Silent build advice

Genghiz Cohen

Noise isn't a huge issue for me. Usually I get immersed in my game and I don't even hear it any more.

But, the thoughts of a quiet computer is appealing more and more to me, and since I need a new case anyway, if the price was similar, buying a case and fans and such with an emphasis on quietness would be great.

I'm running an i5 2500k with its stock cooler on a SaberTooth P67. My PSU is an OCZ 1KW. My case is old and has a fan in the side and back.
I'm looking to get an AMD HD7000 series card in the near future if the performance/cost ratio is good. Currently running a HD4870.

What kind of stuff should I be looking at to bring down noise?

M00lers

What about a Fractal Design R3 case, a Noctua CPU cooler and Noctua case fans, all running on ULNA adapters. Would be almost silent I reckon.

Genghiz Cohen

Is Noctua the brand of choice for quiet cooling?

M00lers

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Is Noctua the brand of choice for quiet cooling?

Its one of the best brands but there are others. The are really quiet and still move a lot of air. Have a look on QuietPC for some others, Scythe etc.

Genghiz Cohen

So far:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €140.69 + €30 shipping
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc Midi Tower|€83.63
Thermalright Archon Rev. A 150 - Retail|€52.46
Scythe Mini Kaze 50 mm Silent Lüfter|€4.60


Using VerSand because after looking into a Scythe Mugen 3 I saw the Archon was quieter and better and QuietPC didn't seem to stock it.

Looking at getting 2 140mm case fans, is 500RPM enough for such a task?

Serephucus

Finished with exam, so I can get back to this properly.

Building a silent PC isn't so much slapping components in a "silent" case, as selecting silent components to begin with. So for that, I'll need to know your full system specs. I will tell you that you're probably better off selling the 1kW unit, and buying a quality 550W one to run whatever you need a lot more quietly. I recently replaced my 1.2kW PSU with a 700W unit, and the difference is just staggering.

Cases: Yup, the R3 is a very nice quiet case, and probably the one I would have got you to look at, so you're all good there.

CPU cooler: For the price you're paying, look at something like this instead. Much more powerful (ie. quieter at the same temp.).

Graphics card: The 7xxx series have ridiculously good idle TDPs, so odds are they won't make any noise. Under load however is a different story. You might want to look into an aftermarket cooler if you want a quieter system. Odds are under load it'll be the loudest thing in your system.

Hard drives: These actually make a very bit of vibrational noise. I have four of them in my computer, and I've had to shut the ones that aren't in use off because together, they actually make quiet a racket. It won't be the same with just one or two drives, but you should still consider adding some sort of rubber lining to the drive between it and the caddy to help.

Fans: You'll want at least two 5-600RPM fans to cool things. You have to remember though that with a silent rig, things are going to run that bit warmer. Don't be expecting your GPU to max out at 65°C or anything.

And in general:
There isn't any one "choice" brand when it comes to cooling. It's a matter of the individual items you're looking for. Noctua generally make great coolers, and fans. Nexus are another one to look at for fans, as Scythe. Be Quiet! makes great PSUs, and Cooler Master's Silent Pro line is great as well. For GPU coolers, you're looking at Zalman, and maybe CoolIt, if you have the money.

I'd also think about sound dampening material for your case. The R3 comes with some, but more couldn't hurt. It won't work miracles, but it will help with that last little bit of noise. The best stuff out there is Acoustipack. QuietPC does OEM sheets.

Hope that helps...

Trompette

I'd add, according to the purpose of the PWM fan, see this, it seems to be a good option if your motherboard can manage it. Connector with 4 pins for CPU and case.

Genghiz Cohen

A 550W power the new 7 series?
I've an SSD and 2 HDDs also, if that makes a difference.

Since you think I should be cooling the as well GPU, would water cooling be OTT?

Serephucus

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5261/amd-radeon-hd-7970-review/27

391W under full load.

Watercooling? OTT? LOL, have a look at my specs. I'm a big watercooling advocate, but to be honest, it's a lot of money. You're probably looking at anywhere from €3-400 to do it right.

deceit

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

A 550W power the new 7 series?
I've an SSD and 2 HDDs also, if that makes a difference.

Since you think I should be cooling the as well GPU, would water cooling be OTT?

I have an overclocked i7 and hd6970 on a 550watt psu which would both be heavier on watts and runs perfect. From overclock3d's review they say you can run two of them on a good quality 750 watt psu.

Genghiz Cohen

Serephucus wrote: »

€3-400 to do it right.

That'll be a no then.

Genghiz Cohen

Item|Quantity|Total
NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler, Intel and AMD|1|€60.86
Mini Kaze 50mm Quiet Fan|1|€7.49
Define R3, Titanium Grey Case, USB3 Version (no PSU)|1|€78.69
NF-S12B ULN Ultra Low Noise 120mm Cooling Fan, 500/700 RPM|2|€37.76
EAP 550W ECO and Power Quiet PSU|1|€50.36
||
|Subtotal ex VAT:|€235.16
|VAT at 20.0%:|€47.03
|Total inc VAT:|€282.19

Getting expensive now lads!

Serephucus

That 50mm fan is going to be a bitch. What's it for?

Genghiz Cohen

Sabretooth board thermal armour thing.

Serephucus

Ugh. I hate motherboards with active cooling. Have you tried running it passive? If you haven't, give that a go first and see what the temperatures are like. From what I understand P67 is supposed to run very cool because half the motherboard is on the CPU. :P

Genghiz Cohen

Serephucus wrote: »

Ugh. I hate motherboards with active cooling. Have you tried running it passive? If you haven't, give that a go first and see what the temperatures are like. From what I understand P67 is supposed to run very cool because half the motherboard is on the CPU. :P

It doesn't need active now because the CPU cooler is pushing air under the armour thing.

Idle Temps (its pretty warm in here)


Getting the free 3DMark now to have a go. Saw the QuadFire 7970s get like 24k score, gonna put that in context

Genghiz Cohen

Vantage pushes the CPU up to 90° the rest stays pretty much the same.

Serephucus

90?! Is it overclocked?

Genghiz Cohen

Nope.
Looking at my intake fan, it could use a cleaning.

deceit

Serephucus wrote: »

Ugh. I hate motherboards with active cooling. Have you tried running it passive? If you haven't, give that a go first and see what the temperatures are like. From what I understand P67 is supposed to run very cool because half the motherboard is on the CPU. :P

I have this exact motherboard and with the cpu tested at 5ghz the motherboard ran cooler than my i7 1366 boards would with a cpu at 4.2ghz without that fan .

Serephucus

What case / fan is it? Probably a good idea to keep thing ventilated, yeah. :P

Edit: @deceit, yeah, I can imagine. My board used to run at around 80°C load. Got it down to about 60° now though.

Genghiz Cohen

It's some old case, think the brand is Xeon but can't find any links. Used to light up blue until Girlfriend broke the front door off it...

There is a 90mm intake on the side and a 120mm out on the back. Using stock CPU cooler if that makes a difference.

The room I'm in is hotter than hell...

CPU is idling about 44C now.

Serephucus

Then grab a new case, open a window, and you're good, I'd think.

Genghiz Cohen

Serephucus wrote: »

Then grab a new case, open a window, and you're good, I'd think.

Both money and Girlfriend stand in the way of those things...
She says she's cold!? The heating on melting my keyboard!

Tell me, how can a man play Skyrim under these conditions!?
At least the game has lots of snow in it...

Genghiz Cohen

VerSand is cheaper...
beQuiet! seems to get a lot of traction around here, I assume there is good reason for that.

Item|Price
Total build cost: €243.30 + €30 shipping
Scythe Mini Kaze 50 mm Silent Lüfter|€4.60
Noctua NH-U12P SE2, Sockel AM2/AM2+/AM3/775/1366/1156|€54.89
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse DEFINE R3 Titanium Grey|€91.69
2 x NOCTUA Lüfter NF-S12B FLX|€16.99
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER BQT S6-SYS-UA-550W 80plus bulk|€58.14

Serephucus

http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=23716&agid=1628

You'll probably want something like that instead. The Be Quiet only has one 8-pin connector.

Genghiz Cohen

Necrobump!
Bonus came in today so I have the monies.

Has much changed with the world of cases, fans and PSUs? Or are the parts above with the Cooler Master still good?

Brian

I can vouch for the Scythe Mugen 3. It dropped my CPU idle temp by 15 C and I can't hear it running even with my head right next to it.

Edit: However, the installation process is not a one person job.