Want a completely silent build - have LGA 1155 Intel CPU already, help me with the rest!

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helpmeonce

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Oct 11, 2013
5
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10,510
I got a new LGA 1155 CPU as part of a work program and am looking to build around the chip. My current build is extremely noisy, so I want something dead silent this time around.

I need space for a regular-sized graphics card, but beyond that, I have no other requirements. Most of my storage is outside the computer, so micro-atx or even itx is preferred if possible.

I am looking to keep the following items under $1000. Generally, the items I am looking for are:
■ Silent case/mobo
■ Silent cooling system
■ Silent graphics for gaming (is this an oxymoron?)
 
Solution
ingtar33
ok. understand it's "always" going to be expensive... to quiet a machine... but here is my best stab at it. It has 3 PWN fans in the case... which frankly are more of a safety net then anything else... in that case you probably don't need them, and there is software you can use to turn them off automatically when temps are "ideal"

unfortunately the demands of that fanless heatsink are such making this is a small form factor case is almost impossible. with a quiet system which uses fans i could shrink the form factor down a bit. not knowing your system needs i went with the xfired 7790 suggestion.

assuming your room is cool, you probably can keep the fans for this build off most of the time. on occasion you may need to turn...
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ingtar33

ingtar33

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Dec 17, 2012
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... when you say silent do you mean fanless or just so quiet you can't hear it?

cause those are two different things... and in two different performance brackets and price ranges. btw: what cpu do you have, do you plan to overclock, what's your budget and what type of gaming performance do you expect?
 
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R

rostrow416

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Nov 2, 2012
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CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($159.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Silverstone HE02 CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($225.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series Fanless 460W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($141.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $1017.97

no fans, absolute silence.
 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,019
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45,840


the he-02 is not a very good fanless heatsink... it's not even in the class of the CR 95-C; which can actually handle an overclocked i5-2500k without temp throttling. Hell it handled a 130W i7-960 on a pretty significant overclock running prime... with no fans in the room... it did start to throttle 7 minutes in but i'd call that freaking amazing.

I would use the HE-02 with 2 very slow turning noctuas attached to it, for a silent but not fanless build. Those gpus need a new heatsink nothing commercial will qualify as silent unless it's passive. So something like the artic accelero s1 plus, get 2, 2gb 7790s for xfire, get two of the accelero s1 plus, you might have to do a little work to get the xfire bridge to fit... those will work completely fanless with the 7790, get some slow spinning noctuas for a good airflow case, a variable fan psu (seasonic makes their gold psus work with a fan that only spins if the psu gets hot)

now if you want fanless, i'd get the cr95-c nofan cpu cooler, a good case like the IN WIN Dragon Slayer or the nofan cs 60, one 7790 (1gb) with an artic accelero s1 plus, and that fanless seasonic.
 
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H

helpmeonce

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Oct 11, 2013
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10,510


I am not planning on overclocking, I fall asleep with it on and I think the fan noise is interfering with my sleep. I have pretty good hearing, so fanless is better but I am open to ideas.

 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,019
199
45,840
ok. understand it's "always" going to be expensive... to quiet a machine... but here is my best stab at it. It has 3 PWN fans in the case... which frankly are more of a safety net then anything else... in that case you probably don't need them, and there is software you can use to turn them off automatically when temps are "ideal"

unfortunately the demands of that fanless heatsink are such making this is a small form factor case is almost impossible. with a quiet system which uses fans i could shrink the form factor down a bit. not knowing your system needs i went with the xfired 7790 suggestion.

assuming your room is cool, you probably can keep the fans for this build off most of the time. on occasion you may need to turn them on (during a hot summer day if you don't have AC, of if you're benching)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.20 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8H77-V LE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($100.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.97 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 2GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 2GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB (Black) ATX Desktop Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A PWM 120mm Fan ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 760W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.98 @ NCIX US)
Other: NoFan CR-95C Copper IcePipe Fanless CPU Cooler ($98.95)
Other: ARCTIC Accelero S1 Plus VGA Cooler ($39.99)
Other: ARCTIC Accelero S1 Plus VGA Cooler ($39.99)
Total: $1308.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-11 19:01 EDT-0400)
 
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Solution
L

lukecool

Distinguished
Mar 9, 2009
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18,520
The only way to have a completely silent build is to use SSDs and no fans. There is no way to make a cool running high performance gaming computer, with no air movement in the computer's case. People that try, get a hot computer with a short life. The best compromise is to use water cooling on the CPU and GPU with large (like 200mm or bigger) case fans. The large fans are very quite and move a lot of air at a very low RPM. Use case pressure to move air through the water radiator(s).
 
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