Build advice

[mike75]

I would like some advice regarding a "silent" pc.
My goal is for a quiet, performance PC, with a good service life
I'm not really into gaming at the moment, but may be inspired later. I will do some video and photo editing, and will run some resource heavy programs (arcgis etc).


So far my components will be:

Case: Fractal R3
CPU: Intel i7 2600k
Motherboard: Asus P8p67 deluxe or P8z68 (due to onboard graphics)
OS: Windows home premium 64bit
PSU: Seasonic x-560 of fanless seasonic x-460. But some have recommended the XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze (cheaper)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1866 CL9-10-9-28 Memory
Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 7200.12 1TB SATA, or WD green 2TB, or combine with SSD

I will likely buy a CPU cooler a few months after, and will rely on the stock cooler at first.

Please comment on the above option.
My other predicament is that I have a shelf in my desk that the case must fit into.
Its dimensions are (in millimeters) 480h x 250w x 550d.
The Fractal looks good otherwise, but is a bit tight at 442h x 207w x 521d (+ need room for cables)
Are there any "silent" cases that are a bit smaller, or do I have to go with a mATX form factor. If so, Please advise on a mATXcase, MB, PSU, etc.

Thanks so much

[Jim G]

I would like some advice regarding a "silent" pc.
My goal is for a quiet, performance PC, with a good service life
I'm not really into gaming at the moment, but may be inspired later. I will do some video and photo editing, and will run some resource heavy programs (arcgis etc).


So far my components will be:

Case: Fractal R3
CPU: Intel i7 2600k
Motherboard: Asus P8p67 deluxe or P8z68 (due to onboard graphics)
OS: Windows home premium 64bit
PSU: Seasonic x-560 of fanless seasonic x-460. But some have recommended the XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze (cheaper)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1866 CL9-10-9-28 Memory
Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 7200.12 1TB SATA, or WD green 2TB, or combine with SSD

I will likely buy a CPU cooler a few months after, and will rely on the stock cooler at first.

Please comment on the above option.
My other predicament is that I have a shelf in my desk that the case must fit into.
Its dimensions are (in millimeters) 480h x 250w x 550d.
The Fractal looks good otherwise, but is a bit tight at 442h x 207w x 521d (+ need room for cables)
Are there any "silent" cases that are a bit smaller, or do I have to go with a mATX form factor. If so, Please advise on a mATXcase, MB, PSU, etc.

Thanks so much

Have a look at the Fractal Design Define Mini - it's the same thing but in MicroATX form factor, basically...

We put the Seasonic X-560 in most of the high-end computers we put together and it's an awesome PSU - highly recommended from me. I like the idea of having a fan when it's needed (vs. the 400)... the only way I can tell the fan is on on mine is to hold my hand behind the PSU.

[Dr. Jim Pomatter]

I will likely buy a CPU cooler a few months after, and will rely on the stock cooler at first.

If you are going to use the stock cooler, then you should not waste money trying to make other components quiet. The stock cooler will make the most noise of any part of your system. A good cooler cost $25-40 (while the best coolers cost $70-100), and will really cut the noise of the system by a large amount.

CPU: Intel i7 2600k

Unless you are going to do a lot of hard-core number crunching, you should save $100 and get the i5-2500K. Take a look at the Anandtech benchmarks i5-2500k vs i7-2600k.

This post about ArcGIS Desktop says that it is single-threaded (no benefit from i7's hyper-threading): "[...]but for running ArcGIS Desktop, primary consideration is CPU core speed -- you're optimizing for a single threaded 32-bit application. "

Motherboard: Asus P8p67 deluxe or P8z68 (due to onboard graphics)

Get the P8z68, as you do not need a video card. People who only use one normal screen, and do not play video games, do not need a video card.

PSU: Seasonic x-560 of fanless seasonic x-460. But some have recommended the XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze (cheaper)

The XFX 650 Pro is made by Seasonic, Hardwaresecrets always has the best PSU reviews. You save $50 by buying it from XFX, and I think that it is good to have the fan running to vent the case.

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1866 CL9-10-9-28 Memory

Anandtech to the rescue! No need to spend money on fast memory, save $25 and get 1600 9-9-9-28 memory.

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 7200.12 1TB SATA, or WD green 2TB, or combine with SSD

After you get a after-market CPU cooler, any "spare" money should be spent on the largest SSD that you can buy. I would suggest the Intel 320 160GB SSD, or you could get the 300GB version. It is not the fastest SSD that is available, but it will last for 5+ years without having to fool with any settings. If you need more storage, get a "Green" or an "Eco" hard drive (do not get a 7200 rpm hard drive).

My other predicament is that I have a shelf in my desk that the case must fit into.
Its dimensions are (in millimeters) 480h x 250w x 550d.
The Fractal looks good otherwise, but is a bit tight at 442h x 207w x 521d (+ need room for cables)
Are there any "silent" cases that are a bit smaller, or do I have to go with a mATX form factor. If so, Please advise on a mATXcase, MB, PSU, etc.

If your case will hold a full ATX board, you have the most options going forward. I would suggest that you get the smallest full-ATX case you can find. If you are not that into silence (and if you are even considering the stock Intel cooler, you are not) then you don't need fancy drive mounts or foam walls. Normal "silent" cases mean 120mm fans, rather then 80mm fans.

I love my small desktop case. There are many copies of this desktop case: Athenatech A3712BB, A3708BS, APEVIA X-MASTER, CoolerMaster Elite 360 RC-360, etc. This case moves the power supply to the front. Remove the two 80mm fans at the back. Add one or two Nexus 120mm fans at the ends of the case. It does keep you from using the 120mm tower heatsinks for the CPU (92mm towers fit, like the Xigmatek Loki SD963), but it does have separate air in/out for the power supply. This will save $60 vs the Define R3.