Soundproofing a computer case? Best bets?

[unknown]

I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

Jeff

[Arny Krueger]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made
home studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best
sound dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of
soundproof computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for
me.

Your best first shot is probably to address noise at the source(s), which
is/are the fans(s) in the PC case.

Often the CPUt sink fan assembly can be replaced with what amounts to be
bigger heatsink and a smaller-capacity fan.

PC fans are often set to run at irrationally high speeds, and simply slowing
them down with a product like Zalman's Fan Mate can be a good solution.
First, develop a means for monitoring chip tempearature and temperature
inside the case, then set reasonable limits for these temperatures and
finally show down the fans until you unconditionally just barely meet your
goals, even when the room gets hot around the PC.

[unknown]

Post by Arny Krueger

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made
home studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best
sound dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of
soundproof computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for
me.

Your best first shot is probably to address noise at the source(s), which
is/are the fans(s) in the PC case.
Often the CPUt sink fan assembly can be replaced with what amounts to be
bigger heatsink and a smaller-capacity fan.
PC fans are often set to run at irrationally high speeds, and simply slowing
them down with a product like Zalman's Fan Mate can be a good solution.
First, develop a means for monitoring chip tempearature and temperature
inside the case, then set reasonable limits for these temperatures and
finally show down the fans until you unconditionally just barely meet your
goals, even when the room gets hot around the PC.

arny,

thanks for the advice...just wondering though, would that be about it?
i've heard of those zalman fanmates, and even if i were to be nitpicky,
i guess i could even get a zalman for my graphic card. what about other
cooling methods? are water cooled completely silent? i've even seen
how-to's on the net for completely enclosing hard drives and water
cooling them.. is this overkill?

jeff

[play-on]

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:38:53 -0400, Jeff <"fartecho at yahoo dot com">

Post by unknown

Post by Arny Krueger

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made
home studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best
sound dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of
soundproof computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for
me.

Your best first shot is probably to address noise at the source(s), which
is/are the fans(s) in the PC case.
Often the CPUt sink fan assembly can be replaced with what amounts to be
bigger heatsink and a smaller-capacity fan.
PC fans are often set to run at irrationally high speeds, and simply slowing
them down with a product like Zalman's Fan Mate can be a good solution.
First, develop a means for monitoring chip tempearature and temperature
inside the case, then set reasonable limits for these temperatures and
finally show down the fans until you unconditionally just barely meet your
goals, even when the room gets hot around the PC.

arny,
thanks for the advice...just wondering though, would that be about it?
i've heard of those zalman fanmates, and even if i were to be nitpicky,
i guess i could even get a zalman for my graphic card. what about other
cooling methods? are water cooled completely silent? i've even seen
how-to's on the net for completely enclosing hard drives and water
cooling them.. is this overkill?

Water cooling is more for guys who are trying to overclock their CPU
and making it run hot. It's a hassle to do & think it's unneccessary
for a DAW.

Al

[Arny Krueger]

Post by unknown

Post by Arny Krueger

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made
home studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best
sound dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of
soundproof computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it
for me.

Your best first shot is probably to address noise at the source(s),
which is/are the fans(s) in the PC case.
Often the CPU sink fan assembly can be replaced with what amounts
to be bigger heatsink and a smaller-capacity fan.
PC fans are often set to run at irrationally high speeds, and simply
slowing them down with a product like Zalman's Fan Mate can be a
good solution. First, develop a means for monitoring chip
tempearature and temperature inside the case, then set reasonable
limits for these temperatures and finally show down the fans until
you unconditionally just barely meet your goals, even when the room
gets hot around the PC.

thanks for the advice...just wondering though, would that be about it?

I can't speak for every conceivable need.

However, my recommendations are relatively inexpensive and easy to
implement, If you decide to go further, your final solution could easily
benefit from the groundwork you lay with them. Or, if you end up throwing
away a couple of Fanmates and a $20 CPU heatsink, you're out 30 minutes or
less of install time and maybe $30.

Post by unknown
I've heard of those zalman fanmates, and even if i were to be
nitpicky, i guess i could even get a zalman for my graphic card.

I guess so.

Post by unknown
what about other cooling methods?

They cost more, take a lot more time to install. They are prone to serious
difficulties if they leak.

Post by unknown
are water cooled completely silent?

Nothing is completely silent but a completely passive system. If you're up
for a fully-passive system, be prepared for repetitive stress injuries to
the hand you use to flash your credit card. ;-)

Post by unknown
I've even seen how-to's on the net for completely enclosing
hard drives and water cooling them.. is this overkill?

Generally, yes they are overkill for a DAW. I haven't had hard drive noise
problems for years, and this box has 3 of 'em.

BTW, Fanmates are helpful even if you have a so-called quiet case. I
invested in one of Antec's so-called quiet cases, but of course the case
didn't include the Athlon-64 fan. I guess AMD was unsure about how their
first batches of chips would do for power, so they sent out a bunch of fans
that seemed like they could have easily operated a 7,200 rpm hard drive
spindle.

AMD must have done better on power than expected by a about country mile
because the CPU chip temp was as low as the noise was high. A $5 Fanmate
turned the tide of noise and now I can barely hear the system unit run, even
though it's about a meter from my right ear. What I do barely hear is the
big, low-speed case fan that makes a gentle whoosh.

[Bob Smith]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.
Jeff

Check out products available at:

http://www.endpcnoise.com

In particular look at the Nexus power supply, Zalman CPU cooler, SmartDrive
2002 enclosure for the hard drive and case insulation.

bobs

Bob Smith
BS Studios
we organize chaos
http://www.bsstudios.com

[M***@uwaterloo.ca]

I like the Enermax "Noisetaker" power supplies. They have two fans (both run
slower) and a trim pot to control their speed. And the prices is reasonable
too. These are mainstream items.

Richard

[Arny Krueger]

Post by M***@uwaterloo.ca
I like the Enermax "Noisetaker" power supplies. They have two fans
(both run slower) and a trim pot to control their speed. And the
prices is reasonable too. These are mainstream items.

I've you're marginally mechanically included you can modify most commerical
power supplies to put a Fanmate into the loop. Another good mod is to run
the PS fan off the motherboard. The easy way to do this is to replace the
case fan with a generic fan with long leads.

[Hev]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I've done a lot of research on this lately.

I think the following is the best way to achieve near silence short of
spending big bucks on noise reduction furniture:

Attack the problem at the source. The components that generate the most
noise in a PC are the power supply, CPU fan, and case fans. Hard drives and
Disc Drives are also noise culprits.

Zalman (www.zalmanusa.com) makes great CPU fans that are quiet due to their
large size, heatsink and slower fan rotation.
For cases look at the Sontata made by Antec (http://www.antec.com/us/). They
boast that the case is nearly silent. I have purchased one and it looks like
a nicely constructed case but I haven't tried it yet so I can't comment
about the noise level yet. If the 380Watt power supply that comes with the
Sonata isn't powerful enough to handle your needs look at
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/ for reliable and quiet PSU's. As far as
case fans are concerned always go with the 120mm size fans (check the specs
for noise level). They generate less noise because they can push the same
amount of air that the small fans do but at a slower rate of speed. Use a
drive enclosure like this one
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/smartdrive2002.html to battle the hard
drives.

Now even after all of this your PC will still generate a little noise. If
you find a computer desk that has space for a tower, pad the walls around
the rear of the computer with noise absorption foam. This is the key to
reduce that last bit of noise.

Hope this helps. If I have forgotten something obvious feel free to comment.

[Sean Conolly]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I swapped in a Zalman CPU cooler and a Antec power supply, and that has made
a huge improvement in my old P3 system. It didn't make it silent but it got
it down to pretty quiet.

Sean

[Nick]

I don't mean to dispute the other replies you've received, but I chose a
decidedly less sophisticated path, which worked none-the-less. I built a
sound-deadening enclosure around my PC. It was nothing fancy. It's also
not perfect. But it reduces the noise produced to the point of
inconsequential.

The thing to remember is that much of the noise relates to keeping the CPU
cool. What I did was put the main computer box under my desk. Then,
allowing for sufficient cooling space, I built walls on either side of it
using HEAVY and thick sound absorbing materials. I then put a curtain of
VERY heavy fabric in front of this enclosure, which I close whenever I need
complete silence.

It works. It was cheap. And my CPU has never burned up.

YMMV. Best of luck Jeff.
--
Nick D.
http://cultv.com
http://ironia.net

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.
Jeff

[Pooh Bear]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

Now that modern disk drives have become really quiet, most of the noise
comes from the cooling fans.

I believe that you can now purchase fanless power supplies. They are simply
'more efficiently designed' and don't need forced cooling. That's one
improvement.

Graphics cards often have irritatingly noisy little fans. The smaller a fan
is - the faster it has to turn to move any air - and graphics cards are a
classic example of this problem.

You probably don't need 3D games playing capable graphics for an audio
workstation, so go find a fanless graphics card.

If the chipset has a fan there's not so much you can do about that unless
you're inventive.

CPU coolers are often noisy. Again, it's often the use of small diameter
fans to blame. The Zalman 'flower cooler' IIRC replaces the usual
arangement using a much more efficient and quieter 80mm dia fan.

All fans have the potential to be temperature controlled too, so they don't
need to blow their little hearts out when they don't need to.

Last option. Use bitumen tiles to 'damp' the case panels and reduce
acoustic emissions..



Graham

[J.A.]

Change PSU to something less noisy or fanless
Change CPU cooler to something bigger and effective so it can run slower
Change 3D graphics card to something slower if you dont need it and if you
need the 3D power, make the FAN
bigger in it - theres many accessories for this. heat pipes and stuff.
Place your PC inside bigger cabinet. Cool air from bottom inside cabinet and
Hot air from top outside
of cabinet. All air vents should be invisible and so less audible (facing to
backside of computer).

Some have made huge hole on another side of computer and placed something
like 6.5" or larger fan but these
are special fans that does cost a lot but probably not as much as special
tweaking led lighting pimp my computer fans.

Remember not to use these major official tweaking accessories found from
markets/pc stores since those do cost
and making silent cooling has been here a long time before PC was home
computer.

.jukka

Post by Pooh Bear

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

Now that modern disk drives have become really quiet, most of the noise
comes from the cooling fans.
I believe that you can now purchase fanless power supplies. They are simply
'more efficiently designed' and don't need forced cooling. That's one
improvement.
Graphics cards often have irritatingly noisy little fans. The smaller a fan
is - the faster it has to turn to move any air - and graphics cards are a
classic example of this problem.
You probably don't need 3D games playing capable graphics for an audio
workstation, so go find a fanless graphics card.
If the chipset has a fan there's not so much you can do about that unless
you're inventive.
CPU coolers are often noisy. Again, it's often the use of small diameter
fans to blame. The Zalman 'flower cooler' IIRC replaces the usual
arangement using a much more efficient and quieter 80mm dia fan.
All fans have the potential to be temperature controlled too, so they don't
need to blow their little hearts out when they don't need to.
Last option. Use bitumen tiles to 'damp' the case panels and reduce
acoustic emissions..
Graham

[Robert Morein]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.
Jeff

The quietest computer power supplies in the world are made by Silenx:
http://www.silenx.com/productcart/pc/mainindex.asp

Most of their supplies have fans, but they are inaudible.
A special scimitar fan blade is used, in combination with fluid hydrodynamic
bearings and sorbothane fan mounts.
These units are completely inaudible 12" from the fan outlet, and are
available with active power factor correction up to 600 watts.

Interestingly, they obtain their results with fans that are only 80mm in
diameter. The shape of the blade, and the thin knife-edge are key to the
design.

They also have fanless supplies, but fanless supplies tend to run hotter and
have shorter lives than supplies with fans. In my experience, there is no
advantage to a fanless supply once you've [not] heard a Silenx supply.

Silenx also sells their fans separately, and I have retrofitted my computers
to use Silenx fans for all ventilation tasks.

If you use certain disk drive models with fluid hydrodynamic bearings, there
is no need for noise damping. Among these are the Seagate ST380021A, an 80
gb unit once known as the quietest drive in the world, that's being blown
out for $60 or less. Certain other drives are notably quiet, while some have
audible motor whine, including later Seagates. Zalman does make a nice
isolation mount for disk drives that also has heat pipes, but I see no need
with the ST380021A.

The most difficult problem is the CPU fan. Silenx makes a P4 cooler that I
use with a 2.6 gHz unit. The fastest P4 CPUs are challenging to cool
silently due to the enormous power dissipation. I'm sorry I don't have any
specific advice.

[unknown]

Post by Robert Morein

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.
Jeff

http://www.silenx.com/productcart/pc/mainindex.asp
Most of their supplies have fans, but they are inaudible.
A special scimitar fan blade is used, in combination with fluid hydrodynamic
bearings and sorbothane fan mounts.
These units are completely inaudible 12" from the fan outlet, and are
available with active power factor correction up to 600 watts.
Interestingly, they obtain their results with fans that are only 80mm in
diameter. The shape of the blade, and the thin knife-edge are key to the
design.
They also have fanless supplies, but fanless supplies tend to run hotter and
have shorter lives than supplies with fans. In my experience, there is no
advantage to a fanless supply once you've [not] heard a Silenx supply.
Silenx also sells their fans separately, and I have retrofitted my computers
to use Silenx fans for all ventilation tasks.
If you use certain disk drive models with fluid hydrodynamic bearings, there
is no need for noise damping. Among these are the Seagate ST380021A, an 80
gb unit once known as the quietest drive in the world, that's being blown
out for $60 or less. Certain other drives are notably quiet, while some have
audible motor whine, including later Seagates. Zalman does make a nice
isolation mount for disk drives that also has heat pipes, but I see no need
with the ST380021A.
The most difficult problem is the CPU fan. Silenx makes a P4 cooler that I
use with a 2.6 gHz unit. The fastest P4 CPUs are challenging to cool
silently due to the enormous power dissipation. I'm sorry I don't have any
specific advice.

WOW, that Silenx Luxurae looks amazing! now if I could only find it
somewhere cheap and not for 240 USD. ouch!

[Mike Rivers]

Post by unknown
Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I have been after this problem for several years. I offer myself up to
any manufacturers of "quiet" PC accessories such as fans, heat sinks,
damping material, and even cases to give me their products to evaluate
so that I can write The Compleat Guide to Computer Noise Reduction but
so far not even a $20 fancy fan has come my way. I'm willing to invest
the time in conducting experiments, but I'm not willing to put the
money into solving a problem that I don't really have.

You can build $1200 piece of soundproof computer furniture yourself
for as little as $50, but it won't work as well, it won't look as
good, and it won't give you as easy access to the computer for doing
common things like turning it on or inserting a disk as the $1200 unit
(which has a $200 door on it). Probably for $150, you can build one
that's even quieter.

Like anything else in this business you can always do something
yourself cheaper than a manufacturer who's in the business of making
money selling what you need. But you need to decide how you want to
build it, draw up plans, purchase the materials, cut the pieces,
assemble it, and make it look pretty (if you care). To some, that's
worth $1000.

There's at least one DIY report on the web with a list of materials,
cutting diagrams, and comments on how effective it is. The Googlers
will probably point you to a link or five.s


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (***@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Leoaw3]

I built my own computer silencing desk with input and output fans running
through sound isolation baffle chambers. I don't have plans, but its pretty
darn straightforward looking. You can see some pictures at
http://www.gracesongmusic.com/studio_c_3.htm

and

http://www.gracesongmusic.com/studio_c_4.htm

-lee-

[Nick]

Hey, that's pretty cool. You could probably sell those things.

I considered trying to do something like that but soon found I was too lazy
to build the fans. So I built a fairly large containment area under my work
table and added acoustic foam on the inside to absorb the high frequencies
from the sound. It does get hot in there when I close the front, which is
just a curtain that I made out of layers of heavy mover's packing cloth, but
I leave it open. It's been closed for fairly long periods of time during
long recordings, but I always remember to open it up between takes and I've
never had any kind of problem. But again, there's a good one to three feet
of open space all around the computer box in there.

I don't want to post a picture because it's too embarrassingly amateurish,
BUT it does work. With the curtain closed, it is quiet in here.
--
Nick D.
http://cultv.com
http://ironia.net

Post by Leoaw3
I built my own computer silencing desk with input and output fans running
through sound isolation baffle chambers. I don't have plans, but its pretty
darn straightforward looking. You can see some pictures at
http://www.gracesongmusic.com/studio_c_3.htm
and
http://www.gracesongmusic.com/studio_c_4.htm
-lee-

[Mike Rivers]

Post by Nick
Hey, that's pretty cool. You could probably sell those things.

Right - and if he had any sense, he's sell them for what more than
you'd want to pay. That's the story with craft work.
'

Post by Nick
I don't want to post a picture because it's too embarrassingly amateurish,
BUT it does work. With the curtain closed, it is quiet in here.

This is the sort of thing that people have to put up with if they
aren't prepared to pay for a someone else to do the job neatly and
don't have the skills, tools, materials, or (most likely) inerest to
do a nice job. It's why I bought a car rather than built one. And why
I use a dedicated hard disk recorder instead of futzing with a PC. But
there are many possibilities. To each his own.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (***@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Garrett Cox]

Hey Mike (or anyone for that matter) I've been trying to work on this
box for a while. The biggest snag I run into is making the wire/cable
runs through the box to get to the computer. Can anyone offer up some
ideas on how to pass power and interface cable's into the computer or
card without opening a huge noise leak.

cheers


garrett

Post by Mike Rivers

Post by unknown
Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I have been after this problem for several years. I offer myself up to
any manufacturers of "quiet" PC accessories such as fans, heat sinks,
damping material, and even cases to give me their products to evaluate
so that I can write The Compleat Guide to Computer Noise Reduction but
so far not even a $20 fancy fan has come my way. I'm willing to invest
the time in conducting experiments, but I'm not willing to put the
money into solving a problem that I don't really have.
You can build $1200 piece of soundproof computer furniture yourself
for as little as $50, but it won't work as well, it won't look as
good, and it won't give you as easy access to the computer for doing
common things like turning it on or inserting a disk as the $1200 unit
(which has a $200 door on it). Probably for $150, you can build one
that's even quieter.
Like anything else in this business you can always do something
yourself cheaper than a manufacturer who's in the business of making
money selling what you need. But you need to decide how you want to
build it, draw up plans, purchase the materials, cut the pieces,
assemble it, and make it look pretty (if you care). To some, that's
worth $1000.
There's at least one DIY report on the web with a list of materials,
cutting diagrams, and comments on how effective it is. The Googlers
will probably point you to a link or five.s

[Nick]

PVC pipe stuffed with insulation after you run the wires through? Works on
my isolation booth, but the wall is obviously thicker.
--
Nick D.
http://cultv.com
http://ironia.net

Post by Garrett Cox
Hey Mike (or anyone for that matter) I've been trying to work on this
box for a while. The biggest snag I run into is making the wire/cable
runs through the box to get to the computer. Can anyone offer up some
ideas on how to pass power and interface cable's into the computer or
card without opening a huge noise leak.
cheers
garrett

Post by Mike Rivers

Post by unknown
Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I have been after this problem for several years. I offer myself up to
any manufacturers of "quiet" PC accessories such as fans, heat sinks,
damping material, and even cases to give me their products to evaluate
so that I can write The Compleat Guide to Computer Noise Reduction but
so far not even a $20 fancy fan has come my way. I'm willing to invest
the time in conducting experiments, but I'm not willing to put the
money into solving a problem that I don't really have.
You can build $1200 piece of soundproof computer furniture yourself
for as little as $50, but it won't work as well, it won't look as
good, and it won't give you as easy access to the computer for doing
common things like turning it on or inserting a disk as the $1200 unit
(which has a $200 door on it). Probably for $150, you can build one
that's even quieter.
Like anything else in this business you can always do something
yourself cheaper than a manufacturer who's in the business of making
money selling what you need. But you need to decide how you want to
build it, draw up plans, purchase the materials, cut the pieces,
assemble it, and make it look pretty (if you care). To some, that's
worth $1000.
There's at least one DIY report on the web with a list of materials,
cutting diagrams, and comments on how effective it is. The Googlers
will probably point you to a link or five.s

[Garrett Cox]

Yeah I've thought of that but wanted something a little cleaner. Not
sure what else would work though. I want it to look like a
professional computer isolation box and be very functional. I may end
up with PVC pipe and a towel tho.

cheers

garrett

Post by Nick
PVC pipe stuffed with insulation after you run the wires through? Works on
my isolation booth, but the wall is obviously thicker.
--
Nick D.
http://cultv.com
http://ironia.net

Post by Garrett Cox
Hey Mike (or anyone for that matter) I've been trying to work on this
box for a while. The biggest snag I run into is making the wire/cable
runs through the box to get to the computer. Can anyone offer up some
ideas on how to pass power and interface cable's into the computer or
card without opening a huge noise leak.
cheers
garrett

Post by Mike Rivers

Post by unknown
Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

I have been after this problem for several years. I offer myself up to
any manufacturers of "quiet" PC accessories such as fans, heat sinks,
damping material, and even cases to give me their products to evaluate
so that I can write The Compleat Guide to Computer Noise Reduction but
so far not even a $20 fancy fan has come my way. I'm willing to invest
the time in conducting experiments, but I'm not willing to put the
money into solving a problem that I don't really have.
You can build $1200 piece of soundproof computer furniture yourself
for as little as $50, but it won't work as well, it won't look as
good, and it won't give you as easy access to the computer for doing
common things like turning it on or inserting a disk as the $1200 unit
(which has a $200 door on it). Probably for $150, you can build one
that's even quieter.
Like anything else in this business you can always do something
yourself cheaper than a manufacturer who's in the business of making
money selling what you need. But you need to decide how you want to
build it, draw up plans, purchase the materials, cut the pieces,
assemble it, and make it look pretty (if you care). To some, that's
worth $1000.
There's at least one DIY report on the web with a list of materials,
cutting diagrams, and comments on how effective it is. The Googlers
will probably point you to a link or five.s

[U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles]

Post by Garrett Cox
Yeah I've thought of that but wanted something a little cleaner. Not
sure what else would work though. I want it to look like a
professional computer isolation box and be very functional. I may end
up with PVC pipe and a towel tho.
cheers
garrett

The best solution is to invest in quieter components. You can spend
over $2000 on a fanless case with heat pipe cooling . . .

I opted for an Antec Sonata case with shock mounted drives as "quiet
enough" for my purposes.

Take a look at www.endpcnoise.com

[Garrett Cox]

Except for us Macintosh blokes. Saddly there is little we can do but
stuff it in a closet or an iso-box. The price you pay I guess.

cheers

garrett

Post by U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles

Post by Garrett Cox
Yeah I've thought of that but wanted something a little cleaner. Not
sure what else would work though. I want it to look like a
professional computer isolation box and be very functional. I may end
up with PVC pipe and a towel tho.
cheers
garrett

The best solution is to invest in quieter components. You can spend
over $2000 on a fanless case with heat pipe cooling . . .
I opted for an Antec Sonata case with shock mounted drives as "quiet
enough" for my purposes.
Take a look at www.endpcnoise.com

[Johnny Asia]

ANTEC Noise Killer PSU Gasket for Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-999-256&depa=1

Reduce noise and vibration created by a PC power supply by up to 80%.
Silicone gasket and washers for a wide variety of devices - wont
harden over time and lose effeciveness like other materials.




VANTEC Fan Vibration Dampener Kits,
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-999-209&depa=1

+

Johnny Asia, Guitarist from the Future
http://johnnyasia.info

"When a man describes himself as a "guitarist from
the future" the warning bells go off,
... But Johnny Asia really sounds like he's doing
something new. .....Check the mans' music out
and hear something different."
- Nick Dedina, Staff Writer, Listen.com

[U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles]

Post by Garrett Cox
Except for us Macintosh blokes. Saddly there is little we can do but
stuff it in a closet or an iso-box. The price you pay I guess.

But the PPC-based MACs I've seen have much better heat sinking and
quieter fans than typical PCs.

Is that different depending on the model?

[Garrett Cox]

Well there was a G4 Tower the Dual 1.25 and dual 1.42's that were
pretty damn loud. They got really warm too. They were supposedly using
the server power supply's on the desktop machines and just slowed them
a down a little (the fans) but they were pretty noisey. I have one
prior to that release but it gets noisy compared to my Dual proc G5 at
work which is rediculously quiet.

cheers

garrett

Post by U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles
But the PPC-based MACs I've seen have much better heat sinking and
quieter fans than typical PCs.
Is that different depending on the model?

[Mike Rivers]

Post by Garrett Cox
Hey Mike (or anyone for that matter) I've been trying to work on this
box for a while. The biggest snag I run into is making the wire/cable
runs through the box to get to the computer. Can anyone offer up some
ideas on how to pass power and interface cable's into the computer or
card without opening a huge noise leak.

You could put connectors on the box. Alternately, you could make a
baffle trough for the cables that makes the sound (as well as your
cable) go through a zigzag path from the outside to the inside of the
box. Line it with foam to absorb the energy.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (***@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[anybody-but-bush]

"Jeff" <"fartecho at yahoo dot com"> wrote in message news:***@corp.supernews.com...
: I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
: studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
: dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
: computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.
:
: Jeff

Jeff:

I put mine in the compartment of this desk I bought at ( ahem, sad to say, this was a long
time ago and I no longer shop there but it was) Wal-Mart. It cost $100 bucks.
Loading Image...

I replaced the power supply and fans in the PC with Zallman units which quieted it down quite
a bit. I put dynamat on the metal panels of the PC case. I put the PC on "little feet" brand,
zorbothane feet, sold to put under audio equipment. I tested with a thermometer in the cabinet
and keeping the PC pushed up around the hole in the back keeps the compartment under 85
degrees F in my basement during the summer in Atlanta. Leaving space around the hole makes the
compartment get a lot hotter.

It is not silent, but it is about as loud as my laptop when the fan comes on. I leave space
around the back so I can walk back there and hook stuff up, but if there was another blanket
forming a cowling around the back I bet it would quiet it down even more. The whole desk and
fans and feet thing should cost under $300 and the desk aint bad for holding two monitors.

I did modify the right side to hold the rack mount stuff . It was a elliptical book shelf when
I got it.

Phil Abbate

[L David Matheny]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available? Somehow a piece of soundproof
computer furniture for 1200 dollars just doesn't do it for me.

Here's another reading resource:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

[Timo Haanpää]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available?

Nexus in the Netherlands makes great "silent" PC products such as
fans and cases, but I am not sure if they are available in the USA.
Their website is here: http://www.nexustek.nl

Timo

[spud]

Post by unknown
I've got a PC that I (unfortunately) have to keep in my newly made home
studio due to a lack of space...any suggestions for the best sound
dampening/eliminating options available?

I have more time than money and what's a very old PC now so I built a
"bucket system" out of a 2 gal plastic milk jug and a $20 aquarium
pump. Been snorkeling along about 18 months now. I made syncs for both
the CPU and the NS bridge out of aluminum and epoxy. It's a chain
using 1/4in clear tubing. I have a G400 fanless video card. I also
built a wooden skeleton of sorts and used mini bungy cord to shock
mount the HDs, so no vibration, they are suspended. I put a pot on the
PS fan. A new supply would be cool.
If I could learn to throw things away I wouldn't need 3 giant
shrieking hard drives but I can't. It's hopeless.
I started the quest by building a huge, incredibly ugly box with kind
of labyrinth air ducts out of sheet rock and duct tape, lined with
foam but the door wasn't thought out well enough and the wiring was
impossible to deal with when trouble shooting or experimenting with
new components. It just got abandoned. Plus the length of the
labyrinth used up all the cord length which necessitated having the
box very close to the user. Cord extensions didn't work properly. I
finally abandoned the project. It is now a table and conversation
piece filled with mislabeled DVD backups. Ok, my spell check is
complete, I had seven misspelled words,.. good luck. s.

[S O'Neill]

Post by spud
pump. Been snorkeling along about 18 months now. I made syncs for both
the CPU and the NS bridge out of aluminum and epoxy. It's a chain
piece filled with mislabeled DVD backups. Ok, my spell check is
complete, I had seven misspelled words,.. good luck. s.

Eight. Sinks, not syncs.