First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

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Cut
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 8:48 am
Location: Spain

First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by Cut » Sat May 19, 2012 10:25 am

*21/05/12 updated build*

Hi all,

It's time for a new PC, and after a seriously convoluted internal debate, I've finally decided that this time round - building my own might be fun (and the best way to end up with a personalised, quality system).

As I sit here typing away on my old Dell Studio laptop with the fan running at 100% every time I so much as look at a Youtube video, I realise that I would give almost anything to be able to go back to working in a silent (or at least quiet) environment again. So having just discovered this excellent site - here I am, looking for some advice from the experts...

After much research (and even more dithering...) I've come up with the build listed below - and a few questions for you guys:

1. Is there any reason this build just won't work? (I'm really crossing my fingers on this one, because I stumbled in here late and have actually already ordered most of these components... :oops: )

2. Assuming it will - any tricks or tips I might need to know related to building in the Temjin case? (or just in general tbh, since my current experience level is, erm, zero...)

3. Is the 560w PSU going to do the job? (this one has had me biting my fingernails all afternoon, because although I read up all I could before ordering the 560w, checked the GPU specs and even plugged my system into a few wattage calculators, I don't really have the technical knowledge to be sure - and I keep seeing people buying 650 or 750w PSUs for similar systems... :? )

4. Will I be able to effectively control my fans/temps/noise using the Fan Expert 2 software which comes with the ASUS motherboard?

5. Is there anything obvious I have missed as far as creating a more efficient and silent system goes?
  • Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E Micro ATX
    PSU: Seasonic X Series - 560w
    MOBO: ASUS Maximus V Gene z77
    CPU: Intel i5 3570k (I'm thinking of moderately OC-ing it if I can do that without a significant increase in noise)
    HSF: Noctua NH-L12 (I hoped blow-down would help cool the bits & bobs around the CPU too, and I wasn't sure a larger one would fit)
    GPU: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD7850 OC (I assumed a professional factory OC was a better option than doing it myself)
    RAM: G-Skill 2x4GB Ripjaws DDR3 1600MHz
    Case Fan: Scythe Slip Stream 120mm 1200rpm
    SSD: Samsung 830 128GB
    HD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7,200rpm SATA III
    Optical: ASUS DRW-24B3ST
    OS: Windows 7 HP 64 Bit
Thanks in advance for your help. I'm really looking forward putting this all together... :)
Last edited by Cut on Sun May 20, 2012 8:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Falkon
Posts: 115
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Location: Canada

Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by Falkon » Sat May 19, 2012 2:29 pm

Cut wrote: 1. Is there any reason this build just won't work? (I'm really crossing my fingers on this one, because I stumbled in here late and have actually already ordered most of these components... :oops: )

2. Assuming it will - any tricks or tips I might need to know related to building in the Temjin case? (or just in general tbh, since my current experience level is, erm, zero...)

3. Is the 560w PSU going to do the job? (this one has had me biting my fingernails all afternoon, because although I read up all I could before ordering the 560w, checked the GPU specs and even plugged my system into a few wattage calculators, I don't really have the technical knowledge to be sure - and I keep seeing people buying 650 or 750w PSUs for similar systems... :? )

4. Will I be able to effectively control my fans/temps/noise using the Fan Expert 2 software which comes with the ASUS motherboard?

5. Is there anything obvious I have missed as far as creating a more efficient and silent system goes?
1. Everything looks fine for compatibility.
2. I do not have experience with that case.
3. The 560w power supply is more than enough, I doubt you will ever draw more than 350w.
4. Not sure about this particular motherboard. Provided you have enough fan headers on the motherboards it should work fine in theory if the board supports Fan Xpert.
5. A 7200rpm HDD can be fairly noisy. Something like rubber grommets or suspension mounting can go a long way in quieting them down. I have a 7200rpm HDD in my PC and it is somewhat annoying mounted on rubber grommets when seeking, but nearly inaudible in the current config of suspension mounting.

You may want to look into aftermarket CPU and GPU coolers depending on their respective noise levels.

kuzzia
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Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by kuzzia » Sat May 19, 2012 3:54 pm

Have you read the SPCR review of the Temjin? The parts looks good though I'd really hesitate with a 7200 rpm HD. The Temjin is very prone to vibration, so a 7200 would not be that good an idea. But the review mentions a way to remove the vibration.

lhopitalified
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:03 pm

Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by lhopitalified » Sat May 19, 2012 6:24 pm

Falkon wrote:You may want to look into aftermarket CPU and GPU coolers depending on their respective noise levels.
The Noctua should be fine. Though the specs for the Temjin say a height of up to 165mm will fit, which works for most of the tower coolers.

I suspect the GPU will likely be the worst culprit in terms of noise. But I think it's easy enough to try the system first, and then look into aftermarket GPU coolers if that does turn out to be the case. Some of the new video cards actually do pretty well under idle conditions, and only start getting noisy under load (i.e. gaming or openCL/CUDA computing), and you may be ok with that.

Cut
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Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 8:48 am
Location: Spain

Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by Cut » Sat May 19, 2012 7:21 pm

Falkon wrote:A 7200rpm HDD can be fairly noisy. Something like rubber grommets or suspension mounting can go a long way in quieting them down.
kuzzia wrote:I'd really hesitate with a 7200 rpm HD. The Temjin is very prone to vibration, so a 7200 would not be that good an idea. But the review mentions a way to remove the vibration.
Ok, so it looks like the Barracuda may have been a mistake. I'm not sure what suspension mounting is, but I'll read the Temjin review here and look into it... :)
lhopitalified wrote:I suspect the GPU will likely be the worst culprit in terms of noise. But I think it's easy enough to try the system first, and then look into aftermarket GPU coolers if that does turn out to be the case.
I actually chose the HD7850 because it is supposed to be reasonably quiet (and short, and only uses one 6-pin cable) - I assumed that the Sapphire version with two reasonable fans would be even cooler and (hopefully) quieter still - even under load...

Thanks a bunch, guys.

Falkon
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 6:59 pm
Location: Canada

Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by Falkon » Sat May 19, 2012 7:32 pm

lhopitalified wrote:
Falkon wrote:You may want to look into aftermarket CPU and GPU coolers depending on their respective noise levels.
The Noctua should be fine. Though the specs for the Temjin say a height of up to 165mm will fit, which works for most of the tower coolers.

I suspect the GPU will likely be the worst culprit in terms of noise. But I think it's easy enough to try the system first, and then look into aftermarket GPU coolers if that does turn out to be the case. Some of the new video cards actually do pretty well under idle conditions, and only start getting noisy under load (i.e. gaming or openCL/CUDA computing), and you may be ok with that.
Whoops, I guess I missed the Noctua CPU cooler. It should work well, yes. The GPU will likely be the greatest source of noise though as you said.

edh
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Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by edh » Sun May 20, 2012 12:41 am

1. It will work but I would reconsider your choice of optical driver, just from the experience with LiteOn I had. It's quite a loud drive. Not in actual use is it too much of a problem but on startup and seeking it makes a sort of 'grunk grunk' noise which is strange. Also when opening and closing it has always made a pretty awful 'nyeeeerr' noise. I just find the mechanical noises of an LG much better.

2. Silverstone cases do have a reputation for being quite lightly built. Do consider vibration and order some isolating rubber fan mounts and make sure your HDD is soft mounted too.

3. PSU calculators are incorrect and biased. A power supply maker wouldn't want you to buy a lower end product would they? I would think you'll make around 300W with that. I would personally have gone for the X400 (I just have) if it had an extra PCI-E power connector but the X460 would be your minimum as it has the extra PCI-E power connector. With the price difference, the X-560 is better value and you may not get the fan turning much of the time anyway.

4. Yes but I would suggest you also try working with Speedfan. I don't particularly like motherboard software. It always has some gimmicky interface that obeys no kind of human interface standards.

5. I would also question the need for a 7200rpm HDD. You have the SSD for fast program access so the HDDs role can be as a slower bulk storage device. A 5400rpm or 5900rpm drive would be quieter and performance wise would be negligible. Do you also need 2Tb? Smaller drives can have less platters or be 2.5" so will also be quieter. You would need to consider the data storage requirements you have any how this capacity may scale. Rotating disks are out of date technology and within a few years we will have SSDs much larger and much cheaper. By the time you fill a 1Tb HDD you could replace it with a 2Tb SSD perhaps.

The graphics card will not be too quiet. Perhaps look for an aftermarket cooler than you can fit.

Cut
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 8:48 am
Location: Spain

Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by Cut » Sun May 20, 2012 7:59 pm

edh wrote:1. It will work but I would reconsider your choice of optical driver, just from the experience with LiteOn I had...
Good to know. I'm now considering the ASUS DRW-24B3ST.
edh wrote:2. Silverstone cases do have a reputation for being quite lightly built. Do consider vibration and order some isolating rubber fan mounts and make sure your HDD is soft mounted too.
Right. I've ordered some good fan mounts and sent off an e-mail to TichePC for one of their clever suspension mounts for the HDD (although the irony is, I actually chose the latest Barracuda because it was only 2 platters and said to be almost as quiet as many 5,300rpm HDDs...). I do use a lot of storage btw.
edh wrote:...With the price difference, the X-560 is better value and you may not get the fan turning much of the time anyway.
Great.
edh wrote:4. Yes but I would suggest you also try working with Speedfan. I don't particularly like motherboard software. It always has some gimmicky interface that obeys no kind of human interface standards.
I was asking about Fan Xpert 2 because I believe Speedfan doesn't work with the ASUS z77 motherboards?
edh wrote:5. I would also question the need for a 7200rpm HDD...
Looks like my biggest mistake :(
edh wrote:The graphics card will not be too quiet. Perhaps look for an aftermarket cooler than you can fit.
Do you mean instead of the two Sapphire fans already incorporated? or as well as? I chose the Sapphire version because it is supposed to run coolest and quietest on an already cool card. Did I get that wrong?

The whole fan issue is what I am most nervous about tbh. But I was hoping that with a good PSU and 6 quality fans installed in this particular case (2xNoctua CPU fans, 2xSapphire GPU fans, 1x180cm Intake fan and 1xScythe Slip Stream 120mm 1200rpm PWM) I could keep everything cool enough (even under heavy load) to stay below the 18Db threshold...

Is that not realistic?

m0002a
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Re: First Build: a couple of quick Qs...

Post by m0002a » Mon May 21, 2012 3:21 am

Cut wrote:
edh wrote:The graphics card will not be too quiet. Perhaps look for an aftermarket cooler than you can fit.
Do you mean instead of the two Sapphire fans already incorporated? or as well as? I chose the Sapphire version because it is supposed to run coolest and quietest on an already cool card. Did I get that wrong?
He means replace the entire heatsink and fan assembly and replace it with an after-market heatsink and fan(s). That video card may be quiet by normal gamer standards, but maybe not by SPCR standards.

One problem you may have with replacing the stock heatsink/fan for that particular OC version is that it may not be a reference design and my not be supported by any after-market vendors who support the non-OC version (but not sure about that). But if there are after-market heatsink/fans for that OC model, you can always try the stock heatsink/fan and see if the noise is acceptable to you, and replace it only if you think it is too loud, but you might want to check on availability of after-market coolers for that model if you have not already purchased it. Artic Cooling is popular brand of VGA coolers.

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