really depends on what is creating the noise in one's case.

A few things about Dynamat that have thrown me off from using it:

1) It turns the noise into heat. Heat is exactly what we are trying to get rid of
2) It's heavy
3) It stinks. That isn't in any of the above links. I've worked with the stuff and it stinks. It doesn't matter in a car. However, I've heard that the smell lasts about 3 weeks in a case.

If one is still going to use Dynamat, the above links mention that using the Dynamat as a gasket between the fans and case produces the best results for some people.

Anyone had the idea of sticking a white noise generator in their case?

 

[mechBgon]

dszd0g, I tried some studio soundproofing foam I got from Forum member dl. It unfortunately didn't help much, probably because I have blowholes that let all the noise right out anyway. I am starting to think that the best solution is to use fewer fans and quieter fans (duuuuuuh). I am working on a simple, easy-to-make adapter that will let me put a quiet Panaflo L1A 80mm fan onto my Alpha socket heatsinks in place of the loud Y.S. Tech 60mm fans.

 

[The Reaper]

Anyone try mouse pads?

 

[dszd0g]

Yeah, seems like using fewer, larger, slower, and quieter fans is the way to go. The Sunon Quiet fans seem decent? YS-Tech and Delta definitely seem to be the loudest but they also push the most air.

 

[RainMan1]

Anyone try styrofoam sheets?

 

[Cambo]

try lead

 

[rahvin]

<<Avoid the spray coatings.. bad stuff could happen, and at best it will provide not much of a difference in a computer case.. just think about it, how much can a spray do? =P>>

Huh? and what bad things? If you spray your case with the MB in there, ya &quot;bad stuff&quot; will happen. If you put your MB within 24 hours &quot;bad stuff&quot; may happen. But Undercoating material is what they use to deaden sound in cars. Every car on the road that I know of uses asphalt based materials on body panels to reduce sound. Undercoating can lower the decible level in your car, why do you think it doesn't work on a PC case? Ya it will make your case extremely heavy, and you may need dual spacers to get your motherboard away from it, but it will work better than anything else.

 

[Bry]

Rahvin: reference http://www.overclockers.com/articles187/