Dampening Material

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im probably going to be using some sort of dampening material when i build my new rig w/in the next 6 months.

should i buy commercial equipment (such as this: http://www.frozencpu.com/noi-02.html) or can i just use cardboard?

im already running farther into my budget than id like, and im trying to efficiently cut corners.

my goal is to build a silent/extremely quiet PC, and some sort of noise dampening material would aid me. id be sticking this on the side panel, in the drive bays (to reduce vibration), and on the screws of the fans (to also reduce vibration).

the question is would cardboard be effective enough, or do i actually need to buy a commercial product to do what i need it to do? cost effective is great, but silence is my main priority.
 
The stuff you posted the link to at FrozenCPU is very good stuff... cheaper at Sharka Computers though. You can also pick up Dynamat from any car stereo store. It's basically the same thing but you can get a larger sheet that you can cut down to size for a little less (unless you get the really righ quality stuff with the aluminum backing sheet). I'd pass on the cardboard though.
 
ok so no go on cardboard. that dampening mat stuff seems nice.

so theres no practical use for cardboard? should i just use foam to isolate fans and drives then? because i have plenty of cardboard lying around.... far more than foam. :p
 
I personally attack the noise where it starts - the fans and harddrives. I line the side of the fan that touches the case with foam - the cheap stuff at home depot used to line window-sills. It comes in a roll and a variety of sizes and is under $3. If you do it right, you can't even see it, and it works great.

As for harddrives, you can probably use the stuff by lining the sides of the drive where it comes into contact with the case, but I have not done this myself.
 
I've used both the Akasa and Dynamat sound absorbtion mats and IMHO they are a waste of money. The Dynamat in particular raised my temps a few degrees and was almost impossible to remove once applied.

The Akasa is better but not really worth the money in relation to the amount of noise it reduces. I agree with DarkenReaper57 in that it is better to attack noise at its source. I recommend rubber fan silencers and/or hard drives strips
 
I've silenced individual components with fan/HDD/PSU silencers and was very happy with them, I've also used Dynamat in my car and Akasa in my PCs. I saw a very minor increase in temps which didn't concern me much since I watercool and the heat from the CPU/GPU/NB were expelled through the radiators which also served to exhaust ambient heat.

Yes, It's very difficult to remove. If you use sound matting or acoustic foam be sure you're planning on leaving it there.

Been looking for a review of the Zalman TNN 500A Totally Noiseless Case, not that I'd spend $1300 on a case but I'd like to see if an entire case used as a passive heatpipe cooler actually works and if so, how well.
 
The HDD that i will be buying is a seagate, so thats already quiet, and all i have to worry about is vibration. same w/ the fans. ill be buying nexus and panaflo fans and using a fanbus.

the CPU cooler im using is the arctic cooling Freezer 64 (http://www.arctic-cooling.com/cpu2.php?idx=10&disc=), which is near silent to begin w/. its going to be undervolted to 9v, and i dont think that vibration will be too much of an issue w/ it.

so should i just not bother using cardboard at all? i guess i wont actually be using dampening material, but i still want to isolate drives and fans. would cardboard be effective, or would foam be more effective? i dont feel like spending 4$ per fan by buying rubber isolators, and however much for HDD isolators. im overbudget as it is, and dont have that kind of extra money to spend.

were talking foam thats used under motherboards in their retail boxes.
 
Given the choice between cardboard and foam (dampening material) I would definitatly choose the foam. While I cannot say cardboard would be just as effective, I just don't like the idea of using cardboard in a case - IMHO the idea is just too "ghetto" for my tastes.

If almost silence is your main priority I think the Zalman case would be a good fit for you if you can afford it. Not all motherboards and video cards are supported so be sure to check their site for compatiblity with their case.

In relation to Panaflo fans, I have my secondary case outlined with (7) 80mm Panaflos ( FBA08A12L). I paid a premium for the Panaflos thinking they would lower the noise, but honestly, they haven't really made much of a difference. I wouldn't go as far to say "a fan is just a fan," but I don't think the Panaflos are really worth the extra cost in relation to their cfm output with lower cost fans.

Directron did a Noise Shootout for 80mm fans awhile back that may help you decide on what to get.
 
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