Stopping vibrations - Antec 100

[bloodymeli]

Hi All,

I have built a new case (Intel i7 stock fan,Enermax Naxn 2 in an Antec one hundred case) and I'm overall very pleased with the fan noise.
However, the case vibrates like hell. When I touch the case side, I feel it vibrates extensively, even when the hard drives seems to be idle (I have two HDDs, one SSD and one DVD-RW drive). Sometimes it. Also, sometimes a certain vibration frequency builds up, making an incredibly annoying sound. Even a slight touch on a case's side is enough to stop this sound.

Any ideas how to eliminate these vibrations?

[Ralf Hutter]

You can find plenty of helpful info in this Recommended Article which is mentioned in the Sticky Thread right at the top of this forum.

[mkk]

The vibrations are probably all coming from the two harddrives, but to make sure you can compare with them powered down. They need to be decoupled from the metal of the case and the regular drive mounts on the One Hundred case are useless for that reason.

[Lawrence Lee]

If the sound goes away when you press against the side panels, they're not secure enough, rattling from the vibrations transmitted by the hard drives. I would suggest adding some padding between the hard drive cage and the side panel (styrofoam works well since it has some give) near the center of the case. This will push the side panel outward, creating a similar effect to you pressing the panel inward.

[bloodymeli]

Thank you all for your comments.

You were right. The vibrations are caused by the HDDs (and DVD). I have to admit - very disappointing construction, Antec.

I attached two pictures of my current configuration. As you can see, there is a slight room between the HDD and the case. I'm wondering what is the best course of action in my case (pun unintended).
Should I try and use rubber grommets (will they fit in?). If so, should I go for Nexus (like in http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-nexus-mtk-60 ... ingkit.htm) or is any generic rubber that I get in a hardware store is good enough?
I might opt for a dedicated solution, like http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-doubletwin_h ... _white.htm , but I'm not sure it can fit in my case. Plus I'll still need a solution for the DVD drive. BTW, is the item I listed the best solution or are there are comparable (or better) devices?

[Ihmemies]

Adding mass to the case may help. I bought self-adhesive 40x50cm Nikesound bitumen mats from local auto parts store for 20€. Decoupling hard drives with elastic band (black 1,5cm wide was 1,2€/m) helps too. I did both on my Silverstone Raven 2 and the case resonates a lot less now

Edit: Nexus Doubletwin looks interesting. Does it actually work? Price isn't bad at least.

[mkk]

If you have a couple of 5,25" bays to spare then I can heartily recommend the Nexus Doubletwin as an option. When fighting with my old Stacker 810 case the Doubletwin was the only thing short of a manual suspension mod that really dampened the vibrations of my back then 7200 RPM drives. One for each drive is best, as even if one can physically support two drives it won't fit within a single 5,25" bay. One drive per bay ensures that there will be plenty of air around each drive as well. I haven't tried but mounting a drive upside down could be of benefit cooling-wise.

They seem to have dropped a bit in price too since after I got myself half a dozen.