Last Resort Sound Reduction

[HouRman]

I've been on a quest to quiet my PC for some time now. I've got a Barricuda IV, rheostats to control silent fan RPMs, and I even coated the inside of my case with Dynamat Extreme. (I've used 4 square feet so far but havn't covered the side panels).

After getting a Pioneer 106S DVD drive, I noticed that thing is pretty loud when playing a movie and pretty much cancels out my hard work.

My best friend is a contractor and I have the idea of constructing a wooden box enclosure that will surround the computer to seal noise inside. The material will likely be 1/2" MDF and have a wooden door in the front on hinges to access the CD rom.

Any suggestions as to how the computer is to stay ventilated while inside the enclosure and stay quiet? Or any suggestions on custom furniture that I could design and build?

 

[drees]

You need airflow, which means that somewhere there will have to be holes in the box to let air through.

Holes let sound through, so to make it quiet, you'll need to baffle the noise. (Think of a car muffler)

I saw one on the web somewhere, but here's a rough picture of how it should look:

Link to crude picture of enclosure

You should get the picture. Only thing missing is a door. Make sure you seal it well.

But anyway, if you build it like the above, put a couple 120mm fans in the opening to the center compartment to move air, throw some sound dampening to line
the air ducts with (egg-crate is cheap) it should work and be nearly silent. If it's not quiet enough, you may need to run the baffle back and forth another time.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[breweyez]

look at these pictures
http://www.7volts.com/cc_1402_21.jpg
http://www.7volts.com/cc_1402_11.jpg
they are pics of what you want to do.

Ive been thinking about this myself

 

[sandbasser]

Here's a link to a company that makes cases for computers used in recording studios. They are beautiful and effective but VERY PRICEY. If you are or know a good carpenter you probably could get something together for a lot less $.

http://www.custom-consoles.com/isomac.html

Good luck -

- Ray