Sound quieting mod for Enlight case--going for whisper mode

[RustyNale]

Hi all, after reading all the thoughts on the subject here on these forums, I'm about to do a few mods to my case to attempt to make it as quiet as I can. I'm also going to cut a blow hole in the top and move the rear exhaust fan to that spot( yes, I know, this will defeat some of my attempt to make it quieter). This will eliminate the air turbulence (low pressure over the cpu fan intake) that I'm sure is happening, plus place the fan at the highest spot in the case (removing the hottest air) and give me a better air flow (bottom to top). I'm also going to be cutting the front grill on the metal case away (to improve air flow) and upping the size to a 92mm fan instead of the 80mm currently there.

For sound proofing, I'm going to line the inside if the case with 1/8" cork. While this may add to the overall ambient temp in the case, if I'm to make it quieter a trade-off has to be made. This is one of the reasons for going to a bigger intake and the top blowhole. I'm using Panaflo's for the case fans, and will try two different fans on the cpu. From tips here on the forum, I've taken a 60mm YSTech apart and filed, cut, and polished all the surfaces to minimize air turbulence. This should help with noise and air flow (I suspect a very slight change will be noticed, but any drop in noise will help).The second fan is an 80mm case fan from 3dfxcool, and I will be doing the same mod to it.

I'll apologize in advance for the lack of professionalism, this being my first attempt at tests like this, and lacking all the proper testing equipment of a lab, I'll be using the mike off my headset to record the current noise levels, and using the stock temperature readings from Via's hardware monitor and Abit's bios readings. My aim is to keep the case as stock as I can, with minimal changes needed to maximize air flow with the least cost. I'll do sound tests first, then add the soundproofing with more tests, then cut the blowhole and do more tests (I suspect the hole being in the top should actually make it "noisier" since it will not be coming out the back of the case and therefore less noticeable). Hopefully this all makes some sense, and may help some of you with decisions about future mods.

 

[Def]

I've got a "fairly" quiet Enlight 7237.

Maybe you can get some ideas from the work I've done.

For intake and exhaust fans, I choose 92mm Panaflo 27dB 42CFM fans. I cut out the holes with a Dremel and used #6 machine bolts and nuts pushed through some rubber fan grommets to attach them to the case. The grommets really stopped the somewhat cheap, thin metal of the 7237 from vibrating due to fans. You can get them cheap from a place like 2cooltek.

Enlarge the holes of your front bezel slightly to aid in cooling and also reduce airflow turbulence. I even added a few rows of holes to get decent airflow.

I run 12V to my front Panaflo and 7V to my rear one. Seems to have more than enough circulation for a mid tower case of this size. I think your blowhole is also not necessary and would further stress the lack of intake air coming into your case.

Oh yes, making a 60->80mm fan adapter for my Alpha 6035 also proved to reduce noise and drop my temps by 1C in the process.

I don't know if I'd use cork to insulate the inside of the case. There is better acoustical foam out there.

I actually used a dense rubbbery material that I bought from Home Depot. It was sold as an industrial strip of carpet runner, but it has excellent dampening properties. Probably not as good as real acoustical foam, but better than most other material's I've seen used.

The end result of all this? My case just has a muted "whoosh" of air going through it, with a very low pitched hum from my front intake fan. An added bonus is that hard drive noise is completely non existant. My IBM 75GXP wasn't loud in the first place, but I can seriously put my ear 2" from the bezel, and just barely make out the sound of it accessing. Silence is great.

 

[Jitterbug050]

I went for the Silverado from Noise Control in Germany. I really had to open the case and look in with a flashlight to see if the fans (twin turbos) were working. It is the best part I have ever bought.
I live in the USA so it cost $89.00 to my door. Big bucks for a HSF, but worth it. Acording to Toms Hardware it is close to the top as fas as cooling goes as well. I wish I could buy one of their cases. They will not sell them to the USA. Shipping has to be the problem.
If you get the time check out the products they have. I think the cases are as nice as any I have ever seen.

http://www.aconto.de/home.htm

 

[Def]

Does the Noise Control Silverado really cool that well?

It just doesn't make sense to me. I just refuse to believe, as an engineer, that you can cool more effectively with only 25% of the airflow most heatsinks need. I'm sure you'll say silver conducts heat better than copper blah blah... Well, since silver is barely more efficient than copper, and copper is almost twice as efficient as aluminum, one would think you could not build a decent HSF out of aluminum. Which obviously isn't the case.

I'm curious to know your setup and temperatures you observe under full load. For $80, one could pick up a Swiftech MC4xx or whatever and easily top it's performance IMO. Even with a quiet fan.

 

[Jitterbug050]

All I can say is that it works well for me (oc'd 1200 tbird). I read a few reviews at places like tomshardware where he did a "shoot-out" of 46 HSF's. They come with three wireing setups, so you can run the fans at 6-8-or 10 volts besides the 12 just pluged in straight.
The fans are quite large and use a fan that is like the fan in an auto heating system. Like a hampsters wheel.
See some of the links below.
Quote from Toms:
"One of the real highlights in the group remains Noise Control's Silverado, which combines two encapsulated rotors (arranged like turbines) with a CPU contact surface made of pure silver. It's the best of both worlds - a very low noise level and a high cooling performance. Of the newcomers, the Blizzard Thunderbird doesn't cut that bad a figure - while its cooling performance is very good, its noise level is a whisker away from unacceptable. Real hard-core overclockers, who really don't care about the noise level, ought to take the cooler that produces the lowest temperature - the Swiftech MC462. The CPU core is kept at a remarkably cool 30 degrees, creating a lot of leeway for overclocking. On the downside, this 800 gram heavyweight can easily turn into a projectile if isn't screwed down on the motherboard. Having said that, in cooling performance, the Swiftech MC462, the Blizzard Thunderbird and the Silverado from Noise Control beat anything this side of water coolers, as our highly comprehensive tests have shown once again."

http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q2/010521/cooler-29.html

http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q2/010521/cooler-32.html

http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q2/010521/cooler-30.html