silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

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ntox
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silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Wed Jun 24, 2015 6:54 pm

Hi Everyone,

I've been a long time watcher of Linus Tech Tips on youtube and finally decided to make an account on these forums because I'm needing some help on a new gaming rig I would like to build. My main goal is to have a small desktop that is essentially a hybrid, quiet enough to be both a workstation and a gaming desktop.

My previous gaming rig was fairly loud for me, it was to the point when I really didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary, it would be too loud and make my room real hot.

What I am looking to have is the following specs -- what I am needing help with primarily is the best components to make the desktop as quiet as possible;

CPU: LGA1150 i7-4790K processor Unlocked or any recommendations
Memory: 16GB HyperX Fury Black RAM or any recommendations
GPU: GTX 980 Strix (Or any silent equivalent) Or ATI AMD Equivalent
Motherboard: MSI variant or Asus mATX MAXIMUS VII GENE (Or any recommendations)
Cases: There is quite the selection for this and it is what I am having the most trouble with. I want something small, sleek, doesn't take up much space -- in short, low profile, I do not have a preference of which brand, as long as it does its job and looks good at the same time.
Cooling: To me this is another area I need help with, i'd prefer silent watercooling, along with that silent case fans that don't sound like a jet engine when booting up.
PSU: Alot of things have changed since i've first looked into PSU's, I've heard good things about Silverstone PSU's from Linus Tech Tips and would be looking for one that is near silent

Already Owned Components & Information:
Monitor: 2xHP ZR2740w running at 2560 x 1440
Games Played: GW2, DOTA2, LoL, Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline, CS:GO, Witcher 3, all CoD series, WoW, HoS, Diablo3, SC2, and a variety of different games.

I understand that it won't always be silent, especially under heavy load with gaming or on the initial bootup, but I want it to be a workstation as well, where I can use it without any heavy load and not ramping up all its fans and being loud when it doesn't have to be.
This is my first build in quite some time, my last build was at least 3/4 years ago, so I know quite a bit has changed since then.

Any recommendations would be awesome!

Additional Notes: The main focus of my build is to have this PC as quiet as possible in a small form factor, also my parts will end up being purchased from NCIX.com, SSDs/HDDs are not needed for this, it's only the main components.

After poking around at PC Part Picker I was able to come up with something like this, any suggestions are welcomed!
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/WhwBpg

Edit: I've removed the requirement for SLI. A single GPU will do just fine. Glad to see others' recommendations in regards to that. I've also added additional information including monitor(s) resolution, games played and any other information.

Thank you for being patient with this newbee!
Last edited by ntox on Thu Jun 25, 2015 12:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.

CA_Steve
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:29 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

Unfortunately, the pcpartpicker link just went to the generic pick-your-components page.

Perhaps you can provide a little more info on the requirements to better refine the component selection. For example, do the workstation apps make use of hyperthreading (if not an i5 is sufficient), will they need 16GB of RAM (8GB is fine for gaming)?

What games do you want to play and at what resolution? Many of the Nvidia Maxwell cards have semi-passive fan profiles - passive for 2D applications and only turn on for 3D loads. So, that can resolve a lot of the workstation noise...unless the primary app is using heavy gpgpu resources.

Unless you plan to overvolt the CPU, air cooling is sufficient and usually quieter. The trick is to pick an mATX case that will permit a decent sized tower cooler - thin cases make it a little tougher.

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:05 am

Thanks for a quick response, I noticed the pcpartpicker link was wrong so I updated it as soon as my post had gotten approved.

As for refinement of my requirements, I am a network engineer, so I have a lot of applications for simulations that will eat up memory and CPU depending on the type of work I'm doing.

I don't mind leaving air cooling of course as long as it provides good cooling and a quiet sound, the biggest components I'm struggling with are the cooling such as CPU, GPU, the case, and case fans. All other components I'm alright with but always opened to different suggestions :)

Thanks again!

boost
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by boost » Thu Jun 25, 2015 6:29 am

ntox wrote:Cases: There is quite the selection for this and it is what I am having the most trouble with. I want something small, sleek, doesn't take up much space -- in short, low profile, I liked the look of the Bitfenix Pandora Core mATX Black Case, however i'm not sure of how the noise levels are with the fans / cpu / gpu's and after checking some review i'm a bit skeptical of it. I do not have a preference of which brand, as long as it does its job and looks good at the same time.
First you should decide if you really want a SLI/Crossfire system. With the thermal load of SLI/Xfire, a case that maximizes airflow is the best.
For a mATX system with a single graphics card, the SilverStone TJ08E with a single 18cm fan, or the very similar Silverstone PS07 with two, easily replaceable 12cm fans, are good choices.
The Bitfenix Pandora doesn't have any front fans and doesn't cool the components as efficiently as the two Silverstone cases.
CA_Steve wrote:Cooling: To me this is another area I need help with, i'd prefer silent watercooling, along with that silent case fans that don't sound like a jet engine when booting up.
For a few seconds on bootup most fans, connected to the mainboard or graphics card, run at 100% until the fan controller kicks in. The idle noise of air coolers is lower because they don't have a pump.
My first choice would be the Noctua NH-D15, it's very powerful, but expensive. The Scythe Kotetsu is a very good choice, coming in at a close second to the Noctua at less than half the cost.

CA_Steve
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Jun 25, 2015 6:33 am

ntox wrote:As for refinement of my requirements, I am a network engineer, so I have a lot of applications for simulations that will eat up memory and CPU depending on the type of work I'm doing.
Ok.

What's the monitor resolution / games played? SLI in an mATX case may be tough to do (close card stacking ->thermals-> fan noise).

Tzeb
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by Tzeb » Thu Jun 25, 2015 11:30 am

Are you in a hurry? I would wait ~a month for the 6700k.

CA_Steve
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Jun 25, 2015 12:56 pm

Tzeb wrote:Are you in a hurry? I would wait ~a month for the 6700k.
I'd change that to 4 months unless you like being a beta tester for mobo firmware/drivers/bugs. Parts are expected to intro in mid August, then another 2 months to let the firmware/drivers settle down and to see if there's a "holy crap" bug.

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Thu Jun 25, 2015 12:59 pm

I've updated my original post to reflect some changes. After consideration, i've decided to just stick with a single GPU, i'm fine with just one, and added the Monitor(s) used and their resolution that will be used.

Monitor: 2xHP ZR2740w running at 2560 x 1440
Games Played: GW2, DOTA2, LoL, Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline, CS:GO, Witcher 3, all CoD series, WoW, HoS, Diablo3, SC2, and a variety of different games.


I think I'm fine with the 4790K as i'm sure it will last for quite some time for me.

thanks for everyone being patient with me being a newbee, much appreciated.

CA_Steve
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:20 pm

Thanks for the update. Here's some thoughts.

GPU: The Asus Strix is a decent choice. The toughest game in your group is Witcher 3 (a bit of a pig, really). You'll see 40-50 average fps with 1440P and setting at Ultra. The rest will be 60fps+.

PSU: Your stressed load power is ~290W, figure high gaming load of 245W. So, you'll want a PSU that doesn't ramp the fan up significantly at gaming loads. Typically a 500W class. Corsair RM550, Seasonic G550 for Gold efficiency. Possibly the Seasonic SS-460FL2 passive (case dependent). There are others (not seeing a broad variety via pcpartpicker).

Case: The Corsair 350D is a decent case. Another is the Fractal Design Define Mini. Double check the GPU height compatibility.

Cooler: Scythe Kotetsu.

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:03 pm

Based on some more research i've done, and what i've heard from others in this post, i've generated a new pcpartpicket list;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($264.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($127.98 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card ($649.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($130.85 @ NCIX)
Other: Corsair RM650I Zero RPM Silent Operation +12V Rail Options 80+GOLD Modular PSU 7 Year Warranty ($159.99)
Total: $1823.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-26 00:59 EDT-0400

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/Zqgv7P

was also thinking about the be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3, still poking around at those manufacturers.

Tzeb
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by Tzeb » Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:14 am

Think again about the cpu and mobo. This is the worst time to splurge on high end stuff, as the launch of a new geenration in august is a big deal. It's the first jump in nm since long. We had 3770k, 4770k, 4790k --> all on 22nm. The 6700k will be 14nm --> lower power draw, colder, maybe higher overclock.

boost
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by boost » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:25 am

Tzeb wrote:Think again about the cpu and mobo. This is the worst time to splurge on high end stuff, as the launch of a new geenration in august is a big deal. It's the first jump in nm since long. We had 3770k, 4770k, 4790k --> all on 22nm. The 6700k will be 14nm --> lower power draw, colder, maybe higher overclock.
If you want to wait, do it for a different reason. The 4790K had higher clock speeds than it's predecessors and was faster for that reason alone. The performance increase per clock is, and will most likely be in the next generation, insignificant.
The new plattform brings faster RAM and new connectivity options. DDR4 can reach a much higher bandwidth, which might or might not be interesting for your applications.
You will get M.2 slot(s) for SSD @ 32 Gb/s, potentially USB 3.1 with a reversible plug and even HDMI 2.0 on some boards.
If you want any or all of these features, you should wait. Don't wait for a performance increase from a newer generation Intel CPU.

Tzeb
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by Tzeb » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:37 am

14nm will use less power than 22nm at the same voltage and clock ----> less heat, less noise as you can run the fans lower at load. Plus, what if any 6700k could run at 5Ghz with under 1.2V? :twisted:

Sure, no one expects the 6700k to blow away the 4790k at stock speeds. But the potential overclock + new features on the z170 motherboards + 14nm make the whole thing appealing.

The worst time to buy a top of the line mainstream cpu + mobo is just before the new stuff comes out. If the new stuff was still 22nm, like broadwell, no big deal. But it's a sure thing that the prices for 22nm will drop a lot in august.

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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Jun 26, 2015 1:10 pm

Based on some more research i've done, and what i've heard from others in this post, i've generated a new pcpartpicket list;
Mobo: Are there specific features on the Maximus board that you need over the cheaper 97M-Plus or Gryphon boards?

PSU: Early reviews look great. Only potential downside is that it's really new - so not much user feedback, yet.

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Sat Jun 27, 2015 6:23 pm

CA_Steve wrote:
Based on some more research i've done, and what i've heard from others in this post, i've generated a new pcpartpicket list;
Mobo: Are there specific features on the Maximus board that you need over the cheaper 97M-Plus or Gryphon boards?

PSU: Early reviews look great. Only potential downside is that it's really new - so not much user feedback, yet.

No Particular features on the maximus board, not sure what the difference is between the maximus and gryphon boards.

Thanks for the heads up on the PSU, hopefully by the time i'm purchasing these parts some more reviews for that PSU will be available. I was looking to buy this fairly soon like in the middle of July, not sure if i should end up waiting for the new CPU tech or just going for what I listed. Sure, less power is always nice but looks like i'll have to decide on that soon. Would be nice to know when they would actually release the new LGA1151's to see a price point

CA_Steve
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:54 pm

The 95W i5 and i7 K parts are rumored to be intro'd in mid-August. I'd still wait until October/November for bugs/bios/drivers to settle out. No reason to expect the price points to be any different than the last couple of intro's. Figure $225 USD for the i5 and $325 for the i7.

mobo differences. Upgraded analog audio path (if you need analog audio out), M.2 socket, a couple of other things.

Tzeb
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by Tzeb » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:56 am

ntox wrote:Would be nice to know when they would actually release the new LGA1151's to see a price point
All the motherboards are ready since long.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/a ... rocessors/
http://www.kitguru.net/components/mothe ... m-2-satae/
http://www.kitguru.net/components/mothe ... rocessors/
http://www.kitguru.net/components/mothe ... derbolt-3/

Everything will be available to buy ~10 days after the windows 10 launch (29 july) - http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/a ... -revealed/

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:39 am

So, some time has gone by, and it seems the LGA1151 socks are available now. So i've updated some of the parts that i'm thinking about.

I may be moving away from the mATX form factor because I'm still unsure of a case that will be good for it, I see some new ones from Fractal Design Node/Core or even the define that i'm liking, but can't seem to make a good decision on that.

But here are my new parts I'm thinking of from PC part Picker, i think i'll keep with air cooler unless there is a good quiet liquid cooler around on the market (willing to swap out fans from a liquid cooler to something different)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($469.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($114.77 @ NCIX)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII GENE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($309.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($292.70 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($199.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $2191.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-06 14:38 EDT-0400

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:34 pm

Does anyone have any comments or other recommendations?

Some feedback would be awesome.

quest_for_silence
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by quest_for_silence » Sun Aug 16, 2015 12:52 am

ntox wrote:CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($114.77 @ NCIX)

Though it's still one of the best options available, IMO the original D14 is pointlessly large, particularly in a Node 804, and expensive on NCIX (for instance the original NH-C14 should go equally well for 25 bucks less from the same NCIX), even if probably you lack lots of the SPCR-approved alternatives there in Canada.

Talking about heavyweights, probably I'd rather the Prolimatech Genesis, even if it needs two fans (and providing it fits), I guess 84 bucks on NewEgg CA.
Take also note of the freshly released Noctua NH-D15S and NH-C14S, which should give some benefit over the D14 (if you can wait for them, obviously).


Pointless, the stock Noctua paste is as good as well: on the other hand, if you're ever going to delid the CPU, the Liquid Metal Pro is the way to go.

ntox wrote:Case: Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ NCIX)

Broadly speaking I am intrigued by the Node 804, but given that I never played with it, probably I'd opt for a more proven, mature option (either an Arc Mini or the Define Mini you picked in your previous iteration): all in all +300W of heat is still a though thermal load for a relatively small volume.


It's an excellent pick, noise wise, but I'd save 30-40 bucks on the gold-rated RM750i.

Abula
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by Abula » Sun Aug 16, 2015 1:13 am

ntox wrote:Does anyone have any comments or other recommendations?

Some feedback would be awesome.
Np, here are my recommendations,
ntox wrote:I may be moving away from the mATX form factor because I'm still unsure of a case that will be good for it, I see some new ones from Fractal Design Node/Core or even the define that i'm liking, but can't seem to make a good decision on that.
Decide this before, as many of the choices will change, specially motheboard.
ntox wrote:CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($469.99 @ NCIX)
Crosscheck your apps will use the hyperthreading, else the 6600K might be a better buy.
ntox wrote:CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($114.77 @ NCIX)
Be careful with it, as in some builds on the TJ08-E (another micro atx) it touched the GPU, my recommendation is go with a single tower, i think its not that easy to get scythe products on canada, so i would go with Prolimatech Megahalems + Nexus BASIC D12SL-12.
I prefer Arctic Silver Céramique 2, thats none conductive nor capacitve, good performance for the money.
ntox wrote:Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII GENE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($309.99 @ NCIX)
Beautiful motherboard, but crosscheck if ASUS Z170M-PLUS woudlnt be enough for you build and save $$$.
Fine, if you like kingston go for it.
ntox wrote:Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ NCIX)
I would consider also MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming, even has a 3% off atm, and save the cash for a Nvidia Pascal GPU next year.
ntox wrote:Case: Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ NCIX)
I like more the R5, but if you want micro atx and you like the design go for it. But you will find a lot more options on motherboards on ATX, i like a lot the MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING
I would either spend less going with soemthing like Rosewill SilentNight-500 specially with the GTX970, or spend more toward SeaSonic Snow Silent 750.

ntox
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Re: silent mATX as workstation/gaming pc

Post by ntox » Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:45 am

Hi everyone,

So i've actually decided to scrap the mATX build and go with a Mid Tower, the Fractal Design R5 case (It's not extremely big so it's nice, a decent size compared to my old Full Tower (E-ATX) case)

Below you'll see my modified list of parts -- any thoughts?;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($459.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($302.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($165.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card ($654.25 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($164.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1997.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-27 15:43 EDT-0400

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