First Quiet Build

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:00 am

I've built numerous rigs in the past but I am trying with quietness as a priority for the first time. The rig is for general use such as surfing and playing bluray movies. Not gaming at all. I also want quick bootup times and will be running Vista for a month until 7 comes out. The starred items I already have and the others I will be purchasing. I've also gone for items which are easily sourced and dont require much effort in assembly. Whilst I want a quiet PC I dont want to go to too much hassle or effort in assembling it, so I have not opted for any esoteric solutions.

Could you please look this over and offer opinions as to whether it will be quiet and adequately cooled. The options are numbered by preference.

CPU: E7400 Core 2 Duo
CPU Cooler: (1) Mini Ninja no-fan, (2) Stock Intel Cooler (3) Orochi no-fan
MB: Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G iP31 (ATX board)
Case: Sonata Designer Case with (1) 120mm replacement Magma fan (2) stock antec fan.
RAM: 2x1GB sticks Kingston 8500
*VGA: ATI 3450 Passively Cooled
*LG Bluray burner
*Boot Drive: OCZ Vertex 32GB SSD
*Storage Drive: 1 Sata HDD
*PCI Card: Creative Xtreme Gamer Soundcard

Many thanks

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:23 am

The Ninja Mini and a replacement quiet fan would be ideal.

Add a Zalman Fanmate so you can control the speed of the replacement rear fan and you're good to go. A second Fanmate might also allow you to turn the 80mm fan that comes with the Ninja Mini down to 5V, which is fairly quiet based on my experience with the Ninja Mini. You could probably run the heatsink passively if you wished, however.

I don't know how quiet the Magma fan is - its an Enermax brand from memory. The included Antec Tri-Cool on the low setting is reasonably quiet, but you can do better. Look for a fan made by Scythe or Nexus instead if possible.

I'd recommend a 5400rpm hard drive for storage - either a Samsung EcoGreen or WD Caviar Green in whatever size fits your budget.

Other than that, it looks like you have a fairly decent quiet non-gaming system.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:23 am

Hello & welcome to SPCR,

The CPU cooler I would choose is the Scythe Mugen 2, since it cools very well, it has a good bolt through mount included, comes with a quiet fan, and it is relatively inexpensive. It could easily cool your CPU passively, and the fan could be used as the case exhaust.

I would choose the Antec Solo over the Sonata in a heartbeat: the front intake on the Sonata is not as good, the "sideways" drive cage obstructs air flow -- and the Solo has dampened side panels and drive suspension is also included stock. I would choose a 300-400watt PSU from the SPCR recommended list, like the Nexus Value 430.

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:18 am

Going for the mugen cooler and using it`s fan as an exhaust is a very good suggestion. The ninja 2 might be a little more appropriate for passive cooling but the mugen does come with a superior mounting system and a great fan. I also second the comment about the solo case.

Have you considered using a mainboard with the 9300 chipset? It should provide similar performance to the 3450 and lower your total power consumption a bit. Not sure about the cost over there, but it should be similar to a g31 + 3450.

Another option to consider is using a pico psu, if it fits in your budget of course (see my comment about the disk drive). IMO it`s worth it, not that a good budget psu won`t the job. Linx itx is a very good source for that in the UK.

This leaves us with the disk drive. I`m all for re-using older parts but it`s very likely that your current drive will be the loudest component in your planned system. It`s worth investing into a quiet drive and it should get a bigger piority than the pico psu I mentioned. Recommended: Samsung f3, seagate momentus 2,5in 7200rpm, any 2,5in 5400rpm drive.

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:35 am

Thanks for the help so far.

I already have the passive 3450 graphic card and OCZ solid state drive and both of these items are quiet. I have bought them within the last two months and would be a shame not use them. I bought the card because of difficulties with playing Bluray using PowerDvd and an onboard intel graphics card on a Shuttle SG33.

I want to order from one re-seller next Friday and have everything delivered by Saturday, so I am constrained by what is in stock and moreover what is easily available. The Nexus value 430 is not available through any of the suppliers I want to use (ebuyer, scan, ccl).

I could spend Â£100 more and get an Antec P183 and Cpx-850 power supply, both of which are readily available. I do prefer the black case over the Sonata Designer and from what I have readon here and elsewhere the P183/850 combo would be quiet, even if a bit OTT for my basic requirements. Another cheaper option would be a Solo and Corsair VX450 PSU, which is also easily available.

Would the P183/850, passively cooled CPU (some Scythe HS or another), passive graphic cards and a couple of replacement fans fit the bill for "very quiet", if I decided to spend the extra? Would it be any noticeably quiter than a Solo/Corsair 450 combo for the extra money?

mark19891989 · Post by **mark19891989** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:32 am

Sutton wrote:I've built numerous rigs in the past but I am trying with quietness as a priority for the first time. The rig is for general use such as surfing and playing bluray movies. Not gaming at all. I also want quick bootup times and will be running Vista for a month until 7 comes out. The starred items I already have and the others I will be purchasing. I've also gone for items which are easily sourced and dont require much effort in assembly. Whilst I want a quiet PC I dont want to go to too much hassle or effort in assembling it, so I have not opted for any esoteric solutions.

Could you please look this over and offer opinions as to whether it will be quiet and adequately cooled. The options are numbered by preference.

CPU: E7400 Core 2 Duo
CPU Cooler: (1) Mini Ninja no-fan, (2) Stock Intel Cooler (3) Orochi no-fan
MB: Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G iP31 (ATX board)
Case: Sonata Designer Case with (1) 120mm replacement Magma fan (2) stock antec fan.
RAM: 2x1GB sticks Kingston 8500
*VGA: ATI 3450 Passively Cooled
*LG Bluray burner
*Boot Drive: OCZ Vertex 32GB SSD
*Storage Drive: 1 Sata HDD
*PCI Card: Creative Xtreme Gamer Soundcard

Many thanks

i use a mini ninja with no fan in my torrentslave/media pc. when folding for about a week straight it keeps a stock e5200 at 55C load

the power supply is close to the heat sink which does cause some air movement.

if i added a quiet fan, about 500rpm it would probsbly make a big difference.

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:05 am

the gigabyte board is noted to have slow bootup times (7 seconds or so just to get to post, let alone the wait for windows after that).

i'd rather 4gb than 2gb also.

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:36 am

incorrect wrote:the gigabyte board is noted to have slow bootup times (7 seconds or so just to get to post, let alone the wait for windows after that).

i'd rather 4gb than 2gb also.

Can you suggest a cheap ATX motherboard that is known for fast boot up and shutdown? Just read about Asrock and Asus which have their own quickboot software.

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:50 am

any reason you're avoiding microatx boards? you'll have many more cheap options that way.

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:59 am

incorrect wrote:any reason you're avoiding microatx boards? you'll have many more cheap options that way.

Thought it might be easier with installation of the heatsink. But it looks like the Mini Ninja is OK with Micro ATX and a case like a Solo. So they are back on the agenda.

The ASROCK G31M-GS G31 is cheap, micro ATX, has the fast boot software and will be OK with a Mini Ninja I presume from the looks of it. Readily in stock as well at my preferred re-seller. Could go that route since I only need a basic board.

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:31 pm

i typically prefer igp boards anyway, as you have built-in redundancy should a vga card die.

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:41 pm

incorrect wrote:i typically prefer igp boards anyway, as you have built-in redundancy should a vga card die.

Not really an issue for me since I have some other 2009 cards hanging around if the worst did come to the worst. My choice of the cards that I own as of now is for the ATI 3450 simply because it is fanless, silent and offers me Bluray support. Bluray is now important to me as a feature, after a recent false start and wasted money with the Shuttle G33 which I bought primarily for that as a sort of HTPC. The new rig is in large part to replace that noisy and troublesome piece of kit

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:51 pm

I have done a weeks reading and will be ordering in 24 hours for my attempt at a quiet build this weekend. I've decided (I think!) on the following, all of which is readily in stock at my preferred supplier:

Case: Antec Solo
PSU: Enermax Pro82 625
CPU: C2D E7600
MB: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L iG31
HS: Mini Ninja (run passive)
RAM: Kingston 2GB 8500
OS: Vista Premium 32 with upgrade Voucher for 7

I already have:

Boot Drive: OCZ Vertex SSD 30GB
Strorage Drive: 500GB Sata
VGA: ATI 3450 passive
Optical: LG Bluray Burner

Two issues seem to remain.

1. Most importantly I assume that the Pro82 is the same as the Modu82 but for the fact that it is not modular. I'm counting on it living up to the review on this site of the modular variety. I've searched a bit and most, though not all, say the performance is the same. If anybody wants to confirm or deny then please feel free. Could get a modu but it means using a different supplier and 2 Saturday delivery charges+ double the risk of not turning up on the day.

2. The single Tri-Cool fan may need replacing. I intend to run it on low to start with, see if that works, and if not I can always replace with a Scythe or Noctua next week.

The P183/850 matchup is still on my mind but seems a bit excessive for my needs right at this moment.

So any help with issue 1. or any other thoughts on what I am hoping will be a near silent build, please holla.

Sutton · Post by **Sutton** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:47 pm

Just some feedback now that I have been using the PC for over amonth.

1. The advice above on the mini-ninja mounting mechanism is correct. I had no end of problems over a few days getting it to mount properly on the 775 board and in the end just gave up and used the stock cooler. The stock cooler is quiet enough and can never hear it except when the PC is doing something stressful when it whirs.

2. Bought the 425w version of the Enermax Pro. There is a constant and clearly audible humming noise which stops the package being near silent. It does not sound like the fan so I am not sure what it could be. Better than my Shuttle from before and not too annoying but far from silent. I also bought the new Zalman fan controller and it reports that my system draws around 60w usually and seldom gets to 90w. Never seen it reach 100w. The online wattage calculators that I used before purchase to calculate my needs were totally inaccurate with all saying I would be drawing at least 180w. It is not really even half that so I could have used a PICO, but I was sure about the connectivity since I need 3 SATA connections and an IDE.

3. Just by the by a clean install of Windows 7 was the easiest that I have ever had. Took minutes and the only lengthy time spent was downloading drivers from the Creative website for the soundcard

4. Replaced the Antec fan with a Noctua I think. The case fan and the PSU fan are controlled by the Zalman and run at the minimum 500rpm and 1000rpm respectively. No issue with noise from either.

All in all mostly happy but the Solo/Enermax matchup is not what I would I would describe as quietish, though not offensive.

First Quiet Build

First Quiet Build

Re: First Quiet Build