I will say that the case is quieter (ever so slightly). I will eventually get a CM 212+/EVO as my TX3 is the loudest part atm. Also I was a tad lazy in cable management because this was the second time this week that I took my computer completely apart.

Temps: (before)
CPU: 65c
GPU: 65c

Temps: (after)
CPU: 69c
GPU: 67c

Truthfully I was expecting a higher rise in temps.

itsjustatank

Hong Kong9152 Posts

October 02 2013 05:48 GMT

what is the point of foam for noise reduction when you have huge holes in the top and sides of your case for fans

Kupon3ss

時の回廊10066 Posts

October 02 2013 05:51 GMT

http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/103-h2-case

AlexJen

United States37 Posts

October 02 2013 05:54 GMT

On October 02 2013 14:51 Kupon3ss wrote:
http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/103-h2-case

thanks i might buy this

itsjustatank

Hong Kong9152 Posts

October 02 2013 06:29 GMT

shameless product advertising

iTzSnypah

United States1738 Posts

October 02 2013 07:13 GMT

On October 02 2013 14:48 itsjustatank wrote:
what is the point of foam for noise reduction when you have huge holes in the top and sides of your case for fans

Noise travels in all directions. Huge holes < all directions. Also without a lot of fans temps be crazy and cpu/gpu fan spins faster therefore more noise.

Also I was looking for [any] noise reduction, not noise cancellation.

felisconcolori

United States6168 Posts

October 02 2013 07:28 GMT

You know what would solve both the noise and heat issues, but would take a lot more work?

Mineral oil immersion. Get one very quiet pump, or put the pump on the outside end of the heat exchange radiator.

Of course... you do have to remove all fans, open space, and have someplace with strong floors. And it might take some plumbing skills.

(Not as good as liquid chlorofluorocarbon immersion, but CFCs are not easy or fun to use.)

iTzSnypah

United States1738 Posts

October 02 2013 07:51 GMT

My computer isn't worth going to custom liquid (which is what I would do).

Rollin

Australia1552 Posts

October 02 2013 09:34 GMT

Or you could just have a passively cooled system. :D

ImbaTosS

United Kingdom1679 Posts

October 02 2013 10:17 GMT

#10

My DIY watercooling loop works very nicely. Dead silent, and cool at all times. I did have to get a f***ing massive corsair case for enough space to house the radiator though... But it's not so hard or expensive to do!

Deleuze

United Kingdom2102 Posts

October 02 2013 13:15 GMT

#11

Um. I might be being stupid. But surely foaming your case like this is just going to add insulation making it hotter and therefore more in need of cooling.

Shottaz

United Kingdom414 Posts

October 02 2013 13:39 GMT

#12

On October 02 2013 22:15 Deleuze wrote:
Um. I might be being stupid. But surely foaming your case like this is just going to add insulation making it hotter and therefore more in need of cooling.

That was my first thought.

Buying a good quality case and large slow fans has made the biggest difference to mine. Obviously much more expensive than foaming your case up though.

It's a shame you can't measure the decibels coming out of it for a proper before and after.

Cragus

Canada144 Posts

October 02 2013 17:20 GMT

#13

It makes it slightly warmer, but you can adjust your fan curves so you just hit temperature equilibrium a few degrees hotter. What it does nicely is damp out GPU fan noise and harddrive seek noise, which, imho, is by far the hardest source of noise to remove in a computer if you dont have the space/aren't willing to go for a full suspension (even that doesn't solve everything). Sound insulation is of pretty minor concern if one is running stock coolers on their CPU/GPU with loud case fans/PSUs/etc, but it can make a pretty big difference once you've covered the basics. If you want a quiet computer, it's rather pointless, but if you want a silent computer, it's rather key.

Logo

United States7542 Posts

October 02 2013 17:48 GMT

#14

Pre-built watercooling loops for the CPU are pretty competitively prices nowadays.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181029
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181033

If you're willing to pay $15 for foam + adhesive why not shell out the extra $20 over a traditional CPU heatsink to get a watercooled one.

(Provided you think it'll fit).

LaNague

Germany9118 Posts

October 02 2013 18:14 GMT

#15

GPU is more of a problem than CPU for gamers.

I dont think you can buy watercooled GPUs easily, so you would have to do it yourself and void any warranty.

Burrfoot

United States1176 Posts

October 02 2013 18:20 GMT

#16

I came into this thread thinking you were going to fill the entire air volume inside the case with foam. Disappointed!

lantz

United States762 Posts

October 02 2013 18:28 GMT

#17

put on some earplugs/headphones and your computer will be quieter. thats what i do

iTzSnypah

United States1738 Posts

October 02 2013 18:32 GMT

#18

On October 03 2013 02:48 Logo wrote:
Pre-built watercooling loops for the CPU are pretty competitively prices nowadays.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181029
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181033

If you're willing to pay $15 for foam + adhesive why not shell out the extra $20 over a traditional CPU heatsink to get a watercooled one.

(Provided you think it'll fit).

CLC's are terrible. First off they have weak pumps. Second and most importantly they use Ethylene Glycol which is in every way inferior to water. Last off they have jet engines of fans just to be competitive cooling wise.

From frosty tech:

ZeaL.

United States5955 Posts

October 02 2013 18:50 GMT

#19

The problem with watercooling is that you need a water pump which itself makes noise. With the current spate of bigass tower coolers and 120mm fans on everything + PWM, air cooling isn't much louder than liquid anymore.

I barely hear my computer and I'm not even running 120mm case fans, just a super old Thermalright Ultra Extreme with a slow 120 and an arctic accelero 2 on my 5870. Having an SSD helps too I guess. Going liquid would probably bring down temps but I doubt it would make it any quieter.

CecilSunkure

United States2829 Posts

October 02 2013 20:41 GMT

#20

I foamed my airsoft gun with cotton balls, and made a wooden silencer. Worked perfectly. Sadly your case has huge fan holes

Pretty neat idea anyway!

a176

Canada6688 Posts

October 02 2013 22:56 GMT

#21

You should have just bought a fan controller.

a176

Canada6688 Posts

October 02 2013 23:03 GMT

#22

On October 03 2013 03:32 iTzSnypah wrote:

Show nested quote +

or, http://www.anandtech.com/show/6984/thermaltake-water-30-closed-loop-cooler-roundup/3 ?

MaxField

United States2386 Posts

October 02 2013 23:53 GMT

#23

Just pop some dry ice in there any time you use it, and then just seal it all closed. All problems solved!

iTzSnypah

United States1738 Posts

October 03 2013 00:39 GMT

#24

On October 03 2013 08:03 a176 wrote:

Show nested quote +

or, http://www.anandtech.com/show/6984/thermaltake-water-30-closed-loop-cooler-roundup/3 ?

Page 4 is better:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6984/thermaltake-water-30-closed-loop-cooler-roundup/4

You can see for thermal performance they're near the top of the list, beating all of the air coolers. The problem is that, as you can see below, the air coolers are nowhere near as loud. Noctua's excellent NH-U14S is able to produce performance only 4C warmer at a staggering 14dB lower.