First silent desktop build - looking for any/all suggestions

[Falkon]

Hello everyone, I'm looking to build my first silent desktop PC and I figured this would be the best place to come for input on my potential system configuration.
I've built many systems before, but none that were geared towards silence, so I could use all the help I can get with this.
This system will serve as a workstation/media hub and may potentially be upgraded to a gaming PC in the future.

The components so far are as follows:
Case: Antec Solo
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12B ULN
PSU: Seasonic X-560
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500
CPU HSF: Noctua NH-C12P SE14 w/ stock fan (on ULNA)
Mobo: ASUS P8H67-M LE
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333MHz
Video: Onboard Sandy Bridge graphics
Sound: ASUS Xonar Essence STX
Main HDD:WD Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EALS (suspended)
Backup HDD:WD Caviar Green 1TB WD10EARS (suspended)
Optical: LG GH22NS50 DVD Writer

I was debating going with the Fractal Design Define R3 but decided not to. The case fan should be able to be easily regulated via the motherboard header, but I'm unsure about the CPU fan header.
From what I can tell from a review SPCR did on a similar board it won't control the non-PWM fan, in which case I would use the low-noise adapter.
I've used this optical drive in previous builds and it seems quieter than any other drives I've used, so it seems like a good choice. It will rarely be used anyways.

Any and all input/suggestions/comments are welcome!

[Falkon]

I guess what I meant to ask was:
a) can this system run silently, and under what settings/conditions?
b) will I run into any cooling/overheating issues with these coolers?
c) what would the optimal fan arrangement be inside the case?

[ces]

Looks flawless to me.

[Fire-Flare]

a) can this system run silently, and under what settings/conditions?
b) will I run into any cooling/overheating issues with these coolers?
c) what would the optimal fan arrangement be inside the case?

A: I've only used the Value 430, I never heard that thing's fan.

C: Replace the rear fan and install it with rubber or silicone mounts instead of screws. With something stretchy and a lot of creativity you can suspend more fans in the case for better airflow.

[Falkon]

A: I've only used the Value 430, I never heard that thing's fan.

That's good to hear.

C: Replace the rear fan and install it with rubber or silicone mounts instead of screws. With something stretchy and a lot of creativity you can suspend more fans in the case for better airflow.

Do you mean replace the TriCool fan that comes with the Solo or the Noctua NF-S12 fan that I had planned on using there? I've used the Tri-cool before and while it is quiet on Low, it's still very audible. I figured that with the Noctua being slowed down by the fan header/BIOS I could achieve (near) silence.

[ces]

Do you mean replace the Tri-cool fan that comes with the Solo or the Noctua NF-S12 fan that I had planned on using there? I've used the Tri-cool before and while it is quiet on Low, it's still very audible. I figured that with the Noctua being slowed down by the fan header/BIOS I could achieve (near) silence.

The Noctua NF-S12 comes with silicon mounts. They can only help.

What are you doing for fans in the front of the case? Two Noctua 92mm would be good for positive case pressure... it keeps the dust out. If you run them slow you shouldn't be able to hear them.

[Falkon]

The Noctua NF-S12 comes with silicon mounts. They can only help.

What are you doing for fans in the front of the case? Two Noctua 92mm would be good for positive case pressure... it keeps the dust out. If you run them slow you shouldn't be able to hear them.

I definitely plan on using the silicon mounts with the 120mm Noctua fan.

I was considering using one or two 92mm fans at the front for a sort of push/pull config. How would I go about slowing them down though? The motherboard only has one chassis fan header which will be used for the rear case fan. Other than keeping dust out would these fans really warrant the extra expense? I'd guess that cooling should already be quite good given the heat generating components I'll be using. My budget for this build is around $1,000 CDN, and currently I'm close to $1,025 with price matching already applied.

[goatsandmonkeys]

I would recommend 2 4gb ram sticks just because they are so cheap these days.

[fumino]

if your mobo has a pci slot, get the essence st instead of the stx; general consensus on the web is that it has better sound; though i kinda doubt its noticeable.

[ces]

I was considering using one or two 92mm fans at the front for a sort of push/pull config. How would I go about slowing them down though?

The Noctuas all come with resisters you can use to slow them down.

The motherboard only has one chassis fan header which will be used for the rear case fan. Other than keeping dust out would these fans really warrant the extra expense?

Probably very little of this warrants the expense.

Personally I don't like dust.

If you insist on using mechanical hard drives, the front fans will keep them cool.

There are a number of things you don't need to do right away, including getting any extra fans. You can always get them later.

Perhaps you can save some money by substituting the i5-2500 with an i5-2400. In about 10 months you will be able to plug an Ivy Bridge chip into your 1155 socket. It will use even less electricity, will generate even less heat, and will have double the video horsepower, and will have more CPU horsepower as well (basically the equivalent of getting an additional core). So temporarily going with an i5-2400 for say 12 months before upgrading to an ivy bridge isn't that great of a compromise. If you haven't purchased the Noctua yet you can delay that until you have the computer up and running.

My guess is that you will have so much excess horsepower with an i5-2400, you won't bother upgrading to an Ivy Bridge. But it is certainly an option that can make you feel better going with a lower ranked i5-2400.

My budget for this build is around $1,000 CDN, and currently I'm close to $1,025 with price matching already applied.

Hey, it's just money

[ame]

You put a lot of thought into you list and it shows. Its all good parts and it fits your budget.

I think 92mm are not needed. The dust filter on the Solo helps, but dust gets in from the back vent and other gaps regardless of the 92 mm fans.
I use 2X92mm fans to keep HDD temps down on my main recording rig where HDDs are pushed hard all day, but I removed them (and the filter) from my gaming Solo case since HDD temps were just fine on that one. All Noctua fans come with rubber mounts and resistors to run at lower speeds.

If you are expecting any kind of graphic performance out of this machine, you might want to consider upgrading to i5 2500K. Its about the same price ad 2500, but has the 3000 GPU that is about X2 as powerful. However if this machine isn't expected to perform you could save money buy downgrading to a lower i5 2xxx as suggested

[Falkon]

if your mobo has a pci slot, get the essence st instead of the stx; general consensus on the web is that it has better sound; though i kinda doubt its noticeable.

I hadn't hear about that before. I looked into it a bit and apparently the ST uses a "better" clock circuit that reduces jitter somewhat. According to the review on Stereophile the measurements are too close to differentiate, with the slightest edge going to the STX. As for the jitter, I don't plan on using the S/PDIF output, so that shouldn't matter.

Perhaps you can save some money by substituting the i5-2500 with an i5-2400. In about 10 months you will be able to plug an Ivy Bridge chip into your 1155 socket.

As far as I know the Ivy Bridge processors will be using the new LGA2011 socket upon release. Like you said though, I think the i5-2400/2500 should be MORE than enough speed for me.

You put a lot of thought into you list and it shows. Its all good parts and it fits your budget.

Thanks! I'm new to this whole silencing thing so I appreciate the compliment.

If you are expecting any kind of graphic performance out of this machine, you might want to consider upgrading to i5 2500K. Its about the same price ad 2500, but has the 3000 GPU that is about X2 as powerful. However if this machine isn't expected to perform you could save money buy downgrading to a lower i5 2xxx as suggested

I won't be expecting any more than 1080p decoding from the GPU, so I should be OK on that front. From what I've read in reviews the HD3000 only does about 5-10% better than the HD2000 with GPU Boost on anyways.


I really appreciate everyone's input so far. I figured this would be the place to consult before shelling out for a new silent PC. Thanks!

[Fire-Flare]

A: I've only used the Value 430, I never heard that thing's fan.

That's good to hear.

C: Replace the rear fan and install it with rubber or silicone mounts instead of screws. With something stretchy and a lot of creativity you can suspend more fans in the case for better airflow.

Do you mean replace the TriCool fan that comes with the Solo or the Noctua NF-S12 fan that I had planned on using there? I've used the Tri-cool before and while it is quiet on Low, it's still very audible. I figured that with the Noctua being slowed down by the fan header/BIOS I could achieve (near) silence.

My 430 is currently in my HTPC, still silently slaving after 3 years.

I meant the tricool of course. Nexus makes dependable silicone mounts. (But they break if you ship the machine to a customer)

[Falkon]

I meant the tricool of course. Nexus makes dependable silicone mounts. (But they break if you ship the machine to a customer)

As far as I know all Noctua fans come with the silicone mounts, so I should be covered there. I figure that all of those mounts are more or less the same, so branding shouldn't make a difference. I don't plan on transporting my system anywhere after it's built either.

[Falkon]

It now seems like the Nexus Value 430w PSU is no longer available, at least not at my local e-tailers. I've been looking at both the Antec TP-550 and the Seasonic X-560 as a replacement. Both have excellent noise levels in the power range I'll be using (100-300w), although the sonic signature of the X-560 seems much more appealing. Both PSUs will provide more overhead than I'll need for quite awhile as I'll be using integrated graphics from the start and may add a discrete card down the line. The TP-550 can be had for about $80 CDN where the X-560 is around $110 CDN.

Which PSU would you recommend, and why? If and when I upgraded to a discrete GPU I would be looking at something like the GTX 560 Ti.

[ame]

In terms of power both PSUs can handle a 560i or just about any single card out there.

As far as noise and efficiency the Seasonic leads by quite some margin. If you can afford it there is no question about it really.

[Falkon]

I guess I might as well shell out for the X-560. The last thing I want is to assemble my PC, configure it, and find out that I can't make it "quiet enough". On the bright side I should make up the money with the Gold efficiency in 7-8 years.

[Plekto]

The on-board video is not really adequate. Now, that doesn't mean that you need a massive gaming card. A good $50 HDMI capable card with a passive heat-sink will easily suffice. You need about 2x the onboard video's power to really do 1080P seamlessly and run anything else at all at the same time.(be it firewall or other stuff in the background - one pop=up window or alert and a things simply die with on-board video.

Just get a basic Sound Blaster Audigy sound card. What you are planning to buy is way overkill unless you are using it for sound editing.

Also, with a faster video card, you can drop the CPU down a lot or even under-clock it a bit. Truth to be told, you could get by with a dual core Celeron for simple video and email and the like. The big difference will be the video card. Even a dual core ATOM with fast video is good enough, if barely. I'd personally forget about speed. Any dual core processor will work, so the main goal here is low heat. As one person suggested, upgrade the CPU in a year or two when the next generation of processors comes out.

ie - look at your motherboard's CPU support list and get the most basic processor for now that's price conscious. (ie - spend the $5 more for a faster CPU for sure, but don't spend $50 more for .2Ghz faster. There will be a break-point between being frugaland speed that' pretty obvious.

Lastly, use laptop drives. The noise and heat difference is huge. And extra heat turns into more fan noise.

[tim851]

The on-board video is not really adequate. (...) You need about 2x the onboard video's power to really do 1080P seamlessly and run anything else at all at the same time.

What?
That's a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500 he's selected! It can probably do two 1080p videos simultanously and still have enough power for ... a firewall. What kind of Firewall are you using? And what do pop up windows have to do with the GPU?

[PMcG]

Just curious why did you decide not to go with the Fractal (looking at the Define Mini for my first build) and i think it looks like an awesome case.

Also why the Noctua Heatsync? Seems really expensive if you want to keep costs down Xigmatek Gaia is 1/2 the price and was rated well by a few places.

[Plekto]

[
What?
That's a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500 he's selected! It can probably do two 1080p videos simultaneously and still have enough power for ... a firewall. What kind of Firewall are you using? And what do pop up windows have to do with the GPU?

What's an i5-2500 cost? $210 from what I can tell(shipping/tax/etc aside).
He could do just as well with a $60 CPU and a $50 video card. That would save him $100. It also would save him another $50 due to needing a smaller heat sink as the i5-2500 is 95W TDP, which means a smaller case as well.(most 95W capable coolers that are reasonably quiet require a full-depth case. Switching to a mini-tower is a $50 savings in most scenarios. He could then wait a year for the next generation of CPUs to come out and spend the big money then.

He could probably also get by with a smaller and more efficient power supply as well, due to the combination of less power for the CPU and less for the drives. That $125 power supply is crazy overkill, wattage-wise. Done right, he could save $200 on the build and another $100 on the sound card. And have a much smaller computer as well.

[Falkon]

Just curious why did you decide not to go with the Fractal (looking at the Define Mini for my first build) and i think it looks like an awesome case.

Also why the Noctua Heatsync? Seems really expensive if you want to keep costs down Xigmatek Gaia is 1/2 the price and was rated well by a few places.

I decided not to go with the Fractal for a couple of reasons.
1) it's costs about 15% more than the Solo.
2) from what I've read around SPCR the steel chassis on the Fractal is quite thin and flexible, which is bad for silencing as it can vibrate and resonate
3) the case doesn't have the greatest hard drive isolating rubber grommets, and I don't really feel like modding it to include suspension. The Solo comes with HDD suspension stock.
4) the case is a little too deep for my liking. Even the Solo will protrude a bit more than I'd like, but the desk the PC sits beside is very shallow (~15") and I don't want it to stick out too far.
The things I really like about the Define R3 is the look and the bottom mount PSU, but in the end those things don't sway me towards it.

I chose the Noctua heatsink because I think it looks pretty cool, and I know from the review here that it will perform very quietly and keep my CPU cool at all times. Again, money isn't a huge concern here.. I'm not a fan of buyer's remorse so I prefer not to take the cheap route.

What's an i5-2500 cost? $210 from what I can tell(shipping/tax/etc aside).
He could do just as well with a $60 CPU and a $50 video card. That would save him $100. It also would save him another $50 due to needing a smaller heat sink as the i5-2500 is 95W TDP, which means a smaller case as well.(most 95W capable coolers that are reasonably quiet require a full-depth case. Switching to a mini-tower is a $50 savings in most scenarios. He could then wait a year for the next generation of CPUs to come out and spend the big money then.

He could probably also get by with a smaller and more efficient power supply as well, due to the combination of less power for the CPU and less for the drives. That $125 power supply is crazy overkill, wattage-wise. Done right, he could save $200 on the build and another $100 on the sound card. And have a much smaller computer as well.

I chose the i5 2500 because I need quite a lot of processing power for encoding audio/video, as well as transcoding for media streaming. What I've gleaned from benchmarks is that the 2500 performs considerably faster than the 2300 despite apparently "just having a higher clock". The money isn't a huge issue anyway.

I was going to go with a Nexus Value 430 PSU, but they are no longer available locally, so I've settled on the X-560 which will cost me ~$108. I'd like to be able to upgrade to something like a GTX 560 Ti in the future, so the wattage would be put to use at some point. For the time being the PSU should be able to operate in a fanless mode which is what I've looking for in terms of silencing.

I chose the sound card that I did because I do the occasional bit of sound editing/mixing/producing, and I'm a confessed audiophile. The headphones I'll be using with the card are the Denon AH-D2000s, which retail for about $400.

[tim851]

Yeah, but the op said that this system might be upgraded later to a gaming system. At which point the i5 could be coming in handy. The power supply was likely selected for its semi-passive nature. He also did not mention that he was looking to build either as cheap or as small as possible.

EDIT: oh well, apparently it took me at least 6 minutes to compose the above lines...

[Falkon]

Yeah, but the op said that this system might be upgraded later to a gaming system. At which point the i5 could be coming in handy. The power supply was likely selected for its semi-passive nature. He also did not mention that he was looking to build either as cheap or as small as possible.

EDIT: oh well, apparently it took me at least 6 minutes to compose the above lines...

Haha, sorry about that. You're right on the money though.

[ame]

Looks like you've got a plan.

Did you consider 2500 K ?

[Falkon]

Looks like you've got a plan.

Did you consider 2500 K ?

I did, but I don't see the value in choosing it over the 2500. Since I'll be using a H67 board the only real benefit would be a slightly improved GPU. I don't plan on overclocking either.

Now I'm just waiting for H67 boards to be restocked so I can get started on this build.

[PMcG]

Ya you are probably right on solo, I just hate the look of cd bays showing, and Fractal is just so damn sexy. Plus I am going SSD route so suspension isn't really needed for me and I feel as though ps mount at bottom with filter is key and will work well for Positive pressure that I am planning. Looks like we are actually going for a very similar plan, also going the 2500, P8H67 no video card route.

[Falkon]

I'm now considering the Fractal Define R3 quite seriously. I like that it has better expandability options over the Solo for future upgrades. and that it implements a bottom mounted PSU design. I also like the fact that the paint isn't glossy and how it places the front panel buttons on the top. The cable management grommets are another good feature.

I've already asked this question in another thread but I'm wondering if Define R3 owners find the silicone HDD mounting grommets to be effective at eliminating vibration. Anyone?

[Falkon]

I got the parts for this system and built it yesterday. It is so quiet! I can't believe how quiet it is.. The loudest component is the Caviar Blue drive when it's seeking, but even then it's incredibly quiet. I'm glad that I went with the Solo, it looks very elegant in real life. The i5-2500 seems to be about 60% faster than my old E6750 using a single thread, and it's super fast with all four cores in use. SpeedFan doesn't seem to read my temperatures properly, but CoreTemp is reporting them as about 35C idle and 55-60C with Prime95.

I'll try to take a picture later on and post it here..

[Falkon]

I've posted a picture and specs of this system here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=62001