Quiet Workstation/Gaming Build

[KaitouX]

I'am going to buy a new PC next week and want some advice on what parts should I buy. At the moment, I'am thinking about buying something like this:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K
CPU Cooler: Scythe Kotetsu
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 or MSI Z97 Gaming 7
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB
SSD: Crucial BX100 250GB
HDD: 2x Western Digital Green 4TB
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB
Case: Fractal Design Define R5
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W or Corsair RM550

There are better parts for similar prices? Which fan should I buy to use as front intake?
The PC will be used to do video/photo editing and gaming.

[CA_Steve]

Welcome to SPCR.

My first suggestion would be to wait two months and then get the i7-6700K. Incremental improvement in the CPU but some nice improvements in the chipset (more PCIe lanes, etc) and USB 3.1 is fairly common rather than a rarity.

But, if you absolutely need to build the PC next week...

mobo: are there specific features you are looking for here or could you drop down to the Asus Z97-E or -A with USB 3.1 instead? If you want UEFI based fan control, go with an MSI board. If you want s/w based, then Asus is better.

RAM: Take a look at your current RAM usage and see how much physical RAM is used for your workstation needs. If you work with large photosets or are working with 4k video, you might need 16GB.

SSD: I'd spend the few extra $'s and go with Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial's MX200. If your budget is flexible, it might be worth getting a second SSD, where the first has OS/Apps and the second is used as the work scratch disk. Seems to be the way the Adobe power uses go.

HDD: ok. You need 2 x 4TB of storage inside the PC rather than offloading to a backup disk or server?

PSU: Take a look at the be quiet! Straight Power 10 500CM.

Case fan: Try the two fans that come with the case, first. If you don't like their sonic signature, or if you want to tune the airflow more, then choose some other fans.

[quest_for_silence]

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W or Corsair RM550

The smaller GS-series and the original RM has their own quirks: SuperNOVA G2 550W or Corsair RM650i are to be preferred from those brands, as well as the BeQuiet Straight Power E10 (either the cheaper 400W or the modular 500W CM if you're in Europe: in North America I don't think you can actually source something smaller than the 600W unit).

[destiriser]

a

[quest_for_silence]

Samsung, crucial and many more companies use hacky controllers, Samsung uses cheap and not durable tlc memory. Afaik Intel 730 doesn't do anything hacky on the controller and other Intels do it in a correct way. The pros of 730 over others is power loss protection, Intel controller and not something 3rd party, server grade parts used and performance.

More neutral tones/opinions would be more appreciated here.

[destiriser]

a

[quest_for_silence]

Well, that's all verifiable information

I didn't wrote you invented something: nonetheless I think your tones were misleading, and your opinions are just your opinions (the Linux kernel is not the world at large, you know, so that how "hacky" a controller can be is mostly your personal opinion).
You can't compare a 730 with a Samsung EVO, they are two differently addressed and priced units.
TLC is the near future of budget/consumer SSDs, and TechReport showed off that TLC NANDs are not unreliable, at all (TLC drives may outlast easily MLC drives): Samsung was the first to come in the wild, but Toshiba and others are now here (and relevant prices reflect the difference among SLC, MLC and TLC).
Intel isn't the only one which designs/builds both controller and NAND: for instance Samsung does the same, Toshiba/OCZ does the same, and broadly speaking there's no reliability/performance advantage to use an in-house controller (Intel itself used/uses several 3rd party controllers).

Summarizing: I appreciate more when facts and extrapolations from the same facts are more clearly separated, and IMVHO sentences like "never buy Samsung" are not enough far from spreading FUD (to be accepted here without comments).

[KaitouX]

Welcome to SPCR.

My first suggestion would be to wait two months and then get the i7-6700K. Incremental improvement in the CPU but some nice improvements in the chipset (more PCIe lanes, etc) and USB 3.1 is fairly common rather than a rarity.

But, if you absolutely need to build the PC next week...

mobo: are there specific features you are looking for here or could you drop down to the Asus Z97-E or -A with USB 3.1 instead? If you want UEFI based fan control, go with an MSI board. If you want s/w based, then Asus is better.

RAM: Take a look at your current RAM usage and see how much physical RAM is used for your workstation needs. If you work with large photosets or are working with 4k video, you might need 16GB.

SSD: I'd spend the few extra $'s and go with Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial's MX200. If your budget is flexible, it might be worth getting a second SSD, where the first has OS/Apps and the second is used as the work scratch disk. Seems to be the way the Adobe power uses go.

HDD: ok. You need 2 x 4TB of storage inside the PC rather than offloading to a backup disk or server?

PSU: Take a look at the be quiet! Straight Power 10 500CM.

Case fan: Try the two fans that come with the case, first. If you don't like their sonic signature, or if you want to tune the airflow more, then choose some other fans.

Thanks, I need to buy the computer while in the USA, and I will be there only next week, so I can't wait until the Skylake is a good option.
The reason why I choose these boards are the good onboard sound, number of SATA and USB ports.
I think I will wait until SSDs have higher storage capacity to invest more then $100 on it.
I need fast access to the HDD and can't build/buy an server at the moment.
The be quiet! PSU is better noise and quality wise, then the EVGA GS/G2 and the Corsair RM550?
I probably will get a fan to have better intake, but i will use the ones that come with the case, just will add 1 in the front.

[CA_Steve]

The be quiet! PSU is better noise and quality wise, then the EVGA GS/G2 and the Corsair RM550?
I probably will get a fan to have better intake, but i will use the ones that come with the case, just will add 1 in the front.

I think they are all fine for quality. All are OEM'ed by another mfgr. EVGA's is a newer Seasonic platform. Both it and the Corsair have a semi-passive fan mode, so no fan spin for lower loads...maybe only for intense gaming or video editing. The be Quiet! has an always on fan, but it's going to be effectively silent in your build throughout your loads.

Second intake fan: I like the $11 Antec True Quiet.

[KaitouX]

Then I will get the EVGA GS or G2 because the warranty and semi-fanless mode. The Phanteks PH-F140HP 2 is better then the Antec? There are other good options?

[quest_for_silence]

Then I will get the EVGA GS or G2 because the warranty and semi-fanless mode. The Phanteks PH-F140HP 2 is better then the Antec? There are other good options?

The GS is noticeably inferior to either the G2 or the Corsair RMi (and also less quiet than the E10, despite the GS is semi-fanless).