different sound deadening approach

[rondeemc]

I was unhappy with the sound my Fong Kai 302 was emitting from under my desk. I looked at several of the options listed here. The dynamat seemed to have mixed reviews, had the potential of acting as an insulator, and was pricey. Tried the Panaflow as a replacement for the stock 92mm fan but still to loud. Looked into the acoustical foam tiles but they were hard to find locally and cost was again high. Finally tried some standard 2 inch fiberglass insulation about four inches away from the back of the unit and this made a tremendous difference. Wouldn't work for a visible solution but for a hidden it is an easy alternative.

 

[Jhhnn]

Good move. That's the one way I've found sound absorbing material useful, for killing reflected sound. Dynamat is useful only if the internal components are using the case as a sounding board.

Something I learned is that quieting the noisiest fan has the most dramatic effect. All the other noise serves as background to boost the noisiest to a higher level. That's the way the math works, IIRC, but damned if I can find the formula.

One of the things nobody seems to talk about is noise frequency- I personally find the high pitched whine of most 60mm-80mm rpm sensing fans to be very objectionable- the sensing circuitry seems to provide the high freq. component. Lower pitched sound is subjectively less bothersome at the same apparent noise level.

 

[hellboy]

cool solution
you wouldnt happen to have any pics would you?

 

[yobarman]

I also own a Fonk Kai 320 ATX and this thing is LOUD! I'm working on quiting it, got any pics of this case mod cause i dont have a clue what you've done.

 

[rondeemc]

Sorry no pics at present. I just lined the wall behind the tower with 2" fiberglass to try and stop the sound from reflecting back toward the front of the desk. I am also going to try running it without the shroud to see if that helps. Its a great case but so far from the comments seen here I have not found anyone who thought it was as quiet as reported in the AnandTech article.

 

[Kp99]

Damn i would love to see pics, post a link when you get pics, later