First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

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jo1
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First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sat Oct 22, 2016 7:01 am

Parts I am considering:
  • case: Fractal Define R5
    CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15 or Thermalright Macho Zero (doesn't have a fan at all?)
    CPU: intel I3-6300T
    motherboard: Assrock H110M-HDS
    PSU: Corsair rm-550x
    + just some cheap memories
no gpu, I think the integrated graphics would be enough?
Therefore the system would not take much power? So that I could use Corsair PSU at a low load and therefore the PSU would run silent?

I hope there is no coil whine on the PSU, Corsair has atleast acknowledged the coil whine problem http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/2013/sep ... coil-whine

And I hope the motherboard would not emit any noises.

I am not sure of any of my choices.. (is even the Fractal a good choice?). The NoFan/BeQuiet brands are not available in my country.

If you can help me choose more silent components I would gladly appreciate it. Thank you! And have a good day:)
J
Last edited by jo1 on Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Oct 22, 2016 2:15 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

My first thought is - if all you need is a low power i3 and integrated graphics, why not get rid of all the potential fan noises sources and go with a small passive design? (Maybe this is where you say you have 10 spinning drives...)

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sat Oct 22, 2016 2:41 pm

Thank you :)

I don't know if the integrated graphics is enough, all I do is just browse the internet, make music and watch youtube. I read that the 6th generation processors have "4k video at 60fps" or something lol.

Is the integrated graphics enough?

I thought about the case as a way of having enough space to buy a REAL GPU if I had to? But the again I would maybe have to buy a quieter PSU?

I bought a Raspberry PI earlier this week because I thought that it would be enough for me...
But it was not! It was terribly slow: opening a new tab on firefox took a second and videos didn't work fast enough...it was a horrible experience

I found this forum because of the Akasa cases :) but Akasas are not available where I am at. But yeah I could order an Akasa case online...

I thought about the passive cooling before. A NoFan case and a NoFan CPU cooler....
too many choices!

And yeahhh I have a HDD lol

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Oct 22, 2016 8:37 pm

all I do is just browse the internet, make music and watch youtube.
None of those will stress an i3's integrated graphics. I'm assuming the "make music" bit is a handful of concurrent tracks and not lots of tracks? If the latter, you may need to think about an i5 and or lots of RAM. If not, the i3 in the Akasa case with a nice 256-500GB class SSD for OS/Apps/scratch space for your music in progress + a quiet external HDD for bulk storage would be a good way to go...or you could put a 2.5" HDD in there as well.Here's the product page at Akasa.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 3:19 am

Thank you :) I spent last night research passive cases (Akasa and Streacom)
I thought they would be cheaper because I would not have to buy a dedicated PSU or CPU cooler or the case.
But In the end I realized the Streacom case+PSU would cost the same lol. Akasa cases would be cheaper but I'm scared of the "support" for them...the building instructions seemed to be made in a haste?
Would the original system I envisioned by reading SPCR be enough..(I'm stubborn)
But now I'm scared of the Define R5 "ticking noise" lol......I found 3 threads online about the fan ticking noise?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by edh » Sun Oct 23, 2016 3:49 am

The i3-6300T is a very low power CPU but it does not represent good value for money if you want to tweak things. The same undervolt can be managed on a standard CPU for less money, basically the T models are all about marketing! If you want an easy life, a T model is fine but if you are happy to poke around in the BIOS, go for a non-T model.

In terms of CPU cooling, a 35W CPU should be able to run passive with a big CPU cooler like those that you mention (also consider the cheaper Ninja 4), it's just about finding a case that you can fit it in.

What country are you in by the way? It would be good to know the county to make suggestions of what may be available.

Have you considered a NUC at all? How much storage do you need? Is swapping to an SSD only a possible option?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 7:01 am

What is there to tweak/poke :D Scandinavia. Yes I thought about NUCs! I thought they would be silent but I read more reviews and found out that the stock fans tend to be quite noisy. And price wise; NUCs cost 300-400 dollars and I would have to change the case to Akasa. So 300 dollars for only the motherboard and CPU? Well yeah it is almost the same as i3-6300T and the mobo I thought about..Aaahh NUC would also contain the PSU in the price..

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Oct 23, 2016 8:08 am

Yeah, you can build in the R5. Just remember that when comparing passive case cost to this, it's case + CPU cooler + PSU for the active, and it's case + DC brick for the passive. As edh pointed out, with this low power usage you can go without many fans.

case: Fractal Define R5 - ok. If you don't have an ODD, there's the Define S. At most, have one rear fan spinning slowly for exhaust.

CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15 or Thermalright Macho Zero (doesn't have a fan at all?) - overkill but it'll work. I'd save money and go with the NH-U14S over the D15. Don't know if you can hear the fan at it's lower speeds.

CPU: intel I3-6300T - go with the stock i3-6100. Cheaper, will comsume similar power with your loads.

motherboard: Assrock H110M-HDS - go with a motherboard further up the stack to get Intel NIC and a better audio solution (assuming you are using internal analog audio and not digital in/out?).

PSU: Corsair rm-550x - ok

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 9:30 am

CA_Steve wrote:Yeah, you can build in the R5. Just remember that when comparing passive case cost to this, it's case + CPU cooler + PSU for the active, and it's case + DC brick for the passive. As edh pointed out, with this low power usage you can go without many fans.
Yeah it would be cheaper :?
CA_Steve wrote:case: Fractal Define R5 - ok. If you don't have an ODD, there's the Define S. At most, have one rear fan spinning slowly for exhaust.
I read that there is no "noise insulation" on the front panel of Define S or something? But yeah better places to fit hard drives! Clever that they are behind the motherboard in Define S! And no fan control in Define S? but it would be cheaper...I tried to google if either one would be more silent lol
CA_Steve wrote:CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15 or Thermalright Macho Zero (doesn't have a fan at all?) - overkill but it'll work. I'd save money and go with the NH-U14S over the D15. Don't know if you can hear the fan at it's lower speeds.
I also consider NH-U12S, what do you think about that one? I have read the SPCR reviews and the dB measurements are real similar in all of them...NH-D15 would not fit the Asus motherboard
CA_Steve wrote:CPU: intel I3-6300T - go with the stock i3-6100. Cheaper, will comsume similar power with your loads.
oooh! thank you! yeah only 12 W more but 1/3 cheaper :P Thanks!
CA_Steve wrote:motherboard: Assrock H110M-HDS - go with a motherboard further up the stack to get Intel NIC and a better audio solution (assuming you are using internal analog audio and not digital in/out?).
How about Asus H110M-Plus? I read Asus has better fan control in BIOS..or was it the other way around..

What is Intel NIC? Network interface controller? How come Asrock doesn't have that?

I have USB soundcard (easier to manage the volume control that way)
CA_Steve wrote:PSU: Corsair rm-550x - ok
There are no coil whine problems?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Oct 23, 2016 10:30 am

Define R5 is better for mounting 3.5" HDDs (less vibration transmitted). Don't need fan control on case - that's what the motherboard is for. As for transmitted noise - don't think you'll hear a difference between the two cases.

I think the 120mm Noctua fan is inferior in tonality to the 140mm. If you went 120mm, I'd choose the Scythe Kotetsu.

Asus and Asrock both have decent BIOS fan control. By "move further up the stack" all I meant was go to a higher priced Asrock board that has the Intel Network chip rather than the Realtek one. Since you have an external sound card, the mobo audio chip doesn't matter.

A downside to buying the cheapest available motherboard is:
- you get what you pay for (cheaper components, poorer quality control, lesser power management (cheaper components/architecture), feeble BIOS options
- mfgrs don't update the firmware as often as the pricier/high volume boards.

RMx - haven't heard of any coil whine issues and this tends to be more prevalent in gaming builds with a big discrete video card.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 10:53 am

CA_Steve wrote:Define R5 is better for mounting 3.5" HDDs (less vibration transmitted). Don't need fan control on case - that's what the motherboard is for. As for transmitted noise - don't think you'll hear a difference between the two cases.
Ah yea true!
CA_Steve wrote:I think the 120mm Noctua fan is inferior in tonality to the 140mm. If you went 120mm, I'd choose the Scythe Kotetsu.
How do they sound like? And how about 140mm vs 150mm (NH-D15S)? Thank you for the tip!
CA_Steve wrote:Asus and Asrock both have decent BIOS fan control. By "move further up the stack" all I meant was go to a higher priced Asrock board that has the Intel Network chip rather than the Realtek one. Since you have an external sound card, the mobo audio chip doesn't matter.

A downside to buying the cheapest available motherboard is:
- you get what you pay for (cheaper components, poorer quality control, lesser power management (cheaper components/architecture), feeble BIOS options
- mfgrs don't update the firmware as often as the pricier/high volume boards.
motherfriggers? or what does mfgrs mean :D What is the difference between Intel and Realtek networking chips? I read that there were some problems with Asrock mobos emitting a high pitched sound (Z170, Extreme4)...just scared of them noises lol :P I always used to think motherboard is the most expensive component of the computer and here I am thinking about a 80 dollar mobo.
What motherboard would you suggest?
CA_Steve wrote:RMx - haven't heard of any coil whine issues and this tends to be more prevalent in gaming builds with a big discrete video card.
Yea just making sure :P

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by quest_for_silence » Sun Oct 23, 2016 1:41 pm

jo1 wrote:I read that there were some problems with Asrock mobos emitting a high pitched sound (Z170, Extreme4)...just scared of them noises

Urban legends? Seriously, whining may happen with any mobo, just pick a serious seller.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 3:20 pm

quest_for_silence wrote:
jo1 wrote:I read that there were some problems with Asrock mobos emitting a high pitched sound (Z170, Extreme4)...just scared of them noises

Urban legends? Seriously, whining may happen with any mobo, just pick a serious seller.
Yeah indeed! Just real unfortunate things that must happen like 1 in 10000 mobo or something :P
Don't know which one I should pick... ASUS/MSI/Asrock? I would only use the fan control from the BIOS (not the software).........I read that Asrock control starts from 0%? How about ASUS..too many choices..been reading too much about all these computer parts the past few days lol.sleep tight yall

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Oct 23, 2016 3:54 pm

jo1 wrote:sleep tight yall
Ah, you must be from southern Scandinavia :)

cooler fan sounds: SPCR reviews provide this info.

mfgr = manufacturer.

network chip: My preference is Intel over Realtek, primarily because a previous build kept having LAN issues all revolving around the Realtek NIC chip/firmware.

which mobo: All three manufacturers make some decent boards and have good BIOS level fan controls. I'd lean toward an H170 board as I think they spend more time fine tuning the designs than the lower tier boards. Not fact, just my belief.
- Asrock has the finest granularity with 1% changes possible, but some models (and I don't know which ones) may only work with PWM case fans. Not a bit deal as you really only need 1 case fan.
- Asus has a cool fan tuning utility at BIOS level. Early versions were a little wacky/not ready for prime time. Don't know how well it's settled out, but haven't heard any complaints in the last 2-3 months.
- MSI limits the lowest rpm at 25%. So, for the Fractal's case fans, this = ~500rpm.

RAM: after you settle on a mobo, be sure to visit the mfgr's support page and look for their qualified vendor list for DRAM. While pretty much all RAM from a quality vendor will be fine, this list has the one's tested against this mobo.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by quest_for_silence » Sun Oct 23, 2016 11:36 pm

CA_Steve wrote:RAM: after you settle on a mobo, be sure to visit the mfgr's support page and look for their qualified vendor list for DRAM. While pretty much all RAM from a quality vendor will be fine, this list has the one's tested against this mobo.
Side note: I was told that on US PcPartPicker their compatibility check is based upon the mfgr's qualified vendor lists (though I didn't check if that's exact).

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:27 am

CA_Steve wrote:
jo1 wrote:sleep tight yall
Ah, you must be from southern Scandinavia :)
:D
CA_Steve wrote:cooler fan sounds: SPCR reviews provide this info.
Nothing about NH-D15S :(
CA_Steve wrote:mfgr = manufacturer.
ah yeah :P
CA_Steve wrote:network chip: My preference is Intel over Realtek, primarily because a previous build kept having LAN issues all revolving around the Realtek NIC chip/firmware.

which mobo: All three manufacturers make some decent boards and have good BIOS level fan controls. I'd lean toward an H170 board as I think they spend more time fine tuning the designs than the lower tier boards. Not fact, just my belief.
- Asrock has the finest granularity with 1% changes possible, but some models (and I don't know which ones) may only work with PWM case fans. Not a bit deal as you really only need 1 case fan.
- Asus has a cool fan tuning utility at BIOS level. Early versions were a little wacky/not ready for prime time. Don't know how well it's settled out, but haven't heard any complaints in the last 2-3 months.
- MSI limits the lowest rpm at 25%. So, for the Fractal's case fans, this = ~500rpm.
Thank you! Shame about the 25%. Does Asrock/Asus start at 0%? Damnnn difficult choice to make :P
CA_Steve wrote: RAM: after you settle on a mobo, be sure to visit the mfgr's support page and look for their qualified vendor list for DRAM. While pretty much all RAM from a quality vendor will be fine, this list has the one's tested against this mobo.
Yeah good tip! Thank you

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:44 am

quest_for_silence wrote:
CA_Steve wrote:RAM: after you settle on a mobo, be sure to visit the mfgr's support page and look for their qualified vendor list for DRAM. While pretty much all RAM from a quality vendor will be fine, this list has the one's tested against this mobo.
Side note: I was told that on US PcPartPicker their compatibility check is based upon the mfgr's qualified vendor lists (though I didn't check if that's exact).

scary..I Clicked the "View your system build" and it had the build what I had envisioned lol. Could not remember I had used it already :P

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:53 am

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1462-page6.html

Well I found this. It has comparisons with single-fan D15...I don't know why I've got my eyes on D15S lol, must be the look of it

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:56 am

jo1 wrote:
CA_Steve wrote:cooler fan sounds: SPCR reviews provide this info.

Nothing about NH-D15S :(

It's an high(er) compatibility version of the NH-D15 and it sports the same fan of the NH-U14S and NH-D15 (SPCR already reviewed both).

jo1 wrote:I don't know why I've got my eyes on D15S lol, must be the look of it

Can't say: likely it's a totally waste for the specific task, and there's the chance that comparatively it may perform poorly, with just the modest load of a Core i3 (temp wise: noise wise I guess it might even run fanless, though it's not meant for).

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 7:27 am

Well what would you suggest?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Oct 24, 2016 8:09 am

jo1 wrote:Well what would you suggest?

No clear recommendation by me (albeit give a look to the table you linked).
Likely something substantially cheaper. Or, on the contrary, something to run fanless (NoFan CR80, Zalman FX-70, CM Hyper 612v2?).

Anecdote: some days ago I got a G3900 on my bench, and I forgot to hook up the CPU fan. Even without any active airflow, in the open bench my Kotetsu managed to cool it at around 35°C with 18°C ambient, IIRC. When I noticed it, just for shit and giggles I fired up Prime95: after some minutes (less than 5?) of SmallFFT it was around 45°C, IIRC.

The Core i3 isn't a frugal Celeron, but I guess it's not that far. OTOH the Kotetsu here costs about 40% of the NH-D15S, so probably there's no need for such a behemot (sorry Pavel!) to get some nice results.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by Abula » Mon Oct 24, 2016 8:53 am

Whats available to you locally from the following? and what price can you get it?

Scythe Kotetus or Ninja4
Thermalright Marcho RevB
Noctua NH-U14 or U14S

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by vishcompany » Mon Oct 24, 2016 11:10 am

I am running an NH-U14S inside an R5 cooling a i7-6700K. There is also a dedicated GPU inside this case, dumping it's heat into the case. I created custom fan curves (speed fan in my case, but you can do something similar in most modern BIOS) and during gaming the CPU fan stays below 400RPM.
The case fans (2 in 1 out) work a bit harder (~500RPM), but I never ever hear the CPU fan.

From my testing period I know the NH-U14S can become audible at around 800RPM.

I also was running a G-4400 and an i3-6100 on this mobo under this cooler. I specifically remeber, that even torturing the G-4400 with prime95 did not bring up the temps high enough, to make the fan spin faster than it's absolute idle (~230RPM).

So, looking at your setup, i3 and no GPU inside a pretty spacious case, my guess is that a D15 is not just overkill, but a tremendous, ridiculous, outragous, utterly butterly useless overkill. You really could save some money there. If Scythe is expensive in your area, an NH-U14S will still be overkill. I guess you would be more than fine with an NH-U12 (though I have to admit I never tested this one myself).

My GF is running the aforementioned i3-6100 under an NH-L9i (check out how small this one is). It's fine. If I torture it, there is a little unconspicious whoosh (very soft), otherwise, I never ever hear it (inside a shitty old case with no sound isolation at all and venting holes in the side). Her use profile is pretty similar to yours. office-email-web plus Adobe Lightroom (which is the most demading app)

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 1:45 pm

quest_for_silence wrote:
jo1 wrote:Well what would you suggest?

No clear recommendation by me (albeit give a look to the table you linked).
Likely something substantially cheaper. Or, on the contrary, something to run fanless (NoFan CR80, Zalman FX-70, CM Hyper 612v2?).

Anecdote: some days ago I got a G3900 on my bench, and I forgot to hook up the CPU fan. Even without any active airflow, in the open bench my Kotetsu managed to cool it at around 35°C with 18°C ambient, IIRC. When I noticed it, just for shit and giggles I fired up Prime95: after some minutes (less than 5?) of SmallFFT it was around 45°C, IIRC.

The Core i3 isn't a frugal Celeron, but I guess it's not that far. OTOH the Kotetsu here costs about 40% of the NH-D15S, so probably there's no need for such a behemot (sorry Pavel!) to get some nice results.
Yeah I read about Kotetsu being real good but I also read that Kotetsu makes some weird ball bearing noise? viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68940&p=598772

Yea I thought about ordering a NoFan and running the computer without a case too? Then I would save money on the case lol.........would it make sense? If there is no noise to be made from fans...no running fans in PSU..
Abula wrote:Whats available to you locally from the following? and what price can you get it?

Scythe Kotetus or Ninja4
Thermalright Marcho RevB
Noctua NH-U14 or U14S
No Kotetsu available, but Ninja4 and RevB are both 50 and NH-U14S is 70
vishcompany wrote:I am running an NH-U14S inside an R5 cooling a i7-6700K. There is also a dedicated GPU inside this case, dumping it's heat into the case. I created custom fan curves (speed fan in my case, but you can do something similar in most modern BIOS) and during gaming the CPU fan stays below 400RPM.
The case fans (2 in 1 out) work a bit harder (~500RPM), but I never ever hear the CPU fan.

From my testing period I know the NH-U14S can become audible at around 800RPM.

I also was running a G-4400 and an i3-6100 on this mobo under this cooler. I specifically remeber, that even torturing the G-4400 with prime95 did not bring up the temps high enough, to make the fan spin faster than it's absolute idle (~230RPM).

So, looking at your setup, i3 and no GPU inside a pretty spacious case, my guess is that a D15 is not just overkill, but a tremendous, ridiculous, outragous, utterly butterly useless overkill. You really could save some money there. If Scythe is expensive in your area, an NH-U14S will still be overkill. I guess you would be more than fine with an NH-U12 (though I have to admit I never tested this one myself).

My GF is running the aforementioned i3-6100 under an NH-L9i (check out how small this one is). It's fine. If I torture it, there is a little unconspicious whoosh (very soft), otherwise, I never ever hear it (inside a shitty old case with no sound isolation at all and venting holes in the side). Her use profile is pretty similar to yours. office-email-web plus Adobe Lightroom (which is the most demading app)
I see :P Maybe the Define R5 case is overkill too lol. Maybe I just felt good reading the reviews (consumerism much lol)
Which motherboard does your and your gfs comp have if you don't mind me asking?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by Abula » Mon Oct 24, 2016 2:16 pm

jo1 wrote:No Kotetsu available, but Ninja4 and RevB are both 50 and NH-U14S is 70
50 is a good price/performance for either the Ninja4 or Macho RevB, i would give the edge to the fan of the Thermalright as its easier to drop lower, while the kotetsu on the ninja4 the lowest can reach is 400rpms thats if you can drop it to 0% PWM, that many mobos cant reach that low, while the TY147A you can drop it to 300rpms around 35% PWM which is more with in reach of most motheboards.

Image

Image

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by vishcompany » Mon Oct 24, 2016 2:27 pm

The R5 is a great case, I really like it. You might get away with something smaller, but The R5 is a pretty safe bet.

Asus Z-170A in my case (no probs at all) and MSI H-110i Pro (very basic BIOS). I also did a build lately with an Asrock H-110Iac, which I liked better overall (esp. BIOS Fan control).
Regarding your setup I would second Steve's suggestion to look into H170 boards, though I can't give you any reasons or hard facts, why. You certainly won't need Z-170.

The i3-6100 is a great CPU by the way, best bang for the buck. In every day apps (browsing etc) I don't notice any difference to my 6700k.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:57 pm

Abula wrote:
jo1 wrote:No Kotetsu available, but Ninja4 and RevB are both 50 and NH-U14S is 70
50 is a good price/performance for either the Ninja4 or Macho RevB, i would give the edge to the fan of the Thermalright as its easier to drop lower, while the kotetsu on the ninja4 the lowest can reach is 400rpms thats if you can drop it to 0% PWM, that many mobos cant reach that low, while the TY147A you can drop it to 300rpms around 35% PWM which is more with in reach of most motheboards.

Image

Image
Ahhh now I understand what those pictures mean!!! Thank you! Where can I find information about what % PWM speeds motherboards can reach?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by jo1 » Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:59 pm

vishcompany wrote:The R5 is a great case, I really like it. You might get away with something smaller, but The R5 is a pretty safe bet.

Asus Z-170A in my case (no probs at all) and MSI H-110i Pro (very basic BIOS). I also did a build lately with an Asrock H-110Iac, which I liked better overall (esp. BIOS Fan control).
Regarding your setup I would second Steve's suggestion to look into H170 boards, though I can't give you any reasons or hard facts, why. You certainly won't need Z-170.

The i3-6100 is a great CPU by the way, best bang for the buck. In every day apps (browsing etc) I don't notice any difference to my 6700k.
Yea :P There were some complications about H170 boards + Linux :(
My current processor is i5 650....i read that i3-6100 will be much better, no?
How is the Asrock H-110 fan control like?

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Oct 24, 2016 4:52 pm

If you had an app that made use of the horsepower :), the i3 is roughly twice as fast and uses two thirds of the power...and has all those lovely acceleration functions and great iGP.

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Re: First timer: Define R5 + NH-D15? silent enough or not?

Post by Abula » Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:23 pm

jo1 wrote:Ahhh now I understand what those pictures mean!!! Thank you! Where can I find information about what % PWM speeds motherboards can reach?
Asus using fanXpert dont have a limit, meaning it can reach 0% pwm, the pictures that you see is the fans being ran on FanXpert2 on a Asus mothebroard (some are Asus GENE VI and other son Asus H170 Pro gaming, but its the same). Now on pure bios.... on asus is hard to say, as it has very high restrictions until you run QFan tunning (a similar wanna be FanXpert but on bios), if the fan is read correctly in the testing, it can reach as low as the bios tested, here is where its tricky, for example the Scythe Ninja 4 fan the lowest i was able to reach with bios was around 700rpms, but with fanXpert2 i was able to reach 400rpms, so in this particular case the bios didn't allow to reach as low as FanXpert can, that said not all fans behave the same, thus the results do vary from bios to fanxpert, also remember bios are change and sometime upgraded, so i cant tell you fully how it will behave, for this reason i no longer use Asus on as my main mobos, i prefer AsRock but you need to understand how it work, for the average user Asus is a better choice.

Now either of those cooler will handle an i3 very easily even under heavy load, probably even fanless or running the fans at 300rpms, really, an i3 wont heat much, the trick for a very quiet setup is you be able to drop the fans very low, i recommend you if you use Asus to go with FanXpert, i personally never had an issue with it, and i have done multiple builds on them, and their fan control is second to none, bios on the other hand, it might work great, or like my personal experiences not so good with all fans.

Now if you going to run linux, i would probably go with AsRock, as their bios fan control is very good, as long as you understand that in most of their mobos, they only have 2 true PWM/Voltage control headers, usually CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN1, the rest in most cases are only PWM, meaning CHA_FAN2, CHA_FAN3 are PWM only, if you plug a 3pin fan on them will run at full rpms or 12v. For a Fractal Design Define R5, i would probably change all fans to Noctua NF-P14S 1200 PWM and control them all with PWM Fan Splitter connected to CHA_FAN1, and use the CPU_FAN to control the cooler, and it would end up really quiet, as long as you enter the bios and setup the fan curves, that in AsRock have no restrictions, contrary to Asus.
jo1 wrote:How is the Asrock H-110 fan control like?
Checking AsRock main webapge for the mobo, it seems to have 2 fan headers, CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN1, and seems to be both autodetect, so they can use 3pin or PWM, as i said before, i recommend using PWM fans as you can use a PWM splitter and grab 12V from the PSU and use the mobo PWM singal to regulate the fans, so in a mothebroard like this, using the R5 (there are mini itx and micro atx versions, but seems very similar overall), i would use CHA_FAN1 to Splitter or Swiftech to all 3x Noctua NF-P14R Redux 1200PWM.

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