zackbass

I was thinking about how to reduce the noise in the next case I build and came up with some really half-baked ideas that I'd like to get some input on.

The premise is that everything in the case is going to be either passively cooled or water cooled. Originally I wanted to make a system to suspend my hard disks and water pump by something like fishing line so that the vibrations wouldn't transfer to anything. Then I got the idea to put them inside a sealed, sound-insulated box and water cool the hard disks.

Then it came to me. What if I were to construct a double walled box with a bare stranded wire pass-thru for the power, SATA connectors, and stainless steel braided lines for the water tubes. The inner box would be held in the center not touching the outer walls by fishing line. THEN, I pull a vacuum on the sandwiched compartment, like a thermos or dewar. Result: all of the noisemaking components of the system are rendered completely silent.

It seems like it could turn out to be a nice moderate length modding project with some more research and design. I know I've got the skills and tools to make the compartments, but I don't know about the passthru cables and tubes. Will the water tubes that pass through the vacuum compartment expand? Would braided lines give me any trouble?

Thanks for reviewing this crackpot plan. :wink:

MrDigital

Sorry, you lost me at "I was thinking..."

How does that $1400 Zalman case keep everything completely silent? You could use that for inspiration.

-MrD

thrawn86

just get some seagates and rubber washers for the mounts...

those things are about as silent as it gets...

zackbass

But those wouldn't be a project. I'm not doing these things because they are easy, but because they are hard. I know there's someone reading this that knows about this kind of stuff and can tell me if it'll be feasable.

The Zalman case is nearly silent. You will still hear the hard disks. Not to mention it's insanely expensive, and I haven't heard anything good about how it overclocks.

This combination HDD and water pump noise housing, however it turns out to be executed, is going to be the first step in building my next case. Therefore I declare this thread to be the design log for my next case. All of my design idea are going to be posted here, and I would very much appreciate suggestions and helpful criticism as I work out the design.

The Zalman case is $1400, my target is to build a superior case for half that. A completely silent machine built for overclocking. My last one casme pretty close, I'm running my 2.4C at 3.2 with a passive radiator. The pump is very quiet but not silent, the WD Raptor array makes a helluva whine, and the PSU still has very quiet (but not silent) fan. I think that puts me the closest to silent of any heavilly overclocked rig I've heard of, but not completely silent.

BTW, for those that haven't seen my previous cases, here's the rundown:
My first custom WC job: http://members.lycos.co.uk/zackbass1/FinishedInside.JPG
And my first custom case:
Worklog: http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthr...threadid=165425
Finishing log: http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthr...threadid=207926

This is going to be my last big project before I've got to go to college and start the rest of my life, so I'm going to make it big, bold, and original. I'll also proably be taking this computer to college with me, and so being silent would be a nice plus for a machine I'll have to sleep next to. [/url]

thrawn86

a water pump is louder than HDs...

zackbass

I'd like to argue that point since I'm sitting 18 inches away from both my water pump and HDDs, both unshielded. The noise of the HDDs completely drowns out whatever the sound the pump makes. I can only tell the pump is running because I can touch it and feel it vibrating. The hard disks make enough noise that can hear them while i've got my HD280s on.

But that's a moot point anyway since the plan is to put the both the HDD array and the water pump inside the noise containment box.

r0bby

Thoes are some noisy hard drives then.. I can't even tell if my Segate is reading unless my soundcard is acting up or if I look at the light.. FYI, I am like 1-2' from the computer and it's on my desk.

UNCLBEN

If this turns out anything like your last case-from-scratch, I can't wait to see the results.

That said, how do you plan to insulate noise but conduct heat? A suspended (bungie cords?), enclosed capsule with a sound-insulated "sandwich area" would be great for killing noise, but it would also making cooling that inner capsule really, really tough.

What if the outer and inner cases were joined at two points (not counting the suspension system) - one intake and one exhaust? You could then use baffles on those paths to try to keep noise out while still allowing good airflow in and out of the case.

thrawn86

those are some noisy HDs zack, both the WDSEs and seagate barrcudas, both of which I own, are extremely quiet. granted, you do use an eheim pump (I used a hydor).