Silent PC build for $400-500?

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Kyler Daniel

Kyler Daniel

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Looking to build a silent, low budget pc for my sister as she has a pc from 5+ years ago. Any builds you guys have? Note: MUST BE SILENT!

What I already have: hdd, keyboard, mouse, monitor, RAM, OS, CPU.

I already have the CPU I plan to take out from my old HP desktop, so the MOBO needs to be compatable with the A10-5700 APU, which is a FM2 socket. Thx and happy build ideas. :)
 
Solution
plywrlw
So taking on board others' comments...this is the more budget-oriented choice, probably more like extremely quiet rather than SILENT (still using the caps from OP ;))

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer A11 74.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($23.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Nanoxia NXDS4B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $329.90
Prices include shipping...
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Kyler Daniel

Kyler Daniel

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No not really, she plays some browser flash games and Wizard101 and the like. The most intensence game she will probably play will be Minecraft.
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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This is about as quiet as it gets but of course you pay a premium


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Aerocool DS Cube Black Edition Silent Cube MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($105.14 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 400W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $458.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-27 14:54 EDT-0400
 
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anbello262

anbello262

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I liked plywrlw's build. I believe that the Noctua cooler might be a bit extreme, you can probably get something smaller that would still be as silent as this.
I also think that you should get a bigger power supply. Not because you need more power, but because some bigger power supplies tend to keep that cooling fan turned off for low/medium loads.
You should look into that, a power supply with that cooling policy.
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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I certainly wouldn't recommend that CX PSU especially as it's renowned for coil whine. The build in your link won't be anything close to SILENT (I'm copying the capital letters in the OP! ;))
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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The PSU in my build is fanless! The fan will NEVER make noise because there isn't one and 400w is more than enough for an APU I agree about the cooler but I went for one that I KNEW would be quiet and thought as it fit in the case hey, how might as well! The Scythe Big Shuriken rev. B is maybe a cheaper silent alternative
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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Yeah, it is very expensive though and a higher wattage Seasonic x series with hybrid fan will probably be almost as quiet you're right but the trouble is, the decent hybrid PSU's like the EVGA Supernova g2 and the Corsair Hx are also very large and wouldn't fit in the case. Any suggestions for smaller PSU's with a hybrid fan that are cheaper than the fanless one in my original build are welcome
 
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mdocod

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With the A10-5700 and the BIOS fan control set to "quiet" for the CPU, ANY HSF with a 4-pin fan and a low rpm range and 3 or more heatpipes is going to be basically silent. The "peak" fan noise of an HSF is irrelevant in such an application, as it will never run at that speed as there simply will never be the cooling demand for it when aided by the awesome heat spreading properties of a heatpipe. A gentle breeze over a few small heatpipes is all that is required to keep an A10 below thermal margins at stock clocks, and in this case, being the 5700 (low TDP model) it's even less of an issue.

Almost any modern high efficiency ATX PSU will have a variable speed fan, and, again, at the dissipation of an FM2 build just isn't going to call for any more cooling than is provided by the lowest fan speed setting.

The Arctic A11 is all that is required to achieve the silent goal here. ~$23
The Seasonic G 360W is all that is required to achieve relative silence for this machine in the PSU department. At ~200W and under it runs near dead silent.
The Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 is a solid choice for a quiet system, as it includes a 3 speed fan controller for up to 3 case fans (comes with 2, which will be plenty for this application).

The arrangement of the case fans in the arc mini will be in alignment with the way the A11 mounts on the board, providing a smooth quiet current of air from the front to the rear of the case, assisted through by the HSF. Set the fans to the low or medium speed.

The loudest thing in the system will be the hard drive.
 
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mdocod

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Ditching the hard drive (which was indicated by Kyler as a component intended to be included) in favor of an SSD is certainly a good idea. Using the cost effective options I have shared is a good way to make that a reality.
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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So taking on board others' comments...this is the more budget-oriented choice, probably more like extremely quiet rather than SILENT (still using the caps from OP ;))

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer A11 74.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($23.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Nanoxia NXDS4B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $329.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-29 07:57 EDT-0400

Or this case as mdocod suggested (I just really like the Nanoxia one!)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcaarcminir2blw ($99)
 
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Solution
Kyler Daniel

Kyler Daniel

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Drop the SSD as she does not need one and I want to keep costs down. Other than that I like your build, dropping the SSD brings it to a great price of only $240ish overall before taxes which is a great deal for me.
 
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mdocod

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Not sure how the nanoxia will compare to the fractal case I pointed out for noise. I know the fractal can be quiet because of the built in fan controller, which, could be set to the lowest speed and left there. Either way should be great though.
 
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