extra measure for sound dampening for my case

kojack · Post by **kojack** » Thu May 22, 2008 4:48 am

I have a thermaltake tsuanmi case, with 2 120s. and I have the silent boost CPU cooler. Its actually really quiet, with execption to the video card fan. Im looking to make the entire rig quiet. my hd's are rubber mounted, as are the fans. I have a new motherboard coming, with heatpipe on the chipset, and I have a new HD 2600 video card as well. im not sure how loud it will be as I dont have it yet. However, I was looking at putting sound deading material on the case panels. can I do this with no ill effects on cooling as long as I dont impeed air flow?

thanks. I ahve to strip my rig down to replace the motherboard. So im going to do major wire management and throw in some extra sound deading there too.

thanks.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:35 am

Since virtually no cases rely on the metal of the case for anything other than support, and some sound blocking.....adding dampening foam won't hurt anything if it doesn't impede airflow too much. There's no set rules here, but a bigger case offers the ability to use thicker foam.

There are some real acoustic foams available......mnpctech offers one the better types that's not too thick.

kojack · Post by **kojack** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:36 am

Thanks bluefront! should take a few db's out of it for sure.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Thu May 22, 2008 7:50 am

Dampening may not quiet that much computer, but it will make it harder to percept, as it add's mass to case = less vibration and makes sound less bounce inside the box it kills effectively... well at least muffles well the high pitch, easily distinguished noises.

Dampening is not that good against low pitched sounds, but those are harder to perecept and vanish easier on background noise.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu May 22, 2008 11:10 am

Where "dampening" fails, "isolation" picks up...

I use foam in two different ways: to break up reflections of higher frequencies and to isolate different pieces of the case. By adding some thin foam where the case panels touch the frame, you can remove the vibrations caused there. The same with fans, optical drives, and any other source or recipient of vibrational energy.

kojack · Post by **kojack** » Thu May 22, 2008 3:49 pm

what about dynamat we use in car audio setups....cuts road noise by 2/3s

would that be better?

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu May 22, 2008 4:29 pm

It works and works well, but there are cheaper alternatives.

kojack · Post by **kojack** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:45 am

like?

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:21 am

Large hardware stores sell "roofer's tape". It's almost exactly like Dynamat, without the printing on the aluminum backing. It comes in rolls about 6-8" wide, and costs about 1/3 as much as Dynamat. Contrary to what you might hear.....there's no smell while it is curing.

This stuff does not work like the acoustic foam.....it's a noise blocker. The foam absorbs sounds, and prevents reflections. You could add a layer of the foam over the roofer's tape. I do that frequently, depending on how much clearance I have.

Here's a side panel with a 4mm layer of Spire acoustic foam over a layer of roofer's tape.....can't see the tape of course.

kojack · Post by **kojack** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:47 am

Hell I probably have lots of that lying around. I own a general contracting company, and a steel building contracting comapny. probably tons around.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:11 am

Bluefront wrote:Contrary to what you might hear.....there's no smell while it is curing.

Well, there is a little bit of a smell particularly the first time it gets warm. But usually it dissipates in a day or so and you'll never smell it again.

Roofer's Tape and the original Dynamat are asphalt-based products that are very cheap because they are used in the roofing industry and are produced on a larger scale, and because, well...they're asphalt. Dynamat Extreme and some types of eDead are butyl-based products which are denser and more effective at mass-loading a case.

You can get the same thing by using self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles as well. I use floor tiles covered with headliner fabric (it's on the inside roof of your car), which is nothing more than a thin layer of open cell foam laminated to some fine woven felt material. Looks good (particularly in black), breaks up some high frequency noises, and reduces resonance with the weight of the panels.

Lots of threads on this, so you may want to search for more ideas.

owbert · Post by **owbert** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:01 pm

is peel&seal stuff toxic?

i just remember when i was helping my friend out with mending his roof most of the materials had warning labels and etc.

usually stuff like: "causes cancer " and etc.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:55 am

Technically, yes.

"Roofer's tape" in general contains bitumen (asphalt) which is mainly composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be cancerous (think benzene). These materials are considered toxic because of the concentration of the above compounds in the material (greater than 0.1% to be listed with a warning), not how much you will be exposed to (volatile).

However, unless you plan on covering yourself in the stuff, your exposure to these materials will be no more than walking over a freshly paved driveway.

Butyl rubber does not contain these materials, and only has the downside of being more expensive. Some companies make "Roofer's Tape" out of this, usually for a premium; others sell it as Dynamat Extreme or eDead v2

Bill Owen · Post by **Bill Owen** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:20 am

Thanks for the note! the version I sell is Sonex Willtec, not the Polyurethane version that 2Cooltek used to sell.

Sonex Willtec is a fiber-free open-cell acoustic melamine material. Sonex Willtec is Class 1 Fire retardent. It has unlimited lifespan. It will not deteriorate under heat, UV light or other enviromental influences.