250D: Quietest CPU Cooler?

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wildenkidu

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Apr 13, 2014
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I have started to put together a living room build, primarily for HTPC but with the ability to do some gaming. I have pretty much settled on a Corsair 250D for the case, as it aesthetically fits my home theater setup. The other components I am thinking of are:

CPU: i5-4670K [already puchased]
Motherboard: ?ASUS MAXIMUS VI Impact
GPU: some GTX 760 or 770; probably MSI Gaming
SSD: 840 EVO
no HDD

My highest priority is noise minimization: I would ideally like this build to be silent from 5-6 feet away. Along those lines, I am having trouble deciding on a CPU cooling option. I do need this case to have an ODD [will probably use a slimline Bluray with bay adapter] so the height of an air cooler is probably limited to ~100mm. At the same time, this case also seems designed to use an H100i - so I wonder if I should just go down those lines.

Any thoughts on quietest mode and option for CPU cooling? Cost is not really a factor - however, I don't have any hands-on experience with watercooling, so I don't really know if I'm capable of a custom loop for this first build. I have no real interest in overclocking currently, just focusing on quiet, efficient cooling.

Air cooling vs watercooling?
If air cooling, I was thinking a Noctua NH-L12
If water, I was thinking an H100i, replacing the stock fans

I would appreciate any advice.
 
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Deuce65

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Oct 16, 2013
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Of all the things one could call the H100i, silent would be at or near the bottom of the list. That thing is flat out loud, no matter what fans you put on it.

Anyways, I'll assume by silent from 6 feet, you really mean silent, i.e., without looking at it, you can't tell if it is on or off. Obviously, your best choice by far is water cooling. Are you comfortable making some slight modifications? If so, you can fit 30mm rads with no problem. Otherwise, best bet is going to be the low form factor Noctua you listed. Problem with that though is if you game on it, you're going to hear the GPU at 6 feet. It shouldn't be too bad though. Also, probably want to overkill on the PSU. Maybe something like a evga supernova 1300. The fan won't turn on at the lower wattage you will be using.
 
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jeremyp79

jeremyp79

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Jan 9, 2012
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My h100i is nearly silent from less than 3 feet away, with corsair static pressure fans, and thats with an oc to 4.6 on a 4770k. With quiet mode set in corsair link, I stay under 70, even after marathon bf4 sessions. And thats with dual 780's blowing TONS of hot air inside my case.
 
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wildenkidu

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Apr 13, 2014
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Thanks for the great input. Looking online, I feel like there is a lot of conflicting information on exactly how quiet the H100i can be after fan exchange. I suppose that when gaming, there will almost always be sound through the home theater - so it is probably most important that it is silent for watching movies/Blurays. I still would like to shoot for 6 foot silent even at load, though.

Would I be able to build a substantially quieter system with a custom loop that still fit within a 250D. I have seen a handful of builds - this one in particular: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/22s7fe/build_complete_250d_miniitx_rigid_tubing_sleeved/ . I find it a bit intimidating; while I have a fair amount of custom build experience, [as I mentioned] no watercooling experience.
 
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