DIY "Silent" PC Case

[Waka]

Hi guys,

I'm upgrading my PC at the moment ready for the studio and need to get a new case (New form factor motherboard). But I thought to myself... Why not use some of the knowledge I've gained in studio construction to build a PC case!

So that's my plan. I want to limit noise from internal fans and also make it cheap(ish).

My new PC is made from refurbished and retired server components (Good deals!).

Supermicro R9DRI-F, E-ATX server board
2 x Intel Xeon E5-2667 2.9GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) 6-Core CPU
4 x 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM
AMD RX 580 4GB GPU (Main)
Geforce 650ti Boost (Additional - for use with virtual machine)

The PC Case design is built around the concept of maximum airflow via high-flow case fans and built-in baffle box style silencers to reduce fan noise.
There will be positive pressure in the case with cool air coming in the from the front and hot air expelled from the rear of the case.
The silencer runs will be lined with 6mm acoustic foam and have dust filters on each one.

The rear of the motherboard connections will not be exposed (as it is in every other PC case), but contained in the case and wires from the necessary ports run into a sealed box, attaching to a Euro Module wall plate with replaceable insert modules. The power cable will run through a "brush" module in the rear panel and remain plugged in at all times. The DVD drive and front panel wires will run through the dividing wall and all holes caulked.

I plan to build the whole thing out of 9mm MDF (I have some left over from my silencers).

The side panel will be removable (with rubber seals) and attached by screws into threaded insert nuts.

Here's my design so far.

Let me know what you think!

Dan

PC case design.png

PC case design back.png

PC case design euro module plate.png

PC case design front.png

PC case design side back.png

PC case design vents front.png

PC case design vents.png

[Gregwor]

Very cool!

If you took measurements of the noise from the fans, you should be able to build and implement a tuned stub on your silencers!

Greg

[Waka]

Hi Greg,

You mean like a helmholtz absorber with an opening sized for the frequency? Would be cool! Might struggle to fit it in though.

Dan

[Gregwor]

Like this:

Tuned Stub.png

Greg

[Waka]

That's a really good idea!
I would tune it for the frequency produced when all the fans are running at full speed.

I think to get this right though I'd need some way to adjust it once fitted to dial in to exact the right frequency. I saw some do this with adjustable membrane traps to perfectly hit the right tones.

I'll investigate. If you have any ideas for adjustable tuned stubs that'll be great.
Dan

[Gregwor]

If you have any ideas for adjustable tuned stubs that'll be great.

You could make a plunger type stub in which you could add a bolt at the top of the plunger you could screw in/out to raise/lower the plunger which would allow you to change the area in the stub, ultimately tuning the stub. The biggest issue to overcome would be maintaining the seal during tuning. Once you got the size right, you could permanently mount the top and seal it all up. Something to think about for sure.

Greg

[sha664817]

you can make a plunger type stub in which you could include a fastener at the highest point of the plunger you could tighten/out to raise/bring down the plunger which would enable you to change the region in the stub, at last turning the stub. The greatest issue to defeat would keep up the seal amid tuning. When you got the size right, you could for all time mount the best and seal everything up. Something to consider without a doubt.

[Gregwor]

sha664817,

I'm not sure what pleasure you found in rewording my response like that. I'm blushing that you admire my reply so much. Now please stop spamming the forum.

Greg

[Soundman2020]

sha664817,

I'm not sure what pleasure you found in rewording my response like that. I'm blushing that you admire my reply so much. Now please stop spamming the forum.

Greg

He was a spammer, for sure. And using a tactic that I haven't see before. Spammers often just "copy-paste" text from other posts so that it looks like they are contributing, then embed a hidden link some place in the text, or in their signature. That's easy to spot. But this guy took your text, ran it through Google Translate to some other language, then translated it back to English again, thus getting a change in wording to look more like he just doesn't speak English very well, so it wasn't so easy to spot as a cut-and-paste job. Sneaky, but it didn't work. I figured him out anyway, and he was duly banned and blocked.

Spammers get more stupid by the day...

- Stuart -

[vutall]

This is pretty great! Once you get it up and running I'd be very curious to see the temp readings under a full load.

Any thoughts of adding additional liquid cooling? If temps from just the fans becomes an issue, that may be a route forward.

[Waka]

This is pretty great! Once you get it up and running I'd be very curious to see the temp readings under a full load.

Any thoughts of adding additional liquid cooling? If temps from just the fans becomes an issue, that may be a route forward.

Hi Vutall,

I've never really looked into liquid cooling much. The pumps can often be as loud as fans in told so might be unnecessary. I think if look into them if simple airflow is not enough to maintain temps.
I'll post the readings from speedfan when I build it.
I'm not starting just yet though as I'm busy on getting my walls done for the electrician.
I'll update this thread when I start.

Dan

[sayyousayme]

Hi

I have a PaQ case.... I think the guy behind the company stopped making them quite some years ago. They featured in SOS and the cusp who built them (a really nice guy) used to participate a lot on the forums there.

Anyhow, it's a great case and shares some of the features you discuss. One of his philosophies was to use fans as big as possible so they could run at low speeds. There are three fans across the middle of the case which drawer the air in and over the hard drives. The PSU fan and a large CPU fan then pulls the air out the back like an exhaust.

If you've not come across it, take a look on line and if you have trouble finding it give me a shout and I can forward you some old docs I've got.

All that being said, my PC is about 10 years old now!! It serves me fine and I won't be replacing it until that's no longer the case. I mention it only because I've been out of the computer loop for some years now and so have no idea whether better more modern solutions are now available...