Silent PC Build

[Midnight]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Im looking to build a silent pc. Budget is flexible. Silent is important. Will be in a bedroom.

Machine is not for gaming. More of a workstation.

I already have the fanless fireGL that will be in the machine.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No pref

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Fanless fireGL

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

default

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

no gaming

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

ASAP

So far ive come up with:

2500k $220
Noctua NH-U12 $73
P8P67 PRO $170
Corsair Vengeance 8gb 4x2 $50
120 GB Crucial M4 $200
Hitatchi 3 TB 5400 RPM $140
Seasonic 460W fanless $140
Antec P183 $130
2x Scythe 120mm Slipstream Case Fans $14 each
Win 7 Pro $140

totals about $1300 right now.

also thinking of adding more stuff from frozen cpu like case insulation and HD dampening

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g7/S...ml?id=i7JQyfVf


thanks.

 

[lehtv]

Pretty nice choices overall. Silent builds are awesome.

Get this cooler: Thermalright HR-02 Macho $40 +$10 shipping. Then just remove the fan, it works very well in passive mode (it was originally released without the fan). If you overclock the CPU properly, the 140mm fan will make it a beast of a cooler, right up there taking jabs at Noctua's high end.

You won't need a dual-GPU capable board since you don't do gaming (and the PSU isn't up for that task either). Take a look at the P8Z68-V LE $140.

Are you sure you need the Win7 Pro?

 

[Midnight]

id like to keep all components from the same vendor (newegg). i was planning on running the noctua in ultra low noise mode.

will not be overclocking at all.

good point on the mobo.

i do like the idea of no fan tho.

what can i hear? 20 DBA? i think the noctua runs 13 DBA in ultra low

 

[lehtv]

If you want to buy from newegg only, I would recommend either of

Prolimatech Megahalems passive $70
Noctua NH-C12P SE14 140mm $75. 10,1 dBa in ultra low noise mode.

I would still consider the HR-02 though, even though it's not from newegg. It simply beats newegg's choices in price/performance and silence.

Also, if you're not going to overclock at all, you could downgrade to an i5-2500 or i5-2400, the K simply significies an unlocked core multiplier which is only useful for overclockers.

 

[mfenn]

If you're not going to be gaming, why not just use the IGP? The FireGL may not have a fan, but it still dumps heat into the case that has to be accounted for. As for the rest of the parts:

- Mobo: Overkill for a non-gaming, non-overclocking machine. Check out the ASRock H67M
- RAM: You'll want 2x4GB instead of 2x4GB and you can get it for less than $50. This G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB kit is only $35.
- PSU: I can see the appeal of going for this in a completely fanless build, but if you're going to have a CPU fan, you might as well save some money and get a really quiet PSU like the S12II 380W.
- OS: Do you need Pro? If you don't need to join a domain, you might as well just get Home Premium instead.

 

[gevorg]

A possible PSU for a very quiet operation would be Seasonic X-series with a fan. They keep the fan off for about 20% of load (i.e. fanless at idle/light duty), and start to gradually increase its speed as needed. I use the X-560, and at idle the loudest component is the Samsung 2TB 5400RPM drive (with Antec Solo suspension mounting), while at load the loudest component is the CPU/GPU fans. Never hear the PSU fan above anything else. IMHO, those fanless Seasonic PSUs are best for HTPC-type builds.

 

[Midnight]

i saw that antec solo with the suspension mounting. i was considering that case. why did you pick it? anand gave it mixed reviews.

can you hear your system under load? im hoping that with the noctua cpu and a fanless gpu the loudest thing in my case will be the mechanical drives and the cpu cooler?

im considering the x650. it would probably never go any higher than silent mode. but when in use i would expect it to exceed fanless mode.

thanks!

 

[SolMiester]

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

default

If not overclocking, why get the K version?

 

[Midnight]

at newegg right now the K is cheaper than the non K.

i figured why not keep my options open.

 

[lehtv]

im considering the x650. it would probably never go any higher than silent mode. but when in use i would expect it to exceed fanless mode.

On a low power system such as yours, it would most definitely not turn the fan on, ever. I have the PSU and the fan doesn't turn on except under the heaviest of loads (e.g. Furmark), and that's on overclocked i7 920 and 560 ti.

I think mfenn's suggestion on a quiet Seasonic S12II 380W is something you should consider. It'll handle your non-overclocked system (with its passively cooled GPU) with ease. The fanless X460 is really the absolute highest you should consider in terms of power output capacity, and the X650 is beyond overkill.

Also, as mfenn pointed out, why not just use the Sandy Bridge IGP instead of the discrete GPU?

at newegg right now the K is cheaper than the non K.

i figured why not keep my options open.

The $15 off deal ends today :/

 

[gevorg]

i saw that antec solo with the suspension mounting. i was considering that case. why did you pick it? anand gave it mixed reviews.

can you hear your system under load? im hoping that with the noctua cpu and a fanless gpu the loudest thing in my case will be the mechanical drives and the cpu cooler?

Well, the Solo is one of best quiet cases for the price (if not the best). Its build all around quiet performance, with hard drive suspension, case damping, and the like. The Anandtech review mostly complained about the price and its not as in-depth as the SPCR's review which includes anechoic chamber measurements.

With S12-380 PSU, the fan is more likely go on sooner and louder than something like X-650, but it might make no difference to you since your build is low power anyway.
S12-380 review on SPCR with measurements(~21db @ ~150W output):
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article753-page1.html

X-650 review on SPCR with measurements (~12db @ ~150W output, silent if less than ~130W):
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_X650

Under heavy load (gaming), I pretty much hear the CPU and GPU fans at well under 30db (not sure if its even possible to have silent performance with 2500K at load). At idle and non-intensive usage like web browsing and watching an HD movie, the system is silent, I have to lean very close to hear hard drives spinning.

 

[Zap]

2500k $220
Noctua NH-U12 $73
P8P67 PRO $170
Corsair Vengeance 8gb 4x2 $50
120 GB Crucial M4 $200
Hitatchi 3 TB 5400 RPM $140
Seasonic 460W fanless $140
Antec P183 $130
2x Scythe 120mm Slipstream Case Fans $14 each
Win 7 Pro $140

totals about $1300 right now.

How about this?

Core i5-2405S $220
65W quad core with HD 3000 graphics.

Scythe Ninja 3 $50
Still a decent near passive CPU coolers.

ASRock Z68 PRO3-M motherboard $110
Cheap and has all the important features.

whatever DDR3 8GB 2x4GB kit that is 1.5v or less $40-50
G.Skill DDR3-1600 8GB 1.25v kit was $50 recently.

120 GB Crucial M4 $200
This works, or bump up to a 256GB model for $190 more.

Hitatchi 3 TB 5400 RPM $130
This works.

Kingwin STR-500 80Plus Platinum fanless PSU $160
Either go cheaper with your PSU, or go all out for $20 more. Heck, can run your system on a Pico PSU 150XT.

Fractal Design Define Mini $100
"Quiet" design with indirect air path, pre-applied noise reduction foam, grommets for HDDs.

Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit $100
Why Pro? Do you need XP mode or logging into domain?

$1130

Only moving parts would be fans and HDD. Run all the fans at 500RPM and you probably won't hear them.

 

[Midnight]

thanks for all the suggestions. for the integrated graphics tho i will have to change.

i need to drive 2 - 4 screens 2560 x 1600.

still leaning towards either fanless psu or the x650.

govorg makes a good point that the lower wattage psu will kick on earlier.

thanks guys.

may also switch to solo.

 

[mfenn]

Hmm, whose 30"-ers do you have? Some of them will probably make more noise than the machine itself.

 

[Midnight]

dell u3011s

 

[mfenn]

Yeah, you're probably going to be getting a constant ~12dbA background hum from that array.