What should I do to improve my Antec Sonata III case?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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saitrix
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What should I do to improve my Antec Sonata III case?

Post by saitrix » Thu May 21, 2009 3:02 am

Hi,

I am new to trying to make my computer quiet and I am wondering whether there are modifications I can do to make my system quieter. I have read that the case isn't really the best for quiet so I am not sure how quiet I will be able to get it. My setup is below.

Antec Sonata III (using stock exhaust fan set to Low, Hiper 120mm for inlet)
Antec Earthwatts 500W PSU
Intel E7200 with an Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
HD4850 gfx card
Samsung SpinPoint HD501LJ 500GB Hdd

Now I have the Hiper spinning at 950rpm and the cpu cooler at 1150rpm. I have found that the psu seems to be making the most noise now, as well as the gfx card. So first of all I was wondering whether I can improve airflow through the case so I can run the fans slower.

Also is there much I can do to the PSU?

Many thanks.

scara
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Location: UK

Post by scara » Thu May 21, 2009 8:26 am

How quiet you can make that case depends on how much you're willing to cut and spend. The main problem is that its airflow is restricted by the perpendicular hard drive cage. These threads: Speedmodding Sonata2, Sonata mods, are perhaps the best examples of what you can do. Replacing the two case fans with Nexus ones would be a good start.

To quieten the graphics card the Accelero S1 is a good option, though you'll probably still need to strap a slow spinning fan onto it.

If the PSU is still a problem you could swap the fan. You should definitely read up on the dangers of a fan-swap beforehand!

Good luck.

NeilBlanchard
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Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu May 21, 2009 8:29 am

Welcome to SPCR!

It's all about low-restriction air flow. The threads that were mentioned above (and probably dozens of others) will get you on the right track.

saitrix
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Location: UK

Post by saitrix » Thu May 21, 2009 9:03 am

Thanks for the links! I will do some of the modifications I think on my case. Don't think I will remove the hdd hanger as I have to transport my system so I need the hdd's secure. Though I will cut out the grills etc, also will look into making a shoud between the psu and pc.

Think the next thing I will also do is remove certain fans and see which ones are my loudest. Is it too dangerous to cut the grills on a psu? I have a feeling it is my psu that is creating a lot of noise, but I think a simple should will work wonders with the noise level as I can feel it is removing a lot of hot air.

Now to get the tin snips out...

Edit - What do people use around the edge of the exhaust fan to cover up the sharp edges? I can't tell from the pictures.

NeilBlanchard
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Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu May 21, 2009 5:06 pm

Hi,

That's a rubber/plastic 'U' edging. Another option is to use a rotary tool to grind off the sharp bits -- and then you need a strong vacuum and a good wipe down with a cleaner.

Is the PSU grill stamped sheet metal? If so, you can bend the arcs outward -- this reduces the air turbulence to a great degree.

saitrix
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Post by saitrix » Fri May 22, 2009 12:12 am

Nope the main inlet is a small square mesh. There is a small opening on the side though that is like that, so I could always do it to that bit.

scara
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Post by scara » Fri May 22, 2009 8:22 am

A shroud should certainly help quieten the PSU and sounds like your best place to start. Cutting the grills on the PSU probably won’t be beneficial as the internals will still be restrictive.

How many hard drives are you using? You could use adapters to securely fit two hdds in the shroud. They won’t cause the PSU fan to ramp up and would dampen vibrations from the drives a little too. This would allow you to remove the cage entirely. An easier alternative might be to cut out the horizontal bars of any hdd slots you’re not using.

saitrix
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Post by saitrix » Fri May 22, 2009 8:32 am

Hmm I am using two, so I suppose it could be possible. What is the best way to attatch hdd's in 5 1/2" bays?

scara
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Post by scara » Fri May 22, 2009 8:44 am

I was thinking of these Scythe mounts.

mfhall
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Quieting Sonata III

Post by mfhall » Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:08 pm

Hi Saitrix,

I've owned a Sonata III for about 2 years now and have been continually looking for ways to make the system quieter. This may help you ...

I built the system with an Asus 8600GTS graphics card - no fan - as my previous PC had a Graphics cooling fan that wore out enough to produce a continuous hum within 6 months. The only problem is heat - with other fans on low (see later) it stays at about 45 degrees C with a case temp of 33C. I'm risking premature failure, I suppose, but it's been good for 2 years now. I only work it hard occasionally - no extreme gaming.

The single best noise gain I made was replacing the standard Intel CPU cooler with a Noctua NHU-12P (heatsink and fan). This fan sits directly above the graphics card, so it should help to cool it.

I replaced the supplied Earthwatts PSU with a Corsair HX620W. It's definitely quieter, but I'm not sure it was necessary as my hard drives are my major noice source. I'd leave that to last (but I do like the modular cables of the Corsair).

I also installed a Nexus 120mm basic real silent case fan.

I can't hear fan or air noise now, and have a really quiet system except for the drives. Ive isolated their noise by stopping the fans one at a time with none of the three making any difference. The drives are really starting to annoy me, but I think that's my Type A coming out :o . Their noise is no worse than a cheap case fan or loud power supply.

You shouldnt have my drive noise problem, as I'm running a 4 drive RAID 5 - four times the noise!

I believe that selection of silent components as above is fundamental to quietening the system. I might yet go for sound absorption / dampening but I see no need to cut the case yet - I have reasonable temperatures with minimal, if any, fan and air noise.

Remember that the metal fan grills are part of the EMI suppression required for FCC approval - the case is effectively a faraday cage enclosing some nasty high frequency radio noise sources, and the grills form part of the cage. You're unlikely to produce an interference problem by cutting the grills, but it's a possibility and I really haven't seen the need in my system.

I have a separate topic running on my ongoing attempts to reduce the drive noise in the Silent Storage forum.

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