New Case

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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greshoff
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New Case

Post by greshoff » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:51 pm

Hi

I am thinking of replacing the case on my computer with a Lian Li PC-60. I have never replaced a case before and was wondering how difficult a job it may be. Are there any tips that can be offered. I have replaced the power supply, CPU heatsink & fan, installed fans, hard drives etc.

I look forward to your comments

Thanks
Martin

the_smell
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Post by the_smell » Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:05 am

It sounds like you done a good amount of work on your computer before, so it should be pretty easy, just make sure you take your time.

One reservation I have though is using a Lian Li PC60 case, it's a very nice looking case and is easy to work with (been using one for a couple years), but it needs to be modded a little if you want to make the most of it. The 80mm rear fan grill needs chopping for a start and you'll probably need some dampening material on the side pannels. Having said that I get CPU temps under 50 degrees with just a 5v panaflo L1A and the zalman cooler set to 5v in the rig I have in a PC60 so it can't be that bad once you've done a little cuttung :)

greshoff
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Post by greshoff » Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:32 am

What are the fans like on this case? Are they quiet? I was thinking of replacing then with silenx fans, Is this a good idea?

Martin

the_smell
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Post by the_smell » Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:11 am

The fans I got were ok for airflow, but poor for quietness. Definitely replace them!!! :roll: Silenx are good, panaflo also (and are a lot cheaper at least where I am). You might get away with just one rear exhaust fan - depends on how hot your other components are. If you've got a top fan hole you could use it for ducting to your psu (if the psu is of the right design type).

greshoff
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Post by greshoff » Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:33 am

Yes, I was thinking of using some dampening material to absorb sound. I am a little concerned how temps will be with dampening material applied. Any idea how much they may rise by?

the_smell
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Post by the_smell » Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:49 am

Mine didn't rise more than maybe 1 degree if that and I've completely coated the PC60 in powersnooze, which just shows that the whole aluminium cases run cooler than steel is complete rubbish - they just look nicer!
You'll probably only notice a rise in temps if you're passively cooling.

Rook
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Post by Rook » Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:53 am

When I started thinking of silencing my PC, dampening material was the first thing I thought of, too. Problem is, dampening is a lot more trouble than picking quiet components in the first place. Sound dampening should only be looked into after the loud components have been replaced with quieter ones, IMHO.

greshoff
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Post by greshoff » Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:40 am

All my components, Power supply, CPU heatsink & Fan, Case Fans, Hard Drives, Video Card have been 'silenced' I want the use the dampening material to reduce the remaining 'noise'

the_smell
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Post by the_smell » Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:01 pm

Ok greshoff
If you've got all of your components as quiet as possible I say go for the new case, just make sure you decouple the HD, CPU and fans, plus make sure your happy not getting a case with better airflow the PC60 looks nice but a 120mm fan exhaust is always a good thing if you can get it. It may be a good idea to isolate where your remaining noise is coming from before upgrading as dampening material is not a universal fix - a good hard disk enclosure or replacing a fan or two may be a better way to more quietnesss. :D

NeilBlanchard
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What case are you replacing?

Post by NeilBlanchard » Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:56 pm

Hello Martin:

What case are you replacing? :P

greshoff
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Post by greshoff » Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:08 pm

Hi,

My hard Drives are enclosed in Silentmaxx enclosures which work well. The PC60 case I assume has 2 x 80mm intake & 1 x 80mm exhaust fans.
My current case is a very, very cheap thin steel & plastic case. I don't know who it is made by or its model number.

Martin

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I would not get the PC60

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed Jul 14, 2004 3:06 am

Hello Martin:

There is a good reason not to get the PC60 -- the air grills look to be be very restrictive. There is a good reason why it is not on the recommended cases list!

Please, for your own sake -- look at the recommended cases list here at SPCR and choose a case from there. I'm not saying that all good cases are on the list; just that the list is a much better place to start than the PC60...

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