We want more power, and we want it now. We want faster CPU's, faster GPU's, more Frames per second, and more harddrives running at faster RPM's and higher transfer rates. We want CDRW's that can burn CD's in less than 3 minutes. We want TV and video on our PC, DVD and all the sounds and picture quality that goes with it. We want larger and more powerful PSU's to drive all of this. And of course bigger Fans and Heatsinks to cool it all it down. All of this comes with a price, and I don't just mean money. All these things in our quest for the ultimate PC can be damn noisy, especially all those case fans and powerful HSF combos were are all using. So what to do about it? What can we do to shut up these beasts we have created? There's watercooling, but although it is dropping in price, it's still quite expensive and I can think of a few people who have watched in dismay as there GeForce 2 Ultra sits gleefully playing in its own waterfall. You could try Dynamat, a car audio sound absorbent material. Again, it's expensive and adds the weight equivalent of lead lining to your PC, just for those hernias on the way to your local LAN! Luckily, Akasa has come up with a solution, the Akasa Pax Mate Acoustic Absorbent Mat kit (trying saying that after a few glasses! *hic*).
As I sit here writing this review, all I can hear is my music from Winamp, and a high pitched constant drone from the Delta 7000rpm fan on my sk6 Heatsink. Later on I'll probably be online creeping round a Threewave Capture the flag map with my clan mates, trying desperately to hear my enemy's footsteps and guess where they are BEFORE I'm set upon by the entire enemy team. Or maybe I'll be just getting berated by the wife for not hearing one of the kids crying even though they are just in the next room. Either way, I had to do something about the noise of my machine. So when the nice chaps at asked me if I would like to review this sound proofing kit, I jumped at the chance! Thanks guys!
I eagerly unwrapped the parcel when it came and was confronted with this bright yellow box, which weighed next to nothing. Infact it felt like the box was empty (what they sent me here? Fresh air?). I opened the box and was greeted with a nicely packed foam parcel emblazoned with the Akasa name and web address in silver on black foam padding with a sticky back. So first thoughts? Er &&&& is this really going to work, and after my constant battle with heat, was this padding going to increase it again once more? Lets find out shall we?
Contents
2x Side panels for a midi tower setup
2x Top and bottom panels for a tower setup
I tested this on my trusty old PIII800 system to which I added the Delta fan, as the kit was too small for my Juno Towered 1.4 Athlon.
As you can see from the photos, the kit comes with a sticky back, so all you have to do is peel off the backing and apply. I also had to cut mine down to size and shape on the side panels and top panel, as the side panels were to large for my tower by a few inches all round, and the 5 ¼ inch drive bays are attached to the top of my tower. There's more than enough to fit comfortably in a Lian Li sized case here.
What I did was to cut it to the correct size for the side panels, and the top panel I cut slits in to it to slide the panel into place in between and either side of the drive bays cage. It took me all of 10 minutes to get the kit installed, and I found no problems at all that a bit of forward thinking and some common sense couldn't deal with. So the moment of truth...
I have to say I had visions of booting into windows and motherboard monitor's heat alarm going off with in a few seconds of booting up, but no such trouble at all. The heat never changed from its constant idle temperature that it's always been. Under load it was the same story. Running Quake III Arena for an hour in a looped demo yielded no undue increases in temperature above the norm for my system with the Delta fan installed. So my first fear was unfounded. No trouble with heat at all. Nice one : )
(/me breathes sigh of relief)
Next test, does this simple thin foam padding actually decrease the noise level. I thought long and hard about how to convey my tests results to you. I could have done before and after dB levels for you to see, but at the end of the day its just numbers. I could explain in detail how much of a difference if any it made to the noise level. But that would be just words. The proof is in the tasting so the saying goes, so I have recorded a couple of before and after mp3's of the noise from my computer that you may all hear the difference yourself. I used a creative labs desktop "stick" microphone that comes with the SoundBlaster card to record the noise of my computer at idle with no other background noises. The microphone and computer were not moved at all during the testing, and the only thing that changed was the application of the Akasa Pax Mate. So take a listen for yourself. Dig the before and after sounds here! - Ed. Yessir!! We're going high tech multimedia!
I think we can all agree there is a difference in the sound level. I have to say it's not as much as I hoped for, but it's a lot more than I expected from just some thin foam. I guessed that this stuff would work best in a machine that makes less noise to begin with, say a machine with a Golden Orb on it for example. Not the noisiest of fans, but still louder than stock fans. So I tested it with that as well. The noise went from audible to nearly silent. Same system, all that changed was the Fan. Great stuff if your rig is in a bedroom and you want to leave it on at night. I believe the difference to be the sound pitch of the fan/s in question. Low pitched sounding fans will be blocked more than higher pitched fans like the Delta.
Another thing I'd like to point out, although this is very much a point of personal preference, is that it looks quite good. If your someone who regularly shows off the interior of the case, that's an added bonus. Maybe Akasa might like to think about doing different styles and colours, perhaps with different logos on them? Just a thought &&&.. : ) This Kit I have here would go well in say, a black Lian Li with all that black and silver aluminium mimicked by the Akasa Pax Mate.
The only really bad things I could say about this kit is that one, it's borderline pricey for what it is, although it is a new product, so I guess the price will fall eventually. If you have bought enough items to make that much noise to want some form of sound deadening then the price of this kit will probably be trivial to you. The other thing is the smell. Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeyoooooooooooooo!!! That sticky back glue they use is gross, but I can tell you it will wear off in time, approx 1-2 weeks. It's the same stuff used in the manufacture of standard sticky backed plastic with permanent glue, and if any of you have smelt that stuff, you know it can be a little "high".
Final Words
I went into this review not expecting to get any surprising results. I was really expecting an increase of heat but there was none. I didn't expect to hear much of a difference in the noise level. Again I was wrong, but it was not what I would call an astounding reduction. The sound pitch of the fan has a lot to do with the performance of the Pax Mate, lower pitched noises are absorbed more easily than higher pitched ones. The key word here being absorbed, not proofed, there is a difference. I would use this kit in conjunction with lower dB fans to create a quieter machine. Some of the really low dB fans on the market coupled with this kit would make for a very quiet PC indeed. Its feather light and wont add to the weight of your case by any noticeable amount and can be fitted in minutes. There is that smell, but it will fade, and unless you stick your nose in your PC you wont smell it once its fitted : ) It also adds to the cool factor of you machine's interior.
All in all, if you're looking for a cheaper way to reduce the overall noise created by your machine, the Akasa Pax Mate Acoustic Absorbent kit would make for a good start. Once again, big thanks to Overclock for sending me the review sample, the wife appreciated it : p
Supplied by:
Pros: Does exactly what it says on the tin. Feather light. Cheaper than other solutions. Looks good and can be fitted in minutes
Cons: Works better in conjunction with other sound reducing measures. Not an astounding reduction in overall noise with higher pitched fans. Some might consider it pricey for a bit of thin foam.
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