Case insulations, ie. acoustipack...

[CheshireCat]

I was looking at the pre-cut acoustipack insulation for my case (Antec Sonota II) on their website. (http://www.acoustiproducts.com/en/acoustipack_antec_sonata_2.asp)

I noticed is that there are two pieces of foam that fit behind the motherboard in the indentions where the metal is only 1 layer instead of 2 (you can see one of the pieces just to the right of the air duct in the first pic, otherwise you have to view the .pdf instructions for more clarification).

What I'm wondering is; do they purposefully design the cases with these 1/4-1/2" thick recesses behind the MB for a reason? I have to wonder if it's supposed to be for cooling or something. If I install the insulation there is it just going to raise temperatures for the sake of lower noise?

Ok, the truth is I'm not planning on wasting my money on the acoustipack stuff. I thought it looked like a good idea, but probably not worth spending $80 to find out. So I bought a roll of foam from the hardware store and started gluing it to the inside of my old computer case, just to see what the difference is. I just don't want to put it behind the MB if it's going to cause problems, though.

Thoughts? Opinions?

 

[leetkyle]

The idea of Acousti Sound Cancellation is in the title. Its 'crest and trough' form give it a large surface area so it can absorb more sound. As the bit behind the motherboard, components may make it vibrate ever so slightly. You might not be able to hear it but when all of them start doing it, it is noticable!

Fan Kit Absorptions are an option but do attract dust. It shouldn't increase temperatures (perhaps 2-3C but nothing more) but it does quiet your PC down. If you own the Sonata, then perhaps try putting your fan speeds on Medium or Low. In my P180 I can hear the loudness of the fans, and on high they are a minefield. On Medium, bareable, and on low - I can barely hear them. My CPU fan is the loudest!

 

[CheshireCat]

Yeah, I have the case fan on medium and can barely hear it. In fact when I first put my computer together I often couldn't even tell it was running.

...then I installed the graphics card.

I'm actually looking at getting replacing it with a silent card.

I just happened to come across the acoustipack stuff and thought it looked interesting. I thought I'd see how quiet I could make my old PC (which sounds like a tornado) in comparison with my new PC (sounds like...an air purifier).

I was using the pictures for the pre-cut Sonata kit as a template to see where they put their foam and then putting my foam in basically the same place in my old case. It's probably not quite as effective, nor as pretty, but it should be better than nothing.