Are aluminum cases really louder?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Vulcan
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Are aluminum cases really louder?

Post by Vulcan » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:04 pm

Hello, I am working on upgrading my computer again... At some point I will be getting a new new case. I wasp lanign to get the P180, but I'm a bit put off by how much plastic is used in the case. I have been browsing various cases and I found that some lian li's that I like.
http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/ ... 00plus.htm

What do you think? seems like its worth considering. It costs alot more than the P180, but I'm willing to pay that for a nice case. I have heard that aluminum cases are louder than steel cases. How much louder?

brickout1
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Post by brickout1 » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:09 pm

I've owned both cheap and expensive steel and aluminum cases...Generally, aluminum does transmit more vibrational energy than steel of the same gauge since it isn't very dense. Aluminum is better for heat transfer, though.

The case you are looking at should be on par or better than most cases for noise dampening, and definitely better than much cheaper cases, whether aluminum or steel.

My $.02? Go with the Lian-Li case. You'll be happy.

Feyrhel
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Post by Feyrhel » Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:37 pm

If you do get the V1100, I recommend you suspend your hard drives. Before I suspended mine, I would sometimes mistake the hum of the case for the sound our garage door makes when opening. lol

xarope
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Post by xarope » Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:45 pm

btw, I'd be hesitant to say the plastic is "cheap" on the P180. Its not the normal plastic, if you knock it it has a very muffled thud.

I've had a variety of cases in the past, including the CM5 (after surviving some acoustically terrible AL cases), the P180 may not be for everybody, but it was the choice for me, after long consideration of the silverstone and lianli cases (including the V1000/2000).

Vulcan
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Post by Vulcan » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:35 pm

xarope wrote:btw, I'd be hesitant to say the plastic is "cheap" on the P180. Its not the normal plastic, if you knock it it has a very muffled thud.

I've had a variety of cases in the past, including the CM5 (after surviving some acoustically terrible AL cases), the P180 may not be for everybody, but it was the choice for me, after long consideration of the silverstone and lianli cases (including the V1000/2000).
Maybe if I saw it in person first. If the plastic is anythign like whats on my Sonata, I don't want anything to do with it. The use of plastic does not bother me, just the fact that so much is used, ecspecialy in places liek the door hinges. I've already heard of the plastic door clips breaking, thats one of the main reasons I canceled my order for the P180.

Project
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Post by Project » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:46 pm

i got the v1100. It lookes nice and everything for a small setup. But I hated the front intake. I had my hds running >40'c. Switched to a coolermaster centurion 5. Much better. Not purely silent, but just choose quiet parts to begin with and it soundssss ssooooo goood...if i can hear it

xarope
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Post by xarope » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:20 pm

agreed, I got a CM5 (for an XP2500+ build for the wife) after considering the others (silverstone, vx000), then a few months later got the P180 for myself.

The plastic is not like others, yes the clips are supposed to be "fragile" but I probably open the case 2-3 times last night (to fit a silencer onto the x850pro), not to mention the 10-15 times over the last week to rejig cabling, put in more drives, tidy up the atx 4pin, and so far no broken clips.

teejay
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Post by teejay » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:28 pm

brickout1 wrote:Aluminum is better for heat transfer, though.
As a material? Yes. In a computer case? No. A negligable amount of the heat generated in a PC case is lost by radiating (the only way the aluminium would be benificial), so there is no difference between the cooling capacity of an alu case and a steel case of the same layout. Cooling capacity of a case is influenced by stuff like internal layout, fan configuration, airflow, things like that.

I own the V1000 and - despite the fact that it uses thick aluminium and is of high quality - it is by no means a quiet case. All aluminium cases hum and the PC-V series is no exception. The V1100 has a bit of noise dampening inside, but not the type that counts for alumium: mass loading. The dampening in a V1100 will absorp some high frequency noise but won't stop the case from humming. Also, the front intake is quite restricted, so don't plan on installing 4 hard disks.

Having said all that, I do think the LL cases look very good (this is my second one) and the PC-Vs allow you to build a quiet rig... to a certain degree. However, that may well be good enough for you. From the LL line-up, the V1100 is probably your best bet, but I'd reconsider the P180 one final time before you click purchase.

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Post by MikeC » Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:00 am

Ralf Hutter, from his review of the aluminum P160, w/ 1.2mm panels, wrote:

"Aside from the noise escaping through the air intake slots of the P160, I notice a constant hum that is not present when the same hardware is running in my SLK3700BQE. Not ever having worked much with aluminum cases before, I can only guess that this extra noise is due to the resonance of the aluminum chassis being excited by fan and hard drive vibrations. The panels of the P160 do flex more than the panels of the steel cases that I normally work on. This extra noise probably wouldn't show up on a sound level meter because it is rather subtle, but it is a bothersome sort of noise. It consists of a "throbbing" sort of hum that changes amplitude on a regular, cyclical basis. It's probably not something many people would notice as I'm comparing it to a system that is extremely quiet. (MikeC's note: Experiments with panel damping materials such as AcoustiPack may be fruitful.)"

This has been an audible, annoying problem with just about every aluminum case I have tried -- even the little SFF cases. I rejected a Chenbro Gaming Bomb II case for review a few months ago. Had it for a while, examined it, even started to build a system in it, but then decided no way. It was obviously going to be yet another hummer, maybe even a rattler, despite all the really nice, cool features. No thanks to aluminum. (Note: The density of aluminum is about 30% of steel. For it to be as dense as a steel sheet, it needs to be 3 times thicker.)

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:52 am

I am using an AMS case.....all-aluminum with 2mm panels and frame. This computer has no unusual noise I can blame on the metal.

IMHO....these strange "humm" noises I hear about are probably the result of thin panels, flimsy construction.

Aluminum doesn't generate noise by itself.....

teejay
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Post by teejay » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:28 am

Bluefront wrote:Aluminum doesn't generate noise by itself.....
True, but many aluminium cases pick up the vibration of internal components easily and audibly. The Lian-Li PC-V series use thick aluminium side panels with steel reinforcements but they still hum (at least in my case). Most of this noise is from the hard disks, though, so a proper suspension (like you probably have in there, Bluefront :)) will take away most of the hum in a solid enough case. For now I am still using AlpineCarver's suspension method (SPCR forum link) but that is not good enough for a truly silent setup IMO.

So, my conclusion would be that a steel case can be quiet of even near-silent out of the box, whereas an aluminium case will need modding most of the time... and won't be quiet at all if it constructed out of thin aluminium.

ronrem
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Post by ronrem » Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:42 am

Note that Thermaltake's site shows a passive rig,passive PSU,Vid cooler,Sonic Tower-in an Aluminum case. Figure the HD's need a very good suspension. With no fans the Alu box's ability to radiate a bit of heat is a plue,and there's little noise/vibration to deal with,so the box doesn't get sealed up. Such a layout could work with a 3000 Venice,stock and a fairly cool running vid,probably no overclocks.

Generally,with an Alu box you really need quiet,well isolated stuff inside. Sonata or Silentium boxes help you keep minor noise inside,an Alu case is not quite as good at that

Freelancer77
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Post by Freelancer77 » Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:16 am

Vulcan wrote:
xarope wrote:btw, I'd be hesitant to say the plastic is "cheap" on the P180. Its not the normal plastic, if you knock it it has a very muffled thud.

I've had a variety of cases in the past, including the CM5 (after surviving some acoustically terrible AL cases), the P180 may not be for everybody, but it was the choice for me, after long consideration of the silverstone and lianli cases (including the V1000/2000).
Maybe if I saw it in person first. If the plastic is anythign like whats on my Sonata, I don't want anything to do with it. The use of plastic does not bother me, just the fact that so much is used, ecspecialy in places liek the door hinges. I've already heard of the plastic door clips breaking, thats one of the main reasons I canceled my order for the P180.
There is no relationship between the P180 and any other case made by Antec which has exterior plastic. The Sonata's plastic is the same as every other exterior case plastic on the market. Not so the P180. This material is thicker, softer (which makes it less prone to vibrations AND less prone to cracks and damage), and as far as I can tell much stronger. Handling the case, there is no sense of fragility or the paranoia that one errant move will crack something important.

We all read the thread involving broken door clips. Have you read a second account of such an event? I haven't. The author of the post later claimed it was his mistake. And just so you know, the door hinge is black painted metal.

frankgehry
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Post by frankgehry » Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:20 am

Just for the record, the first broken clip occurred when the user was reattaching the side. The second broken clip (posted here) was broken as delivered.

The p180 case sides use the same layered construction as the antec aria. Probably mentioned in the review. Whether the same plastic is used I'm not sure. - FG

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Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:54 pm

I have to say that being an owner of an antec Phantom 350, I would consider an aluminum case to be much better, if i had one to try it out on. I know from selling appliances the transfer properties of Al is incredibly good and steel is pathetic. contact of the phantom to the case causes a warming effect when gaming on the top of the case. being that I have only 1 120 mm papst on the back of the machine, and reserator on the cpu and gpu, I really may not gain a thing from steel, but I may gain from Al.

Plus, aluminum is sexy. and, it doesnt weigh much at all, also, can be very rigid.

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Post by jnotop » Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:52 pm

I've got the same AMS case as Bluefront, his modifications are out of my league by a longshot, but it's incredibly quiet and just a beast of a case in terms of construction. Rosie O'Donnell could jump rope on the thing and it wouldn't flinch, it's just a different breed of case from any of the newer lian-lis or the p160 I've had a chance to see in action in terms of construction. But it's quieter than the sonata that was supposed to replace it and equally as quiet as the p180 I just broke a damn latch. All it needed was a simple HD suspension and some grill-cutting, but I think if every aluminum case was made without the corners cut, construction-wise to make them as light as humanly possible on the displayfloor, this debate might be very different in nature.

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