Quiet case fans

[ElementalDragon]

eeeh..... dunno how much i like the idea of the standoffs.... since wouldn't that kinda require extra screw holes drilled into the side of the case (both sides actually..... since left and right have a mesh hole), or would i just use the screws that are holding the mesh in, but put tiny bolts there instead? i dunno.... i'll have to look around for stuff. GOD.... that means my case will get slightly MORE heavy. WHY!!!!!! (effing steel..... they should start using Titanium. lol)

 

[Mainframeguy]

I hate this thread - it has made me feel all mad...

ED - justa little time over at the link I posted would have saved tou a lot of time money and energy typing all these posts...

you seem obsessed with identifying the culprit and seem to think you need to do something fancy to do this.... Well sometimes simple is good.... to "find" your noisiest fan - take open case - apply finger (or matchstick if you are a wuss) and STOP any chosen fan for long enough to hear the diff.... simple no? Nothing will come to any harm from a stoppage - likely you can keep it stopped for a minute or thereabouts with no harm done - giving you option to stop different combos and hear them one by one if you wish. That sort of advice and a shed load more is all over at SPCR - alongside some quite serious guidance about the rather expert business of ducting and the like.

Sometimes it pays to listen and learn from those more expert and experienced than oneself - when I want to quiet a computer that is what I do over at that forum. Oh yeah - and they are pretty friendly too... if a little obsessive at times (but as I said , sounds like you would fit right in there ATM!)

OK - unsubscribing and my last post here - do not want to get riled up again, as you say Stateside

 

[ElementalDragon]

actually, MFG... since you asked..... i'm still satisfied with what i've done so far. no matter what i was gonna order a new CPU fan. why? just in case i decide to do a slight overclock in the near future. that way i'll have ample cooling for the CPU as well as it being rather quiet cooling. i DO plan on changing the VGA cooler too, probably when the Accelero X1 is released supposedly at the end of February. and i'd rather NOT stop the fan that is cooling a $300 piece of hardware, since if it's pushing that much air that fast, it probably needs quite a bit of that air to stay at the temperature that it's at.

As for the acrylic on the inside of the side panels of the case..... it's still a WIP. didn't start yet.... but kinda tryin to find somewhere local that might have sheets of Acrylic that are thicker than 1/8". unless i just get two of that for each side panel.... and have 2-ply acrylic on the inside.

 

[ElementalDragon]

off-the-fan-topic: would just about any type of foam work as sound dampening foam? cause there's this one thing in the closet here that's been there for ages that i could probably cut apart and put between the acrylic and the metal panel around the huge hole at some point in time.

 

[LeeJend]

eeeh..... dunno how much i like the idea of the standoffs.... since wouldn't that kinda require extra screw holes drilled into the side of the case (both sides actually..... since left and right have a mesh hole), or would i just use the screws that are holding the mesh in, but put tiny bolts there instead? i dunno.... i'll have to look around for stuff. GOD.... that means my case will get slightly MORE heavy. WHY!!!!!! (effing steel..... they should start using Titanium. lol)

Drill? Nah. Use hot glue or JB Quick Weld (super expoxy). Or you could use the existing screw holes. The JB Weld would probably stand up better than the hot glue. I'd use one or two screwx (off the existing screen screws) for some mechanical strength.

I agree on the weight whine. My Antec case weighs a ton. The added weight for the plastic covers will be negligible.

Yes, any type of foam will work. Styrofoam, sponge rubber, the bubble bags they used to ship MB's in. If you add the plastic inner panel I'm not sure now much extra the foam will buy you.

The key is first block the sound path out the mesh and then try to make as many material density changes as possible for the sound path. The air-plastic-air-metal-air setup gives 5 changes.

If you want cheap and dirty stand offs... Roll up some duct tape sticky side out (easier said than done) until it's 1/4 inch thick. Stick 8 of them to the side cover and then press the plexiglass down on them.

Note, you can beta test the project using cardboard from an old box (usually free from super markets) instead of the plexiglass.

 

[ElementalDragon]

eeh.... decided that... for right now, since i accidentally bought bolts that seem like they'd be a tad too short, i'm gonna just use the side panel and the acrylic, until i feel like buying longer bolts so the mesh will fit. right now i think the mesh will be JUST thick enough to not let me put washers on the other side of the acrylic. then again..... do i really NEED washers on it? it's not like it's gonna move much since i got a drill bit that's barely bigger than the bolt itself, so the nuts should only scratch it a tad where the bolts come through, if i tighten it too much. either way, it'll be pretty much hidden anyway.

edit: what about the foam?

 

[LeeJend]

you seem obsessed with identifying the culprit and seem to think you need to do something fancy to do this.... Well sometimes simple is good.... to "find" your noisiest fan - take open case - apply finger (or matchstick if you are a wuss) and STOP any chosen fan for long enough to hear the diff.... simple no?

Bad advise, last time my finger or a qtip stick hit the blades of a fan peices of finger and fan blade went flying every direction. A 3500 RPM, 2 inch fan has an angular velocity of about 15 feet per second and sharp edges.

 

[ElementalDragon]

yeah...... especially with how many fan blades they cram into that TINY area. it's like what...... a 2 inch fan with at least 10 blades?

 

[LeeJend]

Why do you want the plastic thicker than 1/8"?

The thickness just needs to be enough so it doesn't resonate (act like a drum head). The sound deadening comes from the soundwave deflection caused by the air material interface unless you use foam or cork.

BTW Foam and cork stop sound the same way, by having many material state changes as the sound tries to pass threw them. The material is full of tiny air bubbles and material density changes.

 

[ElementalDragon]

yeah..... i may just cut out squares of the thing (as long as my mom doesn't care.... which i don't think will be a problem, since the thing was never used. it's one of those foam things with the huge bumps that usually go under a bedspread or somethin) and put them in the front of the unused drive bays...... maybe even beind the first door, where i have access to the drive clips and stuff.

 

[muzikool]

*Off-topic* Elemental, I got your PM but can't send you one back. Your PM box is full.

 

[ElementalDragon]

off topic: hmm.... guess i'll have to get to that, Muzi. should have space when you read this....

Lee: u think it'd help to put the foam in the unused drive bays? or would it be somewhat useless since there are 3 doors, and would only serve to make the optical drives warmer. now that i think about it...... DO optical drives get warm/hot?

 

[ElementalDragon]

update: just got one of the acrylic side panels in (sadly without the mesh. ) and i can already notice a difference, though there's some noise comin through the other side panel. HOPEFULLY i'll have that fixed tomorrow, as well as maybe some longer bolts so i can put the mesh in there too.

 

[Admiral Michael]

Bad advise, last time my finger or a qtip stick hit the blades of a fan peices of finger and fan blade went flying every direction. A 3500 RPM, 2 inch fan has an angular velocity of about 15 feet per second and sharp edges.

It would be easier to apply pressure to the middlle of the fan. That way nothing breaks.

 

[ElementalDragon]

Update: well, the acrylic windows have now been completely installed for a day..... moderate drop in audible noise. If anyone wants to see some pics of the finished product, just say so, and when i move the case to the OTHER side of the desk probably tomorrow (since it's a shame to have such nice windows in it now..... but the side that's facing something OTHER than the side of my desk is the side with the motherboard tray..... can see where i'm goin there), just say so, and i'll take a pic or a few, and make a little "ED's case mod" thread with the pics.