SPCR

I'm building a custom PC for my dorm and need it to be quiet. I bought the Cooler Master Wave Master and Antex TruePower 430watt PSU (silent for what I've read). Hitachi SATA 160GB, Zalman all-CU PCU heatsink fan (best silent CPU cooler I hear), 9800pro with arctic cooling VGA Silencer and Lite-On combodrive. I bought a silcone-gel-based gasket/washer kit... two gaskets for the two 80mm front fans and the 8 washers for the combodrive and HD. Now, this should keep the dbs below 35-40 but I'm a picky audiophile and I want it to be near silent. I'm stuck on sound dampening materials.

I was thinking of going with 1" studio foam wedge-shaped. However, there are many PC silence kits out there with 3mm mats of high-concentrate sound absorbing materials. Does anyone have any suggestions on accoustic mats?

So.... if anyone has any suggestions on further silencing, please comment

Studio foam isn't quite right. You need a dual layer material for best results -- dense and heavy against the panel to stop its vibrations (and you will have them in that aluminum case) and soft and absorbant beyond that to reduce the airborne sound inside.

Anyway, noise damping will be the least of your issues: That Cooler Master Wave Master case lacks venting. Examine all the in/our vents and you'll see that they are quite restrictive in one way or another. This is what you'll need to improve if you are going to get decent noise AND decent temps. Otherwise, you 'll either have a cool enough system with high fan noise or a hot system with lower noise.

I already know about that intake system. Cooler Master must've overlooked that. I put a thread in the "Cases and Dampening" forum after I put this thread up. I don't know whether to cut out some of the intake and ruin the case or just let it be.

Yes, I definately need dual layers. It's just hard to find a concentrate layer that doesn't smell like tar or has some ungodly powerful, unremovable adhesive. The foam is my abosrbant material, of course. As for the combination of foam and concentrate, any ideas where the best bang for my buck is?