Please help me with how to damp an alluminium case

[bramdo]

Dear all,

thanks to a special offer (i couldn't refuse ) I could buy the excellent silverstone TJ10.
It's nice to work in a case this big however the damping could be better.
I used noctua silent coolers and cpu coolers but the resonance in an alluminium case is worse than in my former p182 of antec.

How can i dampen the case without destroying the excellent cooling capabilities,

All advice welcome,
Bram

 

[Tim]

Here is a good website to get some ideas on dampening sound and vibrations from a PC.
Silent PC Review

I used a product similar to Akasa Paxmate for my current case. It works pretty effectivly at stopping case vibration if you take the time to apply it to the areas of the case that need it the most. As an added benefit to using it, it also helps dampen the sound a tad bit.

For my next project I've decided on industrial duct sound dampening material (Toughguard Certainteed 2). I can get enough for my full-tower free where I work at.

 

[aigomorla]

yes plaidfad gave you a very good recomendation.

however sometimes you can find simular stuff cheaper at a hardware store.

Remember most of the stuff you buy in pc's was originally ment for something else, just rebranded and price raised.

Another simular product which i personally like cuz it has better quality is dynomat.

Yes that stuff you use on car audio.

If it works on my friends 10g car theatre, it works hella good in my silent case projects!

Warning tho, your cable management much be in top order, and you must get airflow down. These mats will INCREASE your internal case temp. And that can cause havok if you dont plan correctly.

 

[Zepper]

I've heard a lot about a product called "roofer's tape" lately, but I haven't been able to find any locally (but then, I haven't tried very hard either). Dansdata.com says that the Paxmate stuff (sold under several other brands and generically) doesn't do too much and most of the stuff in the PC market doesn't either. I've used rope caulk (Mortite and FrostKing are two brands) to damp panels, it works, but it's not pretty.

.bh.

 

[bramdo]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad that I'm not the only one. The local car shop here has bitumen mats with sound damping of 3m. The only thing that i'm afraid of is that i will ruin the benefits of an allumnium case and that the dust isn't so easy to remove. I don't overclock and have 5 case fans (silent) but the heat of a geforce 9800 gtx.

What do you think?
Bram

 

[Zepper]

"Low Noise" and "really good cooling" don't often go together. Fans that can move some air generally make some noise. Keep an eye out for the third edition of Vapor's case fan tests at xtremeSystems.org forums in the Air Cooling section - check out the 2nd edition while you're there. Maybe find some fans that can move some air at a reasonable noise level.

.bh.

 

[bramdo]

Hi Zepper,

since i'm not that a good overclocker really good cooling is more good cooling
I've read the post on the coolers but the noctua's are know and reviewed for their airflow + silence. My biggest concern stays if it isn't messing up a case by giving it a bitumen or other isolation material inside?

Bram

 

[Zepper]

Effective damping material is generally dense (meaning heavy) so there goes the lightness aspect of an aluminum case. Most other materials stick to the case with adhesive which may be difficult to remove. You don't want to install material that sheds dust.

.bh.

 

[WoodButcher]

"Roofers tape" at the bottom of the page is a store locator. This stuff is about 1 -1.5 mm thick and has 2 layers.The first against the metal is a gum rubber type stuff and the outer is a smooth plastic or foil depending on which you buy.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
"Roofers tape" at the bottom of the page is a store locator. This stuff is about 1 -1.5 mm thick and has 2 layers.The first against the metal is a gum rubber type stuff and the outer is a smooth plastic or foil depending on which you buy.

ROFL...
when it comes to DYO, no one can beat WB.

LOL..

Still loving that sphere house roof you did.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
ROFL...
when it comes to DYO
.

I've heard of "diy" (do it yourself) but wtf is 'dyo'?

 

[aigomorla]

Design Your Own.

 

[WoodButcher]

Haha, Geodesic dome home, funny you mention that, The builder I was working for didn't want to pay my price to flash / glaze that big skylight that you can see covered at the top. I did all the rest off the skylights 5 or 6, IIRC using roofers tape and copper flashing over the tape. He put one of his flunkies up there and botched it bad. Last I heard there were lawsuits involved. 5 yrs ago someone asked me about doing a repair, I gave them my price and never heard about it again. I went by the house last year and LOL there's a scaffold set up there again. Funny thing is I guarantee my work for life. (my lifetime anyway!)

I've used spray on "plasticote" inside cases as well, the sound deadening mats that are like "fiber" like zepper mentioned seem to attract dust, but the roofers tape has a smooth non-porous surface and you don't need to cover an entire panel for it to work. You can get products very similar at Home Depot or Lowes. There is a tape for sealing around door and window openings that is very similar.

 

[WoodButcher]

DP

 

[WoodButcher]

TP

and I was gonna tease zepper about a coulple of double posts last night,,,,,:shocked:

 

[zagood]

TRIPLE POST FTW!

Before going out of your way to dampen the entire interior of your case, try just pushing on the different panels. There's a strong possibility that what you're hearing is a poorly seated panel that's rattling against the case frame. If it's that, you should be able to fix with some foam/tape/etc.

-z

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: zagood
try just pushing on the different panels. There's a strong possibility that what you're hearing is a poorly seated panel that's rattling against the case frame. If it's that, you should be able to fix with some foam/tape/etc.

If that's the problem, sometimes you can fix it by just bending the clips on the side panels.

Originally posted by: bramdo
The only thing that i'm afraid of is that i will ruin the benefits of an allumnium case

Are you thinking of aluminum cases as running cooler? That's simply not true. While mose sound dampening will insulate a case, the case material itself is not meant to disperse heat. Just have good ventilation and you'll be fine. Or, were you thinking of weight, as Zepper mentioned? For sound dampening, more weight seems to be better. The thin and lightweight foam stuff doesn't do a whole lot except separate you from your money.

Parts Express has a selection of stuff often used in cars.

 

[Bluefront]

Frankly.....Aluminum cases have little advantage over steel cases, other than looks. If you hard mount the hard drives to an aluminum frame, there's some cooling benefit. That's about it. Weight.....by the time a case is stuffed with everything else, the actual weight of the case itself is only a minor percentage. So you save a few pounds. Big deal...

Light-weight aluminum side panels are really big noise-makers. Covering the insides with a few layers of roofer's tape is a big benefit to lower noise/resonance. I usually put a layer of Paxmate over the roofers tape.

Over-all though......quiet components, and quiet fans, make for a quieter setup than dampening. Combine the three and you get the best/quietest setup.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Keep in mind your old P182 is a composite case that had sound dampening built into the panels. Also it came with features to help prevent vibrations from the drives. Something as simple as using grommets on your drives and fan silencers will go a long way. Allot of what you have is vibration noise. So something as simple as the $10 sound dampening kit will go a long way to fix your problem.
http://www.frozencpu.com/produ...bration_Kit.html?tl=g7

Useing sound dampening mats will only help to soften any other noises that are not being caused by parts vibrating against the case. Like your basic motor noise from the drives and fans.

 

[bramdo]

Hi, thanks for the replies

It's good that you sorted the above out Zap because that was my misunderstanding.
I've bought 3m damping material from a car store and also some dedicated foam.
Weight is no problem.

Bram

 

[ShockwaveVT]

bramdo, there is nothing special about an aluminum case when it comes to cooling performance. its all about the layout & # of fans.

Applying damping materials usually interferes with airflow to some degree and that is why they tend to increase temperatures a little. As mentioned above, some materials are smoother than others. (i.e. roofer's tape vs "eggcrate" foam)