PC Too Loud? This IKEA Hack Can Help

For some, a loud PC is simply an annoyance. But for others, that same PC could be a much bigger issue. Someone that records audio, for example, cannot tolerate any noise that could compromise a recording. That was true for Jón Schone, proprietor of the Proper Printing YouTube channel. But rather than accept defeat, he turned to the time-honored tradition of IKEA hacking to create a stealth PC enclosure.

Schone’s PC fans were too loud and that was causing issues when he wanted to record in his office or participate in Zoom calls. His solution was to convert an inexpensive IKEA cabinet into the ultimate soundproofed PC enclosure. Of course, that didn’t mean he could just ignore cooling and so this required some clever engineering.

The basic idea was simple: line the interior surfaces of an IKEA cabinet with foam soundproofing panels to prevent any PC fan noise from escaping. Schone did exactly that, but went overboard with the implementation. To keep the bottom of the cabinet covered in foam panels and avoid contact noise, he placed the PC on a wood platform that hangs suspended from the cabinet’s ceiling. Cables run through 3D-printed grommets made in a combination of TPU and ABS.

There needed to be vents for airflow, but Schone didn’t want dust getting inside. However, he couldn’t simply laser-cut standard vent filter material, because that tends to be made of PVC. To understand why laser-cutting that would be an issue, type “chlorine gas” into your favorite search engine. Thankfully, Schone got a good tip from Josef Prusa himself, suggesting that he print the vent frame and filter as a single unit. By modeling the filter as a solid sheet, he could then utilize the slicer infill settings to print a fine mesh. Apparently Prusa knows 3D printing, because that worked well.

Schone also got clever with a refrigerator-style light switch that turns on interior LED lighting when either cabinet door opens. That works thanks to a 3D-printed “mechanical OR switch.” It contains a normally closed electric switch and when either door opens, the switch arm can move enough to release pressure on the switch and power will flow to the LEDs.

The final trick was a remote power switch made using a wireless camera shutter release. It lets Schone press the power button without physically accessing the PC case inside the cabinet. Best of all, its 3D-printed enclosure received a beautiful metallic coating thanks to the electroplating abilities of YouTuber HEN3DRIK.

Sadly, all of that work didn’t solve the problem. It turns out that Schone’s PC was noisy because he chose the wrong fans and even this cabinet couldn’t stop the sound. But after replacing the fans (and AIO cooler), Schone now has a nice, quiet office.