Opinions on acoustic foam?

[zalbard]

Hi all,

I am considering picking up some acoustic foam to make my PC a little quieter. Nothing too crazy, just putting some on side panels, and floor of the chassis.

Is it worth it? What are your experiences?

Thanks.

[MpG]

The most you can say about it is that it adds weight to flimsy panels, making it harder for them to resonate with the sources of noise. Possibly taking the edge off high-frequency noise that shouldn't be there in the first place (if you're serious about keeping things quiet). On the other hand, if you're a believer in conducting heat through your case panels, foam definitely kills that possibility dead.

I've had conversations with numerous people who deal professionally in acoustic design/soundproofing, and there's one common theme in all the conversations - when I show them what's sold in the PC modding scene, they laugh.

[zalbard]

The most you can say about it is that it adds weight to flimsy panels, making it harder for them to resonate with the sources of noise. Possibly taking the edge off high-frequency noise that shouldn't be there in the first place (if you're serious about keeping things quiet). On the other hand, if you're a believer in conducting heat through your case panels, foam definitely kills that possibility dead.

I've had conversations with numerous people who deal professionally in acoustic design/soundproofing, and there's one common theme in all the conversations - when I show them what's sold in the PC modding scene, they laugh.

Honest answer - just what I needed. Thanks!

[El Mano]

Foam won't work since a computer case is open through fan holes and another myriad holes. I covered a side of my case with it just because I happened to have some foam and wanted to give it a go, and I noticed no improvement at all.

[zeroibis]

I will say that it can do a good job of reducing HDD noise when used around there. Other than that it can be hit or miss depending on where you install how much and the quality of material. What would be interesting for side panels is a test comparing just duct taping some cardboard boxes in there!

[MpG]

Just some extra food for thought:

The vast majority of computer noise can be classified as low frequency noise. Even a "high speed" 3k rpm, 10-blade fan is going to have a base frequency of 50Hz, and a blade pass frequency of 500Hz, which still considered pretty low. Basic physics says that for best results, the thickness of the material doing the absorbing needs to be a certain percentage of the sound's wavelength. The lower the frequency, the longer the wavelength, the thicker the material.

How thick? If you do a search for "low frequency sound absorption", and see some of the professional products for it, you'll notice a common theme - the stuff is all several inches thick. Which is why that skinny crap being sold is going to do squat when it comes to actually "absorbing" sound. The best you can hope is that it might keep the case from rattling, or maybe that it, plus the case panel, will reflect the sound away from where you're sitting.

[Razmatazz]

Around 4 years ago, I went thru a phase where I looked into and tried a number of different kinds of commercial sound dampening materials. It was more for the "just to do it" aspect as it was to any actual need. I noticed little in the way of any significant or notable benefit, at least not worth the time and expense. The real benefit came from upgrading to better components over time. I am skeptical that any substantial benefit would be able to be realized without substantial modding with a custom build and materials.

[tool_462]

Without a doubt it tamed the resonance of Gentle Typhoon x 10 in my Mountain Mods Pinnacle 24. I only used it on the two side panels.

[Scubar]

It certainly reduced the high pitch and resonance when i put it on my Lian Li A71 case panels.

[VIctorj]

I experimented with acoustic foam some years ago. It got rid of the high pitched noise of some of my components, including some fans.

Nowadays, my cosmos has some foam on the side panels...even getting them close to the chassis, damps the noise quite a bit.

My take on this is, go for components that make low noise...Like big fans instead of small ones, big coolers for cpu, vga, etc. A PSU with a 120 or larger fan.

I got some Noctua fans yesterday...the difference to my stock fans is ridiculous.

Vic

[apexracing]

You may notice a difference in the high frequency noises, resonance and rattling. If you have something specific like an optical drive, get some foam insulating tape and put that on the drive. I did that with the front fans on the P280 and it stopped the vibrations.