My configuration for friend

cbass

Distinguished
Apr 30, 2009
2
0
18,510
I'm building a computer for a older friend who wants the good stuff for gaming and his only requirement was that it must be quiet, he has even suggested water cooling to cut down on the noise.



So here is what I have so far, let me know what you guys think,

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core

Motherboard
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD

Heat Sink
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Install 120mm fan???

PSU
ZALMAN ZM750-HP 750WV2.91 Heatpipe-Cooled

Memory
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Video Card
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Monitor
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1

Hard Drive
HITACHI 0A38016 1TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM

Fans
Noctua NF-S12B FLX (any good or something quieter?

 

xthekidx

Splendid
Dec 24, 2008
3,871
1
22,790
If quiet is what you are going for, the case is what is going to have the largest impact on that. What case are you planning on using?

The Noctua NH-U12P is the best cooling "quiet" CPU cooler out right now, give that a look.

Do you really need 4 PCIEx16 slots? A 790GX MB would probably serve you just as well and save you money.

Skip on that PSU, if you want to xfire later, then look at a Corsair 750TX, if that isn't something that is necessary then look at a Corsair 550vx, or OCZ stealthxstream 600w.
 
This would be my suggestion, $1261 after shipping and MIR
DRTHX1.jpg

How much u paying for your proposed config?
 

kevin1212

Distinguished
Oct 3, 2008
191
0
18,690
Do you really need 6GB of ram, or a 2GB 4870? Look for a cheaper 4 gig kit. And please dont get that video card, it offers no improvements over the 1gb 4870. If you're willing to spend that much on a video card, then get the 4890 instead.

I agree with xthekidx on the motherboard as well. I would go with the gigabyte am3 790x or 790fx, they have 2 slots and much better value.

I am assuming you want the Phenom 955 because you want the best of the best; it is nothing more than a 'feel good' upgrade. But if so, then i wouldn't blame you. But if you were looking for value, you should get a cheaper quad, or a triple, and just overclock.
 
The 3x RAM kits are for i7; he'll just need a 2x kit for a PII.
Noise comes from fans. High RPMs come from heat. Heat comes from power (used, or especially wasted). Consider the games he wants to play when selecting the video card. Will a 4670 cut it? A 4870? Then find one that is quiet. I like the IceQ4 Turbo models from HIS. They exhaust their heat, and the fan is very quiet. I've got their 4850 in my primary PC, and am about to install a 4670 in the other.
Overclocking increases bang for buck, but also increases heat, thus noise.
Make sure the PSU you select is 80+ certified. If you over-size it a little, it will run especially coolly. My system probably pulls only 350W from a 650W PSU, so it stays inaudible, even though it has an 80mm fan.
 

mtyermom

Distinguished
Jun 1, 2007
956
0
18,980
to the OP:

The Corsair memory kit you've chosen is a triple channel DDR3 kit intended for Intel i7 builds. The AMD motherboard you have chosen uses dual channel DDR3.

If you're going with an AMD AM3 (DDR3) build, you just need a good dual channel 4GB DDR3 kit.

I agree heartily with Kevin's post above, get a 1GB 4890 over a 2GB 4870. The 1GB 4890 will absolutely outperform the 2GB 4870.


thekid, batuchka and helloworld have all given sound advice as well.


Can you tell us more about what your 'friend' has for a budget for this build? What is he planning on doing with this rig; what apps, games etc. Will he be overclocking?



EDIT: Jtt, always good advice.
 

cbass

Distinguished
Apr 30, 2009
2
0
18,510
Wow you guys really know your stuff!

The budget is somewhere under 2k, he is an average computer user and wants to play games once in a while. He is the type of guy who just wants the best, he said he wants to reward himself and finally get a awesome computer.

I will persuade him to go i7, so I will keep the corsair memory

I was originally going with the 4870 because he wanted hdmi, but i let him know dvi will serve him just fine so its 1gb 4890 now.

I think the PSU will be quiet and still have room for xfire in the future.

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core w/ x58 mobo
 
Good cases for quiet computers are the Antec P182 and the NZXT HUSH.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146035

For quiet heatsink and fan go with Scythe
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

Good site to check is http://www.silentpcreview.com/

There are some GPUs that are either passive cooling or have aftermarket type coolers that can be very quiet. The Western Digital Caviar Black series are faster hard drives then the "blue" series, but they're also a bit noisier.
 
Just a note: If you are building a quiet PC there ate two main things to consider:

1. Fans (for case, CPU)
2. GPU cooling

For fans, take a look at Scythe,Noctua or even better, Yate Loon.

For GPU cooling, consider a heat pipe based card with no fans, or a card where you can control the fans (some cards won't let you adjust fan speed). Also consider an after market cooler for it.

 

mtyermom

Distinguished
Jun 1, 2007
956
0
18,980




13 out of 15 4890s on newegg come with DVI -> HDMI adapters
link

for what it's worth, the actual video signal in HDMI is the same digital video signal in DVI, so as far as outputting his video to an HDMI device (monitor or TV) there should be no problem

however, once we start getting into HDCP, that's a whole 'nother bag....