2000€ Gaming / video-editing "light" PC

[fegefeuer]

System Usage: Gaming / Video-editing "light" / Productivity
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.ditech.at
Country of Origin: Austria
Parts Preferences: nvidia gpu for adobe premiere acceleration; SSD for OS is a must
Additional Comments: as quiet as possible, especially when load is low (e.g. surfing, working with MS Office)

Please help me out with choosing the quietest components… (but not to the extent of a passively cooled PSU or the like). Does this setup make sense, would you swap components?

SILVERSTONE Fortress Midi-Tower SST-FT02B black - 249,90€

SCYTHE Kaze Master Ace, 4 channels, black - 39,90€
This guy - http://www.sysprofile.de/id139777 - says that it is entirely possible to reduce the speed of the three fans at the bottom of the case by 50% (even when they are set at low) and meanwhile still maintaining great inside temperature while the fans are then inaudible.

ATX 850 Watt, CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2, 80Plus-Bronze - 109,90€
Is there a quieter high-quality PSU out there? SPCR recommends this one: “Dramatically increased quiet power range in thermally advanced case.” However, I read reviews that say thet the fan gets quite noticable when the system is at full load. Other reviews refer to this PSU as ultra-quiet.
Would the HX850W be quieter?
Here is a chart for the noise level of the TX850: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1073-page4.html

S-1155 ASUS P8Z68-V Pro, ATX – 166,90€

INTEL Core i5 - 2500K, 3,30GHz, LGA1155, Quad-Core, Boxed – 214,90€

NOCTUA NH-U9B SE2 – 62,90€
This one comes with “low noise” and “ultra low noise” adapters, which reduce the voltage of the fans. I read a review that stated that this processor cooler is absolutely quiet at even 12V and get’s even quieter with the adapaters. Another advantage: Fans are in the airflow direction of the case.
However, I could also go for this one - http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=34&lng=en – which is a lot bigger.

DDR3-RAM KIT 8 GB, 1600 MHz, CL9, KINGSTON HyperX Genesis KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX – 64,90€
Are these good?

Gainward GeForce GTX 570 Phantom – approx. 330€
I just want to have the quietest GTX 570…. I read that the Phantom is exceptionally quiet when the system is at low load… the asus is supposed to be very quiet when at full load, but louder than the reference design when at low load which is a deal-breaker for me. I am also considering the 570 twin frozr II or III.
This review here states that the phantom is a tad bit quieter than the twin frozr II (the difference is only 1.1dBA). I don’t really care about 5% more or less performance, I just want it to be quiet. Can you please advise.

Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 120 GB – approx. 177€

SATA 6Gb/s Western Digital Caviar Black, 2 TB, 64MB Cache – 199,90€
This is their performance line. Their “Caviar Green” is their quiet product line. I just thought a fast hdd might come in handy when I do a little bit of amateur video-editing.

ASUS Xonar D1 7.1, PCI – 57,90€
I have no idea about this card, I just chose one randomly. The reason why I want to get a sound card is because I am going to buy a quite expensive 2.1 system from Teufel (499€): http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/speakers/2011/04/15/teufel-concept-d-500-thx/1
They say: “There’s a solitary analogue stereo input, and it deserves a signal from a high-fidelity sound card to do the speakers justice.“ Would this soundcard be appropriate?

Help would be greatly appreciated,
thank you.

 

[g-unit1111]

You really don't need a soundcard anymore - the onboard audio built-into your motherboard will work just fine, it's all I've ever used.

If you really want quiet though I'd try to do a liquid cooling setup - there's pluses and minuses to doing that, but it'll be better in the long run. Ditch the Noctua fan entirely and go for a closed-block liquid setup like the Corsair H100. You could also do a custom loop and get liquid cooled graphics cards (like the PNY GTX 580 or EVGA Geforce Hydro Copper 2 GTX 580 ).

Alternately, you could do a micro ATX build - check out this article for ideas. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/microatx-gaming-overclocked,3039.html

 

[fegefeuer]

Thank you for your input.

While I appreciate the advantages a liquid cooling setup would yield, my IT knowledge / enthusiasm has been slowly diminishing over the years and a liquid cooling setup seems a bit too hardcore for me nowadays.

It would be great if someone could please comment on my specific component choices; if the configuration makes sense. Especially the PSU / GPU in regard to noise level.

 

[fegefeuer]

Sorry for the double-post, I can't edit the one above.

I changed the mainboard to P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 due to potential PCIe 3.0 support.

I also changed the soundcard to the ASUS Xonar DX/XD 7.1, PCIe, retail because of the following thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1626896. It's about whether it is possible to install two three-slot video cards on the P8Z68-V PRO and also a soundcard. Apparently it's possible, if the soundcard is PCIe, since that would be the only slot that is not occupied by the double three-slot video cards.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

a fast hdd probably wont help you that much when video editing. go with the samsung f4 2tb- they are making really good hdd's now.

you mat want to look at the scythe mugen 3. they put very quiet fans on their heatsinks and are priced very well

this ram is a very good deal- http://www.ditech.at/artikel/D3OC16D/DDR3-RAM_KIT_8_GB_1600_MHz_CL8_CORSAIR_Vengeance.html cl8 ram so it is faster that what you posted

look for the crucial m4 128gb ssd. it is much more reliable.

if you want the psu to be quiet you keep the load down so something higher than 850w will help do that- http://www.ditech.at/artikel/N90AN1/Netzteil_ATX_900_Watt_ANTEC_High_Current_Gamer_HCG-900_80Plus-Bronze.html

 

[g-unit1111]

Thank you for your input.

While I appreciate the advantages a liquid cooling setup would yield, my IT knowledge / enthusiasm has been slowly diminishing over the years and a liquid cooling setup seems a bit too hardcore for me nowadays.

It would be great if someone could please comment on my specific component choices; if the configuration makes sense. Especially the PSU / GPU in regard to noise level.

Well a closed block like the Corsair H100 requires absolutely no maintenance unlike a regular liquid setup. All you do is mount the radiator to the top of your case, install the unit on top of your CPU, and that's that.

As far as PSU goes the higher it's rated (bronze, silver, gold, platinum), the more likely it is to be silent.