I suggest that you start with the easiest and cheapest which may be hockey pucks in stacks of two in contact with the chassis. My discovery that the second HP is where the magic happens, i.e. heat dissipation. They blend well aesthetically for most situations, at least in my man cave. I HAVE OVER A HUNDRED IN MY PRIMARY SYSTEM. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL AND I FOUND A FOLDED STIFF RUG, CUT TO SIZE, WORKS WITH THOSE EXCEPTIONS. After that spend away to get the flavor you crave.
Racks, equipment and footers
I would like to get a new rack and isolation footers for the rack and/or equipment. The high-end stuff like HRS, might be best, but it's out of my budget. There are so many choices, especially of footers. I'm thinking of going with a nice enough wood rack for aesthetic reasons and footers under each of the components to maximize performance. The system is upstairs with a wooden floor. No turntable. Questions:
- should I put footers under the rack and/or just the components?
- What about spikes - to drain rather than springs, so I avoid springs interacting with springs
- if I'm going to put footers under each component, does the material, construction, weight, etc. of the rack still matter much?
- It would be cheaper to just put footers under the rack and leave the components with the rubber feet - is this less effective?
- Should I put the same footers under all the components, or is it mix-and-match?
Any thoughts welcome along with specific recommendations on footers.