pentimentosound
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 10:08:16
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FWIW, I wouldn't line a case with fabric with hopes that it'll "absorb" high frequency noise.  That's going to take more density than a thin bit of fabric.
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 14:27:12
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I wondered about the heat and dust aspects of the fabric. Anything else that stuck out for you, Jim? Any positives? I have a little awareness of cases, but other than the HP Z Workstations, I haven't seen much radically new. Do any stick out in your opinion/experience? Michael
post edited by pentimentosound - 2016/09/08 14:51:38
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slartabartfast
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 14:49:15
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I agree that a layer or two of cotton terrycloth is not much of a sound absorber, or for that matter as a vibration isolator for mounting the case fans. A key point to this design is that a bulky heat sink has been added to the graphics card. For a DAW, the simple solution is to use a less demanding graphics card with a fanless heat sink. The large low speed fans replacing the graphics card and PSU fans are probably going to account for the major part of the noise improvement.
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Eddie TX
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 16:02:37
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This project appears to be aimed at a gaming machine, which does require a hefty video card. I like his solution for cooling that, but this is of limited relevance to a DAW.
And I'd be a little nervous about flammable material anywhere in the case, despite what he says about the PSU being isolated from the towels.
IME, the type of case is less important than the internal components if you're going for a quiet machine. Large fans, SSDs, quiet PSU, and a fanless video card will give you a virtually silent PC regardless of what "sound-absorbing" features the case has.
Cheers,
Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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bapu
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 17:38:59
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One word (brand name)
Antec.
Out of the box the quietest cases I've ever owned (I own three and have Antec PSU in all of them, P-180s).
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 18:40:10
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Thanks Bapu. My first build had an Antec case (P4 that still works)and an ASUS mobo. I am still impressed with that case.
When I think/toy with the idea of upgrading my current mobo to something with usb-C and DDR4 or 5, I figure I'll upgrade this Thermaltake Versa H23 GAMING CHASSIS case then.
I do have large fans, and a quiet PS, but the Seagate drives are HHD (C=1Tb. D and E are both 2Tb). My AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB has a fan, however. I suppose I could replace that and quiet things down, some.
Thanks to all for the tips/advice. I appreciate it.
Michael
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Eddie TX
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 18:59:44
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Tip for those not yet ready to spring for large SSDs: buy cheaper laptop HDDs (2.5") and put them into vibration-reducing 3.5" adapters -- I've used the NoVibes units with great success. Never hear a peep from those drives. Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/08 19:28:26
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Hmmm, that sounds (or doesn't LOL) like an interesting path.
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patm300e
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/09 07:52:26
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bapu
One word (brand name)
Antec.
Out of the box the quietest cases I've ever owned (I own three and have Antec PSU in all of them, P-180s).
+1 Antec user here. I have had a few. Still using the Sonata. Took the stupid door off though!
 SPLAT on a Home built i3 16 GB RAM 64-bit Windows 10 Home Premium 120GB SSD (OS) 2TB Data Drive. Behringer XR-18 USB 2.0 Interface. FaderPort control.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/09 09:16:04
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Cases lined with acoustic treatment are a good idea.
Not to quiet noisy parts (that won't happen)... but to help reduce/eliminate vibration related noise
A quiet PC is the sum of all parts.
High density foam would (IMO) work better than the fabric (for vibration related noise).
You won't be able to use material thick enough (inside the case) to absorb high-frequency noise.
The solution is simple. Don't use components that make significant noise.
We've thought about building custom cases.
That means a machine shop... and getting into fabrication.
Cost/time would be significant. For most folks, not worth the expense.
Using large heatsinks and low-RPM fans will result in low noise.
Newer GTX video cards have fans that only run under heavier loads.
For DAW work, that's going to be silent.
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/09 09:51:58
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I have read/checked out Sweetwater, your Purrrfect Audio, and lots of others sites for the silent PC options, so acoustic treatment seemed a sensible choice. Frankly, using fabric seemed a cheap/cheesy choice. I certainly am not going to have a custom made case. I'd been wondering about putting the PC in a closet... "further away" from my monitoring position, as it would have to be 25+' away to go in the "next" room and that seemed more problematic than replacing/upgrading components. When my wife and I were able to get new desktops, we bought these to start things rolling (after Chapter 7 and then recovering from that) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227593 I suppose a gaming case like the Versa (above) isn't that "silent DAW friendly" and is more about heat dispersion....? Anyway, silent PC is on my list along with upgrading the mobo and RAM. I will keep the graphics card in mind, though maybe I'll just use the "onboard" one. Michael
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/13 06:18:37
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pentimentosound
I'd been wondering about putting the PC in a closet... "further away" from my monitoring position, as it would have to be 25+' away to go in the "next" room and that seemed more problematic than replacing/upgrading components.
If your audio interfaces can work properly via a USB extender, then the "next" room would be cheap and most effective. all other connections (HDMI, etc) are no problem to extend. FYI, I got one of these quite cases, but it wasn't quiet enough for my liking, so I was only happy after moving the PC to a separate tech room. I also got an true silent all passive DAW, but that serves as all purpose PC & mobile DAW (not installed in the studio); this, however, comes at a high $$$ price (though I love that it's really not audible) ... and it creates a lot of heat ...
post edited by Rob[at]Sound-Rehab - 2016/09/13 06:40:04
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/13 08:52:32
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Jim Roseberry advised me that 15' was about as long as a usb audio cable should be. My next room is a bath, so I would have to go at least 25', unless I figure out a way to put in the hallway unobtrusively (that would be a trick, too! LOL).
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/13 10:33:39
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FWIW, Much less hassle to just make the PC quiet.
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/13 11:10:37
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So I see... or should that be, hear? As in, don't want to hear!
i7 4790k 4Ghz 16gb+4HDD, Win10, ASUS G74s Laptop i7 2670QM 2.2ghz-16gb, Win10. CbB, Mixbus4, Studio One3 Artist, Z3ta2, RapturePro, GPO5, GS2, EP4, IK TR5, AT4, MP2, Melodyne Stud4, PSP(22), PS kits, BFD2, GA4, 18i20, PreSonus MP20A(BurrBrown), ISA One, Warm Audio WA76, ADK Thor, M160, RAB1, MA200, MA101fet, E100s, e835, EquatorD5, YSM-1, GoldDigger, CherryPicker, Kurz K2500, Aura Spectrum, ControlPad, PRRI, 17 ac & elec gtrs-mandos+bass, lap steels, banjo, fiddle, harmonicas+perc
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tzzsmk
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/09/25 04:54:52
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2016/09/25 09:02:22
there are easier way to make PC quiet:
1) Fractal Design Define R5 case with pre-applied "heavy" dampening (empty case weighs over 10kg)
2) Noctua NH-U14S or D15S cpu cooler, 140mm fan can go below 300rpm or even fully passive to cool down even overclocked cpu
3) get rid of all HDDs and get SSDs instead - zero noise
4) most graphics cards nowadays don't spin up their fans unless getting over 60C, and MSI Afterburner lets you tweak the fan speeds curve anyway
5) decent power supply will not spin the fan either, unless heavy loaded
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BRainbow
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/10/05 01:21:16
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<<<Fractal Design Define R5 case with pre-applied "heavy" dampening>>
+1 on this baby. I have two R4's and it is a great case for many reasons including space, accessibility, flexbility and quietude.
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jimfogle
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/10/08 21:38:31
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2016/10/09 09:28:45
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soens
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/10/16 20:24:09
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The "closet" or "next room" option was going to be my next approach until I found a really quiet but stout laptop. Otherwise you could create a "sealed" area inside a studio work desk closing it off with a door and pipe vent tubes out the back or bottom or... next room.
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pentimentosound
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Re: Ultimate Silent DIY PC case
2016/10/17 09:15:54
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Thanks. The Dynamat stuff sounds interesting. I suppose I could rework my closet, but I'll try the case improvements first.
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