Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

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Lapin_ToxiC
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:34 am

Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by Lapin_ToxiC » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:11 am

Hello All,

As the title says, I am new to the forum and have discovered silentpcreview from a youtube video of LinusTechtips. I am currently running a pretty old computer which has an core i7 860, a radeon HD7950, 16GB of RAM and a 500GB Samsung Evo. All of that power by a CX750 PSU from corsair. The case is an Antec three hundred. I currently have 3x 24" monitors connected to my HD7950.

- Here is what I am looking for as far as the new build is concerned (highly based on the 4K quiet build article I found here):
SSD: I will keep my Samsung 500GB Evo
DVD: Whatever I already have
CPU: i7 6700K (potential overclock to 4.4Ghz at most)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E
RAM: 2×8GB HyperX Fury 2133Mhz DDR4 (I read that 2 stick is better that 4 for overclocking. True???)
Mobo: Asus Z170-A
GPU: I will keep my Sapphire HD7950 dual X with boos, 3GB (Looking to upgrade it as soon as the new AMD cards come out this summer hopefully)
PSU: EVGA SuperNova P2 750W (Maybe overkill)
Case: Be Quiet! Silent Base 800
Monitor: I am thinking keeping my 3x 1080p monitors and see how I like eyefinity for games. If that's not for me, I think I will go with a 27" 1440p monitor

Here are my doubts:
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
PSU: SilverStone Strider 750W Platinum
RAM: Faster RAM???
Case: Corsair 600Q or Fractal R5
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 (Seems to be complaints about BIOS and Firmware on the system)

I have never cared for the look of the case but I fell in love with the Be Quiet 800 and the black/orange theme so it is hard for me to let it go and the look of the corsair/fractal is just meh. I could leave with a few db more from the Be quiet if that's all it will be.


As of right now I have not pulled on the triggers with buying any equipments. The reason being is that I am really waiting to see what the new GPU will be pushing and I am wondering if waiting until them will save me some money as some of the components (CPU, RAM) I picked might see a price dropped by then.


I would love to hear your input on this build and see if there improvements or parts I should change. As you see, my current PC is pretty old and I am not planning on upgrading this new build one for a while either.

CA_Steve
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:24 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

What are your applications?

quest_for_silence
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Mar 16, 2016 12:00 am

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:(I read that 2 stick is better that 4 for overclocking. True???)

Broadly speaking it's easier (less stress on IMC), but nowadays memory isn't oc'ed the same way your old rig did, so I wouldn't be over concerned about that. A two sticks kit is surely better for upgradeability.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:PSU: EVGA SuperNova P2 750W (Maybe overkill)

Without maybe, it's for two high end cards with oc.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15

Virtually the same thing of the other one.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:PSU: SilverStone Strider 750W Platinum

A noticeable downgrade from P2 quality, same overkill.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:RAM: Faster RAM???

Mostly harmless, I'd say just for free.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:Case: Corsair 600Q or Fractal R5

Cooling-wise (so noise-wise) better than a be quiet 800/600 (those are the same case), but if you already felt in love I can't help.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 (Seems to be complaints about BIOS and Firmware on the system)

Personally I tend to avoid Gigabyte for quiet computing, less hassles, unless looking at an Hackinstosh, but it should be a good board.
In case, mandatorily check the online manual & forums about how its fan control actually works.

Lapin_ToxiC
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:34 am

Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by Lapin_ToxiC » Wed Mar 16, 2016 4:37 am

Thank you guys for the replies. I realized yesterday that MicroCenter was selling the 6700K for $314.15 which will end up today so I decided to go ahead and by the CPU and start my build now.
CA_Steve wrote:Welcome to SPCR.
What are your applications?
This is really a gaming PC only. I play old games like CS 1.6 and new games like GTA V, Tomb Raider and other games when I have time. I don't run any VMs on this box as I have a OC'ed FX8320 in my basement for that purpose only and do not do any video editing. I always like to buy high-end CPUs because they last me for a while and I believe the 4Ghz on this guy would help on games and other single core application. I was thinking about a X99 build and a 5820K but I would rather get higher speed CPU with less core and less heat for a more quiet system.

quest_for_silence wrote:Without maybe, it's for two high end cards with oc.
Thank you. I should had that I found 2x HD7950 dualx 3GB with boost for $100 which I think was a pretty sweet deal. One sold one of them but might be able to get another one for $50 until the new GPUs come out. So in short, I do not want to buy a small PSU and regret it later on. I know Platinum might be too much too but the PSU is only $109 on Amazon so I figured why not. What do you think?
quest_for_silence wrote:Virtually the same thing of the other one.

That is what I thought. I think the Thermalright has lower noise level and maybe slightly better cooling capabilities so I will try that one out.
quest_for_silence wrote:Cooling-wise (so noise-wise) better than a be quiet 800/600 (those are the same case), but if you already felt in love I can't help.
I think it will be pretty hard for me to overcome the looks of the other 2 but I will still keep them in mind.
quest_for_silence wrote:Personally I tend to avoid Gigabyte for quiet computing, less hassles, unless looking at an Hackinstosh, but it should be a good board.
In case, mandatorily check the online manual & forums about how its fan control actually works.
I have a gigabyte board on my "server" box in my basement and I do not like this brand much either. I just kinda like the look of it better than the Asus but I think the Asus definitely has much feature, supports for 4x fans, etc. so I think I will stay with Asus which is the brand that I am using on my current i7 on now.


Thank you both for the input. As I said earlier in my post, with the CPU being on sale, I am most likely going to pull the trigger on this very shortly and the way I am seeing it, it can't be any more loud than my current build :lol:

quest_for_silence
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:43 am

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:I know Platinum might be too much too but the PSU is only $109 on Amazon so I figured why not. What do you think?

If you're looking for an X99 AND two cards, you'd better off either a P2 850 or a P2 1000.

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote:Cooling-wise (so noise-wise) better than a be quiet 800/600 (those are the same case), but if you already felt in love I can't help.
I think it will be pretty hard for me to overcome the looks of the other 2 but I will still keep them in mind.

Keep also in mind that you can't put an X99 and two graphic cards in this kind of enclosures: those parts need a far better airflow, so they deserve more open boxes (and/or custom liquid cooling).
At least, if you need some serious quietness.

Lapin_ToxiC
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:34 am

Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by Lapin_ToxiC » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:46 am

Good to know. I think I will stay with the Z170 build and get my 6700K later today and try out the Silent Base 800 even though I am starting to have doubts about it's cooling capabilities. I will definitely be removing the HDD trays up front as I am not planning on installing anything other than SSDs in that system to keep the noise down and because I have a NAS device to store my data. Hopefully this will help with the front intake and airflow into the case.
I have to look into airflow to see if I should be adding any other fan to let the air get out (maybe one on the top) but I am not sure on the impact it will really have.

I was looking into water cooling at first, but I have 2 young kids (under 2) and my only free time is after they go to bed which is when I get to play and relax from the stressful days so dealing with water cooling right now and experiencing with it is not really in my agenda but definitely something I would to experiment on at some point (maybe my future build).


If you have any input about airflow and how to get the best cooling in your case, I would be more than happy to listen. I was thinking right now that keeping the case on my carpet might not be a good idea (even though the case has legs) but then the temperature on my desk could be a couple degrees higher (even more with the 3 monitors on), so I will definitely have to keep an eye on temps.


Thank again for all your input,

nster
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by nster » Wed Mar 16, 2016 1:27 pm

First things first, I strongly suggest getting the i5 6600K, for some reason, it heats up way less than the 6700K. For games the 6700K gives you little benefit anyways. The i7 6700 is great for people who don't OC because of the clockspeed, but in your case, just get the i5 and OC it to 4.2Ghz or something and you'll be golden.

The SB800 is a great, spacious case IMO. The only issue I have with it is the restrictive front grill for the fans. I too fell for the beauty of it. I only have a GTX 970 in it so the cooling prowess is underutilized, so I can't really comment on how it would do on multi-GPU setups, but until the GTX 970, I always had multi-GPU setups, and now I'm tired of them. single GPU is so much better for noise and so many headaches avoided.

That 7950 is going to be the loudest thing in your system by far. When you are ready to change GPU, make sure you get one this is well suited for silent PCs, like the GTX 970. I personally got rid of my DVD drive because of the startup noise (though I might get an external one in the future)

I went ahead with the Dark Rock Pro 3, I think that cooler looks great, and I really liked the case so I went ahead with the same brand. I ordered a second 135mm fan from BeQuiet! for 10$ USD to replace the 120mm fan, just to see if that would help with the accoustics, I'll also test the F140HP on them, but even stock I'm loving what I'm hearing, or not hearing rather lol, of course I'm coming from a Hyper 212+ so take it with a grain of salt.

I suggest the P2 650W for single GPU or P2 850W if you want X99 + SLI/Xfire.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:52 pm

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:though I am starting to have doubts about it's cooling capabilities.

You can't have more than 300W dissipated *quietly* inside this kind of enclosures, and you'd better to stay well below this mark, just that (see SPCR article on 4K gaming).
On top on that, those SB should pay a small penalty (up to an handful of °C?) over less restrictive/more efficient siblings (like the R5/S).
Above that wattage, air cooling is not up to the task (I mean, quietly cooling on load): usually you need watercooling with massive radiators (to get over that).

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:I was thinking right now that keeping the case on my carpet might not be a good idea (even though the case has legs)
Whether for legs you meant the stock case feet, that should be rather exact (for the 800: and quite exact for the 600).

Lapin_ToxiC wrote:but then the temperature on my desk could be a couple degrees higher (even more with the 3 monitors on), so I will definitely have to keep an eye on temps.
You might use additional small stands/legs (10 cm?) to raise the case from the carpet, but the case might be then a bit unstable (mostly depending of how those additional "legs" were actually made).

Lapin_ToxiC
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by Lapin_ToxiC » Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:31 am

nster wrote:That 7950 is going to be the loudest thing in your system by far.
I agree with you. I just don't want to buy the current gen GPU as (from what I am seeing) the new GPUs should bring some nice improvement in power consumption (heat), efficiency and power. So definitely gonna wait this summer for a new GPU.
nster wrote:I went ahead with the Dark Rock Pro 3
I was also looking to get this one with the SB800 but the noise level seemed higher than other CPU coolers I looked at but I think the Thermalright will make me happy.
nster wrote:I ordered a second 135mm fan from BeQuiet! for 10$ USD to replace the 120mm fan
I will definitely looking to add a FAN or replace the fron/rear one with the silent wing or something but I have not looked into that yet. I want to first see how "loud" the system will be before purchasing nay new fans.

quest_for_silence wrote:Whether for legs you meant the stock case feet
That is what I meant. Sorry, english is not my native language
quest_for_silence wrote:You might use additional small stands/legs (10 cm?) to raise the case from the carpet
I was thinking maybe building a stand myself to raise the case from the carpet and also have the center (under the case) opened for air to flow in. But we will see how the system perform first and I will do some moving around to compare data. Good point though.


Thank you both again for all the input. I went ahead with buying most of the parts already and will be picking up my CPU today. I did choose the 6700K just because money is not really an issue and if I need to run some VMs (for whatever reason) and or start doing photo/video editing. I rather have the extra horsepower and not use it to its fullest than regretting it down the road. BUT, I did thought about getting the i5 for a little while before posting here.

CA_Steve
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:58 am

Or, just buy a small finished piece of wood (like a shelf) to set on the carpet as a PC stand.

Lapin_ToxiC
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Re: Newbie looking to build his 1st silent PC

Post by Lapin_ToxiC » Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:53 am

CA_Steve wrote:Or, just buy a small finished piece of wood (like a shelf) to set on the carpet as a PC stand.
That could work just fine too

So I got pretty much everything and now I am changing things a bit which is causing be some grief. First off, I think the water cooling for the CPU would be a better option that the huge CPU cooler I had in mind. The question now would be, what would be sufficient to keep the CPU cool and stay quiet? so I a m going to do some research on that and also look at what would fit in the case.

I have bought pretty much everything now so all that's left to buy would be the GPU when the new gen comes out, the 144Hz 1440p monitor (probably end of the year) and the CPU cooler which has to be right now.

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