DrFrankencopter
Well-known member
You'd think this was a good idea, but the fan in the PSU really helps keep the airflow in the case, and is essential for ventilation. Without it your CPU would heat up the inside of the case in no time.
I've said it before, but the best solution to this problem is a multi-pronged attack:
1. Reduce the noise at the PC itself. Replace noisy ball bearing fans with sintered bushing paps fans of a larger size and turning slower (120mm papst fans are extremely quiet). Mod power supplies to have these fans as well (and do not use a dual fan PSup). Make them thermostat controlled. Buy quiet hard drives (Seagate baracuda IV's with fluid bearings were the best out there last time I bought a quiet drive). Use a quiet CPU cooler (Alpha is probably the best out there, and use a papst 80mm fan on it). Think about airflow in the case....square your cables and route them neatly; make ducts to bring fresh air directly to components that need it, and ensure that cables aren't causing undue turbulence in the airflow. Get rid of fan gratings....turbulence is noise. Sandwich your drives with plate aluminum, and suspend them from rubber hangars. Finally, ensure that your case does not 'ring' use a dampening material to prevent it from resonating.
2. Build a bigger box! Your silence box needs to keep sound in, yet let hot air out, and cool air in. Whatever you do, don't underestimate how much air your computer needs to breathe. The most elegant (and expensive) solution to this problem is to install heat pipes in the box. I think some commercial silent boxes use this approach. These will draw heat outside of the box without the need for a fan. Laptops use this technology for cooling....very interesting stuff. Mere mortals will have to suffer with forced air cooling, but this means putting holes in the box....again think big and slow. Force the air to pass though louvres and turns and you should be able to retain most of your soundproofing. Be aware that anything that is a good isolator of sound is also a good insulator of heat. This is the paradox of the silent box, and the hardest part to get right.
3. Soundproofing...remember that to soundproof you need to isolate one area from another, and mass alone does not do this, you need to decouple an inner chamber holding the noise source (computer) from the outer shell. Use fiberglass, or your fuzzy stuff to dampen any resonances in the airspace between the inner and outer walls. Don't bother useing it as a high frequency absorber inside the box, as it will only cause dust and debris problems.
4. KVM extender...even in the quiet box it's best to get that sucker as far away from your ears and mics as possible.
Good luck
K
