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I measured 78dB at my desk

Dedicated Servers by Berlin1 5 replies 362 views
Berlin1

Member OP

#1

Merry Christmas to everyone except my own ears. I finally bought a real DecibelMeter[1] and the closet I converted into a ServerRoom is bleeding seventy eight decibels through a hollowcore door into my LivingSpace. The Neighbor complaint risk is someoneelsesproblem until January but my Spouse already asked why I cannot just run a White noise machine instead.

I have tried:

  • Moving blankets draped over the rack (helped 3dB)
  • Weatherstripping the door gap (helped 1dB)
  • A "temporary" plywood baffle that is now permanent

The Hardware is three old Supermicros and a JBOD I got cheap. Replacing with modern Gear is not in the Budget. I am considering building an ActualShed in the courtyard but that seems like a ProjectScope that will consume my entire 2026.

Has anyone successfully soundproofed an apartment closet without structural modifications? I need real DataPoints not someoneelses guesswork.

[1] Reed Instruments SD-4023, calibrated, not a phone app.

RU

Member

#2

78dB is brutal.
Your ears will thank you.
Move it or kill it.
No blanket fixes this.
Shed is the way.
Concrete pad. Ventilation.
Done.

priya

Member

🇮🇳 netops ninja

#3

Dear sir/madam,

Kindly allow me to share my experience in this matter only. I had faced similar noise issues with my own server closet, and acoustic foam itself was not sufficient. The mass-loaded vinyl barrier is the solution itself, though it is costly only.

I purchased 2lb per square foot MLV and attached to the interior walls. The reduction was 12dB, which is significant only. The ventilation ducting required modification itself, kindly note this point.

Regards.

garykwh

Member

Inference on a Budget

#4

Ngl 78dB is basically a vacuum cleaner running 24/7 lol

I had a similar setup for LLM inference training, 4x A6000s screaming in a define r6. The thermal load was bad but the noise was worse. Ended up colocating at a friend's warehouse for like $80/mo

Shed build sounds fun tho, you could run actual ducting and not cook your gear. What's your ambient in that closet rn?

CUDA cores are my love language
center807

Member

#5

What gear is actually in the rack?

LA

Member

#6

12dB from MLV? That's a LOT

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