1500$ Quiet PC project - Need your help!

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edyn

edyn

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Hello fellow pc builders,

First of all, I am very sorry for any english mistakes in this post, doing my best but english is not my first language.

I am selling my current PC to a friend and will be building a new one in the next weeks / months.
It was quite powerfull but based on a HAF932 case and those big 120mm fans to keep the system cool.

At first i loved it, it was awesome to game on it, but then, as I had to render long videos while i was sleeping, the noise and light of the computer have been insanely annoying.

So my next computer will have to be as quiet as possible, while fullfilling my needs. Here is what i will probably need :
- I am in last year of software engineering, so i need a decent CPU and a good ammount of ram so compiling doesn't take forever. (at least a i5 2500k and 6 go of ram)
- I am often recording full hd game footage, already have 2x caviar black in raid0 for this. This being said, h264 rendering would take "forever" on a Q8300 + GTX 260, this needs to improve.
- I am a casual gamer, mostly going to play diablo 3 / Leagues of legends / dota 2. I do enjoy very nice graphics, but ain't either a 60fps 2500x1600 stereoscopic freak. a steady 30+ fps in those games in 1920x1080 is fine ;)

--------------

I was currently looking at the suggested build on tomshardware for a liquid cooled uATX computer. Trying to shave it down to 1500$, but it's pretty hard to do. They use watercooled gtx 580s, and i can't find a watercooled 560 for instance.

Also to note : Do I really need to go liquid cooling to have a quiet pc? I heard those new noiseless fans are pretty awesome.

So that's about it, If you have any suggestions for my next PC, I would greatly appreciate them :)!

Nicolas

PS: oh, and yeah, no more full tower case please :p

 
Solution
AdrianPerry
A case like this would be ideal: $160 Fractal Design Define XL - Note: This IS a full tower case. Fractal do sell smaller cases but I couldn't find them on NewEgg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352005

(The smaller mid-tower version of the FRACTAL case is called the R3: Review here - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/10/29/fractal-design-define-r3-review/3 )

Do you need to go liquid cooling? No certainly not. There's plenty of "silent" CPU coolers and fans out there that will provide more than enough cooling.

i7-2600k, 8GB 1600MHz RAM, ATI 6970 is going to be somewhere along the lines of what best fits your needs.

The i7-2600k should really help speed up those video render times. $314...
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AdrianPerry

AdrianPerry

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A case like this would be ideal: $160 Fractal Design Define XL - Note: This IS a full tower case. Fractal do sell smaller cases but I couldn't find them on NewEgg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352005

(The smaller mid-tower version of the FRACTAL case is called the R3: Review here - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/10/29/fractal-design-define-r3-review/3 )

Do you need to go liquid cooling? No certainly not. There's plenty of "silent" CPU coolers and fans out there that will provide more than enough cooling.

i7-2600k, 8GB 1600MHz RAM, ATI 6970 is going to be somewhere along the lines of what best fits your needs.

The i7-2600k should really help speed up those video render times. $314 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
The 8GB RAM doesn't cost a fortune and is generally considered the best value for money. $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
And the 6970 will give you plenty of gaming performance :) $330 (after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150517

Quiet CPU Cooler: $50 Scythe MUGEN 3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185168

$180 (after rebate) ASRock Extreme4 Gen3 Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

$80 WD Caviar Black 1TB HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

$125 (after rebate) XFX PRO850W XXX Edition - Enough PSU power to add a second GPU *if you ever wanted to*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017


-----------------------------------
$1289 without Optical Drive

Optional:

$197 Crucial M4 SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442




 
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AdrianPerry

AdrianPerry

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I have the STORM SCOUT myself and it doesn't particularly have any "silencing" features. It's just a standard mid-tower case. The fans are fairly quiet but if the case fans are the only noise concern your better off just buying any mid-tower case you like the look of, and buy some after-market fans that are very low noise. The difference with FRACTAL cases are that they are actually specifically aimed for low noise, they have padded sides to absorb the sound, rubber washers to stop fan vibration and more.
 
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edyn

edyn

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Do you think the Fractal Design Define R3 is large enough for the 6970? My HAF932 was kind of too large to fit anywhere in my room :S.

Also, I have had two bad prior experiences with XFX gpus. 6970 looks to be a good value pick, but ill look for other brands. Maybe Asus's 6970 (that's about a gtx 570 right?)

----
So ill add up the prices with what you recommend ;)

Case (109$) : Fractal Design R3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352001

GPU (379$) : Asus's 6970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121430

RAM (50$) : 8go of 1600mhz ripjaws http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=le7z5v39j0nf

CPU (315$) : i7 2600k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=6nh5wx42z0jh

TOTAL : 853$
REMAINING : 647$

And i still need a PSU, CPU cooler, motherboard, dvd drive, one ssd for the OS.


Any suggestion for the PSU, CPU cooler and mobo?
I really have no clue about what to look for in mobos. As for the PSU, I heard the SilentPro are pretty quiet. True?
 
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ares640

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The GTX 570 is a much better choice than the 6970. The Twin Frozr III edition is $369.99 in most places. Overclocked, you can get a 570 almost on par with a stock 580.

For PSU, go with Corsair and Seasonic. XFX and most Antec are good too. Aim for 80+ Silver 650 watt for single card, 850 watt for SLI.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. You do not need anything more than this, and yes it is quiet

Motherboard: Z68 by Asrock or MSI. Aim for around $150, such as Extreme 3 or GD55 respectively.

SSD: Crucial M4 128gb is highly recommended everywhere you look.

I am not too knowledgeable with ultra silent components, but I absolutely would not recommend getting a lesser quality part just because it is a little quieter.
 
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AdrianPerry

AdrianPerry

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Recommended PSU Brands: XFX, Corsair, Antec, SeaSonic, Cooler Master (Silent Pro range only).

Yes 6970 is the 570 equivalent. Either is a good choice :) I wouldn't recommend ASUS though since the GPU's are really wide and cover 2.5 PCI slots compared to the usual 2 PCI slots. Can cause issues when adding a 2nd card and certainly wont help with heat. MSI or Gigabyte are possibly the best choices, or EVGA. GPU's with 2 fans for cooling, such as MSI's models, tend to make less noise than single fan GPUs.

Motherboard: GEN3 are the "latest and greatest" - the Extreme4 will give you front panel USB 3.0 support, SLI and Crossfire GPU support along with plenty of other features (I'll leave you to Google this :) ).

If you only want the SSD for the OS + a few Applications, 64GB would be plenty big enough.

MSI GTX 570 $370 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582
MSI ATI 6970 $386 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127581&Tpk=msi%206970

 
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michxymi

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Why spend so much on a GPU when all he needs to play is diablo 3, league of legends and dota 2? A 6770 is more than enough for these games...plus there's a passive one from Gigabyte..the only problem is that this card is HUGE :eek:

GIGABYTE GV-R677SL-1GD Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125386

Paired with a great PSU from Seasonic's X series

Seasonic SS-560KM Active PFC F3, 560W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold Certified, Modular Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151098

 
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ares640

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There is little reason to get anything cheaper than a GTX 560ti unless you are on an extreme budget. You want a card that will still perform good 2 years from now.
 
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edyn

edyn

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Picking up the list where i had left of (thanks alot everyone by the way)
Guess ill go for MSI twin frozr III, I could happen to work with cuda next summer anyways ;).

------------------------------


Case (109$) : Fractal Design R3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352001

GPU (369$) : MSI GTX 570 twin frozr III http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1gqv7xah9kk6a

RAM (50$) : 8go of 1600mhz ripjaws http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=le7z5v39j0nf

CPU (315$) : i7 2600k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=6nh5wx42z0jh

MOBO (190$) : AsRock Z68 Extreme 4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

PSU (139$) : SilentPro 850W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171048

CPU HEATSINK (69$) : Prolimatech Megahalems http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001
CPU FANS (24$ for 2) : Nexus 120x120x25 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835610006

OS's SSD (115$) : Crucial M4 64mb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

TOTAL : 1380$ (1560 with canada's taxes)

-----------------------

Do you think 850W is enough for this system?

also, what about the 2133 mhz ripjaws 2x4go kit (only 80$ instead of 50) ? Motherboard is said to support that speed with some overclock, won't that help a huge deal with the rendering and compiling times?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468

would bring the total to 1410$ (1593$ with canadia's taxes)
 
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ares640

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850 watt is more than enough. 650 watt is actually all you need, 850 for SLI 570. You can save some money and switch your motherboard to MSI Z68 GD55.

I would just go with 1600 Mhz ram. You hardly notice any difference with higher speeds as far as I can tell.
 
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edyn

edyn

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I must stay the 6770 is kinda weak, almost no upgrade from my gtx 260 :S
I must also say a 6970/570 may be overkill. I have seen people running starcraft 2 with super fluid framerates, 1920x1080, maxed out graphics, out of a 560ti.

Since i am a little over my budget when including taxes, i might go for this Gigabyte 560ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401

which bring my total from 1380 (1560 with taxes) to 1230 (1390 with taxes)
or with the ram upgrade to 1424$ with taxes.
 
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ares640

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Yes, for that price it is a very good choice.
 
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edyn

edyn

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Ok, ill drop the 2133 to 1600 for now, until i find out if i can actually gain sizeable performance.

As for the 850W silent pro, it is only 30$ extra on a 600 or 700W (both 109$) and I will be running 3 caviar black and 1 ssd (no clue about the power comsuption of 4 hdd though). Don't think it is worth it?
 
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ares640

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You only need 650 watts if you are running a single graphics card. I highly recommend 80+ Silver Corsair or Seasonic
 
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ares640

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Well, I really don't know how loud my power supply is considering my case fans are louder :p I have the HX850
 
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