Quiet Super Performance PC $3300 USD

[freakmod]

Hey guys, I'd like to build an awesome computer for $3300 USD/CAD.

I'm mainly concerned about it being quiet, very stable, and powerful. I will use it for long months of work and gaming and I don't want to build another PC for a few years.

I'm not comfortable with overclocking so am hoping to just get the best components I can for this price. I'm also thinking of going Sandy Bridge because I heard it's the newest thing out there but am open to any suggestions. Here's the stats:

Approximate Purchase Date: This week
Budget Range: 2600-3300 USD (before rebates)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: coding, gaming, music production, digital painting
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, sound card, (not sure about gfx card)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: anitec.ca, ncix.com, newegg.ca
Country of Origin: Canada
Parts Preferences: Quiet, solid and reliable! I don't care about price. I hear Intel/nvidia is the way to go?
Overclocking: No / Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: ?
Monitor Resolution: Two monitors, 1920x1200 and 1600x1200
Additional Comments: I already have a Geforce GTX 560 Ti but not sure if I should be SLIing it or what. Should I throw this card out and get something better?

Here's all I could put together, as I am a noob at this. Please help me out!

Antec P183 Case
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe
Intel 2600 CPU
16+ gb ram
[ some kind of awesome quiet cpu fan? :s ]
2x OCZ Vertex 3 240gb SSD
WD Black 1TB
Blu-Ray Drive (??)
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit

I also am worried about if the SSD's will last for 3-4 years or not.. Should I get 4 of them instead and run RAID for security, or will it be fine soloing them? Please help me out, I really don't know what I'm doing and if i should be totally rethinking this system or if this is the best I can do for this budget

 

[christiangordon]

If noise is a concern you may want to reconsider the WD Black 1TB.

I am not sure how large your application files are but 2 240gb SSDs seem to be a bit much. I would suggest a blu-ray drive if you watch at your desk. Plus you can get a player for around $50

I would suggest a 120GB Vertex 3 OS boot drive
a new quiet 2TB HDD
Hyper 212+ is pretty quiet for the CPU

the 560Ti is a good card. Most applications will not use SLI so I don't suggest it.
You could always sell the 560Ti if it is not enough but anything higher is going to be noisier.

 

[freakmod]

Thank you for the reply, I appreciate the insights

Can you recommend a high quality 2tb drive that's quiet to replace the WD Black? Also, is there any disadvantage, performance or stability wise, in the 240gb ssd's? I figure they will make a big performance difference versus a traditional drive, but maybe simply using it as a boot drive will make enough of an impact for now.. But if I had space for putting other apps/games on there, why not, right?

Hyper 212+ CPU cooler looks great, added it to my list!

 

[freakmod]

Can anyone suggest an excellent PSU that's quiet? Also I'm starting to think about possibly using the Intel SSD 510's instead of waiting for the Vertex 3 .. they could be more reliable which is important.

 

[jerreddredd]

Can anyone suggest an excellent PSU that's quiet? Also I'm starting to think about possibly using the Intel SSD 510's instead of waiting for the Vertex 3 .. they could be more reliable which is important.

Quiet PSU's:
SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $160
SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified $140
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RS800-80GAD3-US 800W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $160

any of the SeaSonic X series or Coolermaster Silent pro series are very quiet.

if you need quieter try this site:

http://www.quietpc.com/us-en-usd/products/psus-601-1100


here is is silent case for you also:

http://www.quietpc.com/us-en-usd/products/pc-cases/fd-definexl

and for a silent CPU cooler you will want one of these, the hyper 212 is that quiet unless you replace the fan:

http://www.quietpc.com/us-en-usd/products/cpucoolers

I recommend either the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 or the Scythe Samurai ZZ, but any of them that fit your CPU will work.

hope this helps.

If you want a quieter GPU let me know and I will recommend one. thought that GTX 560Ti shouldn't be that loud. what make and model is it?

I just help some else build a silent rig and I have been shopping for parts for a Silent gaming RIG for my son. I've done a but load of research. let me know if you need any more help.

 

[Silvune]

Agree with jerreddredd, altho the Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold line is not something I would go for because I have seen multiple reviews which showed high ripple and noise levels. If you are not going to be adding a second card then I would get the Seasonic X-650. Altho if you are willing to spend ~$160 on a PSU then you can't beat the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550W 80Plus Platinum unit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121080
Again, as long as you aren't after too many extravagant upgrade options down the road.

I also wouldn't go for the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus for a cooler that I wanted to be quiet, altho you could change the fans. Anything that you can shove a Thermalright TY-140 fan onto would also be a good buy IMO.

As for a 2TB drive.
Samsung Spinpoint 2TB F4EG
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 20EARS
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB ST2000DL003
Here's a review which compares the performance of them all together:
http://www.storagereview.com/samsung_spinpoint_f4eg_review_hd204ui

SPCR will have tested them all as well, so I would go there for details on how much noise they make.

 

[freakmod]

Guys, thank you for your very helpful posts! I would so go for the kingwin you mentioned, but 550W seems like it might be not enough? I've been tinkering around with my intended build a bit on Anitec.ca where I'll be ordering it, here's what I'm looking at so far:


MOBO: Asus P8P67 Deluxe Rev3.0 Intel P67
CPU: Intel Core i7 i7-2600
RAM: Kingston KHX1600C9D3T1K2/8G HyperX - DDR3-1600/PC3-12800 - 4x4 GB
HDD1: Intel x25-M SSD SSDSA2MH160G2K5 Gen2 160GB
HDD2: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 20EARS
PSU: Antec Continuous Power 850 W ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply
CASE: Antec Performance One P183 V3
GPU: ASUS GTX560 Ti DirectCUII
CPU COOLER: --?--
Case Fans: --?-- do these come with cases?
Blu-Ray or DVD burner / drive: --?--

So mainly I'm stuck on CPU cooler, case fans, and wondering if this is the best case available?

Those 3 cpu coolers you mentioned look amazing (esp the noctua), but will any of them fit in an Antec P183 case? They look gigantic!!

And is there a quieter / nicer case than the P183? - I still have more budget to improve the build.

Thank you so much for the help so far!

 

[jerreddredd]

Guys, thank you for your very helpful posts! I would so go for the kingwin you mentioned, but 550W seems like it might be not enough? I've been tinkering around with my intended build a bit on Anitec.ca where I'll be ordering it, here's what I'm looking at so far:


MOBO: Asus P8P67 Deluxe Rev3.0 Intel P67
CPU: Intel Core i7 i7-2600
RAM: Kingston KHX1600C9D3T1K2/8G HyperX - DDR3-1600/PC3-12800 - 4x4 GB
HDD1: Intel x25-M SSD SSDSA2MH160G2K5 Gen2 160GB
HDD2: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 20EARS
PSU: Antec Continuous Power 850 W ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply
CASE: Antec Performance One P183 V3
GPU: ASUS GTX560 Ti DirectCUII
CPU COOLER: --?--
Case Fans: --?-- do these come with cases?
Blu-Ray or DVD burner / drive: --?--

So mainly I'm stuck on CPU cooler, case fans, and wondering if this is the best case available?

Those 3 cpu coolers you mentioned look amazing (esp the noctua), but will any of them fit in an Antec P183 case? They look gigantic!!

And is there a quieter / nicer case than the P183? - I still have more budget to improve the build.

Thank you so much for the help so far!

I think I pointed you to the full tower version of this case, so here is the mid-tower version @ newegg

Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352002
search newegg for Fractal Design Define R3 it comes in a few different colors.
the case comes with 2 x 120mm fans and slots for 5 additional fans. I can help you find some quite ones if you go with this case.

The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 HSF I pointed you to, is actually for low profile builds its about 139mm high with the fan. The hyper 212 is 158.5 mm high.
the real advantage of the NH-C12P SE14 is its cools from top down, so air flows down over your Motherboard helping to keep your chipset cool also. yeah the pinkish color fan is a little odd, but silent.

For Blu Ray I have this one:
LITE-ON Black Blu-ray Burner with Blu-ray 3D feature Model iHBS112 - OEM $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106346

 

[Silvune]

Sorry for the newegg.com links, I forgot that you were in Canada.

550W is definitely enough for a build with a GTX 560 Ti, especially if you aren't overclocking, or adding a second GTX 560 Ti, altho the Kingwin, which is actually built by Superflower to be able to deliver 650W at 80Plus Gold efficiency, would certainly be capable of powering a build with two GTX 560 Tis. Perhaps it won't be that quiet doing that, but if it is cool enough then it's fan probably won't need to spin very much even when delivering ~60% of it's rated power. Again, it may not be enough if you want other upgrade options in the future, primarily in the form of more power hungry graphics cards.

The Antec P183 can take heatsinks up to 160mm in height, there are even some tower coolers which are shorter than that. The Fractal R3 can take heatsinks up to 165mm in height.

The Noctua NH-C12P or the C14 are things I would definitely consider for myself if I had the money for them.

NZXT have recently released a pretty high quality case that is designed to be quiet, the H2 Classic.
Some reviews:
http://metku.net/index.html?path=reviews/nzxt-h2-classic/index_eng
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/NZXT-H2-Case-Review/1229
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/nzxt_h2_review,1.html
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1574/1/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NZXT/H2/

The Nexus Prominent 5 is another case, designed by a company who specialize in quiet components, which you may be interested in.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Nexus-Prominent-5-Case-Review/1214

 

[freakmod]

Awesome, thank you for the suggestions.. Well I'm about ready to order, just want to make sure everything here looks good. What do you think??

Fractal Design Define R3 SE White ATX Mid Tower Silent Computer Case
Seasonic X760 Gold ATX 12V 24PIN 750W Active PFC 80PLUS Gold Modular SLI Ready Power Supply
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe B3 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core Processor
Noctua NH-C12P SE14 LGA775/1155/1156/1366/AM3 I7/I5/PHENOM Heatpipe Cooler W/ NF-P14 140MM Fan
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory (4 sticks for 16GB)
ASUS Geforce 560 Ti DirectCUII
Intel X25-M 160GB 2.5IN SSD SATA II Solid State Disk Flash Drive
Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green 2TB SATA2 3Gbps 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM

Should I get some high quality case fans to go with that? Any suggestions? Can I improve anything else here? Am I making any mistakes? Let me know!

 

[jerreddredd]

The case comes with 2 120mm fans (front - intake and back-exhaust) which may not be enough. I recommend going for and extra front-intake, the side fan (intake puts air over your GPU) and at least 1 top fan- exhaust if not 2. I would move the exhaust fan to the front (tuning it around to be intake) so that you have 2 ultra silent fans in front, and put the additional fan that you purchase (a little louder, but higher CMF and static pressure) to be the rear exhaust fan. I think I stayed under 25dB for all the fans.

newegg doesn't have a big selection of non-LED silent 140mm fans, But here are two that should work:
you'll need 2 or 3 (side, and 1 or 2 in the top)

XIGMATEK eXTREME SILENT Series XSF-F1452 140mm Case Fan
N82E16835233086
9.99

COOLER MASTER R4-S4S-10AK-GP 140mm Case Fan
N82E16835103078
11.99

120mm the selection was much better. you need 1 (for the exhaust in rear)

XIGMATEK eXTREME SILENT Series XSF-F1252 120mm Case Fan
N82E16835233084
8.99

Scythe GentleTyphoon D1225C12B4AP-14 120mm Case Fan
N82E16835185091
16.99

Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan
N82E16835185057
13.99

when you are done you will have:
2 x 120mm in the front for intake (ultra silent 15 db)
1x 140mm in the side panel for intake
1x 120mm fan in rear for exhast
1 or 2 140mm fans in top for exhaust.

Hop this helps

 

[freakmod]

Thanks a lot for all the recommendations! I've done hours of consideration and placed my order with these modified specs:

Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core Unlocked Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Sandy Bridge 8MB
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe ATX LGA1155 P67 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard
Intel X25-M 160GB 2.5IN SSD SATA II Solid State Disk Flash Drive W/ Mounting Kit
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory
Seasonic X760 Gold ATX 12V 24PIN 750W Active PFC 80PLUS Gold Modular SLI Ready Power Supply
LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
Western Digital RE4 2TB SATA2 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Jyuni 120MM Fan 1200RPM 68.5CFM 24DBA
Noctua NF-P12-1300 120MM Ultra Quiet Cooling Fan 1100-1300RPM 63-92M3/H 12.6-19.8DBA Molex
Noctua NH-D14 LGA1155/1156/1366/AM3 I7/I5/PHENOM Heatpipe Cooler W/ NF-P14 140MM & NF-P12 120MM Fan

Now I'm thinking of getting the Antec P183 (likely), Antec Solo, or Fractal R3 case to complete the build! Very excited.

I'm thinking that the Slip Stream will go at the top front intake to create positive pressure, and the noctuas will go in the other slots.. good idea?

 

[jerreddredd]

I would consider a fan controller to fine tune your air flow in the rig. My rule of thumb (fan model wise) is trying to equal the CMF flow of air that is coming in (intake) and exhaust the same amount. adding some on the intake because most GPU's exhaust out some air.

 

[freakmod]

Nice, great idea - I'll pick one of those up so I can tweak those fans to be nice and quiet