OT: Soundproofing a computer

[lunchmoney]

So my new tower computer has a nice quiet case, but the graphics card fans get quite loud when it’s working hard (high rez gaming for instance).

So I’m thinking of how I might make it quieter. Unfortunately it’s not possible to change the fans on the graphics card…

So I was thinking about building an mdf box around around the tower, with a big mousehole in the back to run cables, and a very quiet 6” computer fan mounted into the top of the front of the box to draw hot air out of the box. There would also have to some some sort of hinging door so that the disc drive, usb ports, etc on the front of the computer can be accessed.

In addition to the ¾” layer of mdf, should I consider any additional layers of material on the inside of the box to aid in the soundproofing? Maybe just go thicker with the mdf?

Other thoughts on how best to sound proof the computer?

Thanks

[XtremeRevolution]

This brings to mind how people reduce noise in cars (http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi). By the way, you can always change the cooling on a video card, even if you have to upgrade to water cooling to do it. What video card are we talking about specifically?

I wouldn't build an MDF box around it. You need a bit more air cooling than a single 6" fan.

[technodanvan]

I would definitely look into swapping out the fan on the graphics card, but first you can look at the software that comes with it. There are usually different sound profiles that can make the card idle very quietly, so when you're just watching a movie or listening to music it should not be terribly annoying. Of course it will spool up when playing a videogame though.

Also, you can try moving your computer to a different location. A lot of people like having the tower on their desk but you have to be realistic with what that means - any noise it makes will be right next to you. If you put it on the floor it will be much quieter, especially if you have a big desk that can block a lot of noise. Even if you already have it on the floor you can try moving it to a new location, or even try building a "shield" of sorts to abate the noise for the time being, just to see what works.

I, too, would definitely avoid sticking it in an MDF box. You will have heat problems.

[JCSquats]

Ditto on the heat issue - biggest menace to CPUs/graphics cards.

Depending on how much you want to spend, you could check out liquid cooled options. That said, the pumps used aren't always silent, but you can find them to be pretty quiet.

[lunchmoney]

What video card are we talking about specifically?

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

I don't think the fans can be upgraded, I was told they couldn't be...

[lunchmoney]

Of course it will spool up when playing a videogame though.

That's the problem. Loud when playing games. Otherwise I can't hear it.

[Face]

As mentioned above, water cooling(plenty of kits available for processors and vid cards (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=575&name=Water-Liquid-Cooling)), dynamat the case, better case, better case fans(Noctua (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Manufactory=12454&N=50012454&IsNodeId=1&SpeTabStoreType=0)), dynamat on panels in case, and SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=119&name=SSD)'s for your OS, web browser, and games.

You can even build a bass trap, or something similar to stand beside the PC on the side you sit, but enclosing it in a MDF case is a bad idea.

[lunchmoney]

As for the box I'm envisioning, it would be quite a bit larger than the computer case itself, with lots of air between the computer case and the box... I might also just make the back completely open, although I liked the idea of making it open only at the bottom of the back so that the fan up top is pulling in fresh air from the floor.

Still seem like a bad idea?

[lunchmoney]

dynamat on panels in case

Yeah I was thinking about that... is it effective? Does it cause any heat problems by effectively insulating the case? Obviously I wouldn't cover any vents, fan openings, etc.

[XtremeRevolution]

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

I don't think the fans can be upgraded, I was told they couldn't be...

They always can be. It's more of a matter of waiting for manufacturers to list compatibility with heatsinks on newer cards. they're typically pretty generic.

This one is listed as compatible, and very quiet.

http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/376/accelero-xtreme-plus-ii.html

Here it is on Newegg in a model specifically designed for the Radeon 7800/7900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186064

[XtremeRevolution]

Yeah I was thinking about that... is it effective? Does it cause any heat problems by effectively insulating the case? Obviously I wouldn't cover any vents, fan openings, etc.

I argued with many people here but was convinced after actually using and testing Don's products (www.soundeadenershowdown.com). Bang for the buck, you can't beat his CLD tiles. You need a 25% coverage to deaden a panel. 4 CLD tiles should be more than enough for a computer case, and it is vastly superior to dynamat.

[lunchmoney]

They always can be. It's more of a matter of waiting for manufacturers to list compatibility with heatsinks on newer cards. they're typically pretty generic.

This one is listed as compatible, and very quiet.

http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/376/accelero-xtreme-plus-ii.html

Here it is on Newegg in a model specifically designed for the Radeon 7800/7900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186064

Thanks!

I'll definitely check those out.

[scottq]

I concur on the water cooling. There are several very reasonable options out there nowadays. But, you said you weren't up for changing the fan on the card - perhaps its a big integrated heat-pipe and you don't want to deal with it... and I don't blame you.

I suggest:
A box within a box. The inner box (case) would be "suspended" by a few well-placed threaded rods to minimize energy transfer to the MDF box. 1/2" stock would be sufficient with this technique, but 3/4" would be better. The problems are going to be thermal management.

Lining the inside and outside of the metal PC case with Dynamat, home center asphalt-based roofing material, or whatever your flavor of choice is a good start to help squelch some of that higher frequency resonance energy in the flimsy steel case. On top of the damping, inside the case, add a thin layer of poly/acoustic foam - 3/8" - 1/2" thick is good start and doesn't usually impede with much in the case. Do the same on the outside of the case.

For the case fan inlet (usually on the front of the PC case), you'll need to "box in" a duct, sealing it to the case and perforated area on the front of the MDF case (not a big hole, use a bunch of small perforated ones). A Nexus Wave-Air fan duct would be a good starting point. I would consider stacking two or three fans on top of each other to maintain a lower pressure drop and get more air into the case (the flow resistance can be overcome by literally stacking the fans).

You'll still have the screaming fan noise emanating from the vented slots on the back of your graphics card though. The internal back wall of the MDF case opposing this outlet should have a large, thick layer of acoustic foam (1" or more) to help absorb the immediate energy.

A good way to deal with the video card and rear case fan (use as big as possible with slow speed, and remove/cut out the perforated holes where the air is flowing - just leave the four outside corner holes to mount the fan) noise would be to have the inside walls of the MDF box lined with acoustic diffusers. a simple approach would be strips of 1/4" plywood protruding from the MDF at varying spacing - think of looking at floor joists "sticking out" from the floor. The energy will "bounce" off these numerous times, getting reabsorbed by the acoustic foam each time, greatly reducing their energy. This is much more effective than just coating the wall with foam only. I suggest 1" tall diffusers (spaced 1-2 inches apart) and 1" thick acoustic foam placed against the MDF wall between them. Leave a gap of at least 2" between the "top" of this foam and the "top" of the foam mounted to the PC case. This channel/air gap is large enough to allow two large diameter, slow RPM fans on the top to suck the hot air out. I would suggest 2 or 3 140mm 500rpm fans, pulling about 150 CFM total (rated, not under real-life pressure/vacuum loss, of course).

And, of course, you'll want to "seal up" the mouse hole(s) for the wires pretty well to prevent leakage/draw through them.

Assuming a normal "mid tower" case dims of about: 18" x 18" x 8.3"
8.3" + 2x(1/16" rubber/asphalt damping + 1/2" foam + 2" air gap + 1" acoustic foam + 3/4" MDF) = ~17" wide
18" + 2x(1/16" rubber/asphalt damping + 1/2" foam + 2" air gap + 1" acoustic foam + 3/4" MDF) = ~26.6" deep and tall.

Of course, this will take a lot of time and preparation to do right. It will be a PITA, but it will work very well providing fans are chosen well and the door and inlet duct are well designed. (check out www.quietpcusa.com or endpcnoise.com) . It really depends on how much you dislike the noise. Shoving the PC in the closet with some extension cables is a lot easier ;) LOL

[scottq]

I guess I'm the odd man out. If properly executed, accounting for flow and pressure losses correctly, an MDF box as described will work great... but it's complicated and a giant PITA, as noted before. In this case, its more the challenge that attracts me - there are certainly much easier and cheaper ways to get a significant reduction in noise.

The "silent" heatsink upgrades are good, but keep in mind they're deisgned for "reference" cards - not sure if your Sapphire uses the AMD/ATI reference board layout or not. Usually with a little tweaking, they can still be used...

Please keep us posted - I'm curious what your final execution will be. Before and after measurements would be nice :)

[lunchmoney]

Sounds like the best place to start is with a fan upgrade like XR recommended. Looks like it needs some slight modification, a bit of dremeling, but that doesn't scare me.

[XtremeRevolution]

Sounds like the best place to start is with a fan upgrade like XR recommended. Looks like it needs some slight modification, a bit of dremeling, but that doesn't scare me.

Hmm. Does your card not have the reference PCB?

I think the fan upgrade might just be enough, unless your hard drive makes considerable noise. Once you get the fan installed, run a program called ATI Tray Tools, which I believe will allow you to map your own custom fan speeds, among a few other things.

[lunchmoney]

Hmm. Does your card not have the reference PCB?

No idea what that means. I'm really not a big computer guy. A friend put it together for me.

[technodanvan]

Another thing to look at is the case itself, if you reduce the internal heat in the case the fans on the card will be able to move cooler air.

I don't think Dynamat (or similar) will do anything for you since what you are hearing is the fan, not panel vibration. Using foam 'can' help, but it will also increase the internal temperature and possibly make the fans run louder yet....assuming they aren't already at 100%.

Can you post a picture of the computer case internals?

[kmibb]

So I was thinking about building an mdf box around around the tower, with a big mousehole in the back to run cables, and a very quiet 6” computer fan mounted into the top of the front of the box to draw hot air out of the box. There would also have to some some sort of hinging door so that the disc drive, usb ports, etc on the front of the computer can be accessed.


You'd need a hole in the front for cool air intake as well.

[philiparcario]

This is right up my alley> I used to post on this board a lot and I have posted less due to my drifting in to QUIET DIY PC BUILDS. Fans fans fans fans fans fans fans .

Okay now that I have your attention. Buy the 3x fan listed above. Install it and test for the difference in sound.


this is one of the best quiet coolers.

http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/376/accelero-xtreme-plus-ii.html


let us have a link to the case.

[ckmoore]

Another thing to look at is the case itself, if you reduce the internal heat in the case the fans on the card will be able to move cooler air.

I don't think Dynamat (or similar) will do anything for you since what you are hearing is the fan, not panel vibration. Using foam 'can' help, but it will also increase the internal temperature and possibly make the fans run louder yet....assuming they aren't already at 100%.

Can you post a picture of the computer case internals?

I concur. Give your video card cooler air, and it will run quieter. The key is modern cases that have large fans, (200mm, multiples)
This is mine, its wonderful in keeping cool air coming in, and exhausting warm air. And its quiet. And affordable.

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2970&product_name=CM%20690%20II%20Advanced

$90 at Newegg

[XtremeRevolution]

No idea what that means. I'm really not a big computer guy. A friend put it together for me.

Video cards are generally designed by ATI or Nvidia on what we call a reference board. It's a specific layout of parts on that board that doesn't change between most companies. If you were to take an AMD branded Radeon 7850 and take a PowerColor branded Radeon 7850, then take the heatsinks off both of them, you would not be able to tell the difference. The only big change between video cards is the heatsink/fan combo, and any factory overclocking.

There are a few uncommon video cards sold by other companies such as XFX that do not use the reference PCB, and instead use their own PCB for whatever reason. The layout is different, and the location of some components is not too friendly to aftermarket coolers, which is where you may need to make modifications.

In this particular case, PowerColor uses the reference PCB as well as the reference fan/heatsink, so the upgrade to the 3-fan heatsink I and Philip recommended should bolt up perfectly fine with no modifications needed.

The recommendations for more modern cases is a good one, but should you choose not to upgrade and still require good internal airflow, I would also recommend that you consider purchasing some better fans. Particularly, the Silverstone fans come to mind. Something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220014

Instead of the typical 7-blade design that most 120mm fans come with, the Silverstone fans have a 9-blade design, that allows them to have a lower noise-to-airflow ratio. While I prefer Silverstone, here's another example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129055

If your case uses 80mm fans, I'd recommend upgrading the case instead.

[donradick]

The best site on the Internet for silencing PC noise:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

Here's a thread on your 7850 card:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=64127&p=557073&hilit=7850#p557073

IMHO, take a phased approach - the Dynamat / CLD solutions discussed will help a lot.
If that's not enough, look at an aftermarket fan.

[Ryan]

If you could isolate the frequency at which the fan produces the most noise you could just use a notch filter!:)

[bkeane1259]

Didn't read all the responses, but make sure that it is indeed your video card fans that are revving like a jet engine. Several of your internal fans are likely auto speed-controlled, so it could be a combination of case fans, CPU fan + GPU fans that, combined, are screaming when you run the PC hard.

I agree with the comments about keeping overall temps as low as possible and therefore keeping fan speeds at low RPM’s. Also, don’t know how old your PC is, but please ensure that there isn’t dust build-up on your heat sink fins for your CPU and GPU. Can’t tell you how many times I have worked on somebody’s PC and have had to blow out a crap-load of dust that was causing overly high core temps and thus, causing the fans to roar 24/7.

Zalman (http://www.newegg.com/Store/BrandSubCategory.aspx?Brand=1647&SubCategory=573&name=Case-Fans) makes very nice, quiet, affordable case fans. Use the rubber mounts on case fans to minimize vibration --- they work awesome and cost nothing.

[ericanderson]

Lunch, with your woodworking skills I think you could outdo this guy.http://slipperyskip.com/ eric

[greywarden]

My dual GTX 480s are LOUD when I'm gaming. My next phase was to water cool the cards, I have a Corsair H100 on my CPU, and eventually run an entire loop. As far as quiet and efficient fans go, the Gentle Typhoon AP15 is king. Quieter than Noctua and flows more air. And remember, fan specs on resellers sites are generally garbage, because it's like listening to 2 different speakers, in different price ranges, in different rooms and saying one is better than the other.

[ericanderson]

I was thinking of this model http://slipperyskip.com/page31.html it's a metal computer inside a wood cabinet
eric

[technodanvan]

I was thinking of this model http://slipperyskip.com/page31.html it's a metal computer inside a wood cabinet
eric

Except it is quoted as using "an industrial grade Delta fan", which is definitely not quiet. Looks nice though! :)

[MerlinWerks]

Briefly mentioned earlier, any chance you can move the tower to a different location? I'm lucky enough to be able to position my PCs on shelves in my basement below where I sit. Ran the necessary cables up though the wall. Wireless mouse/keyboard and an ODD in an external enclosure and you are good to go.

[jeff_free69]

As for the box I'm envisioning, it would be quite a bit larger than the computer case itself, with lots of air between the computer case and the box...

Still seem like a bad idea?


I did this on my previous DAW build . But that fan was pretty noisy, so I mounted it on the end of a dryer vent which ran thru the wall out of the control room. Also covered the box with an acoustic blanket. Never caused any problem. I was able to record vocals standing right next to it.

My current DAW has the extra large fans built in, so they're pretty quiet (and no fans on the graphics), so I'm getting away without the box now.

[lucasa.miller]

Don't build the MDF box, get this http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/430/accelero-s1-plus.html?c=2182 cooler you can get it off newegg for less than $50. No fan, totally silent, it's a GIANT heatsink. It even comes with heatsinks for the ram.

If your CPU is still loud, get the biggest Noctua CPU cooler that will fit. If your panels rattle, sound deadener on them.