Building a quiet (23db or less) desktop for multi tasking parts?

[antonk242]

Hello,
I am thinking about building my first desktop (for multitasking/gaming).by gaming i mean cod 4 at hd and older games, so not very high. I have narrowed down my choice of components and I just want your opinions in them. Note it HAS to be silent/quiet so i wont be going for a gtx690 anytime soon so dont suggest that sort of thing:

CPU i3-2120 or i5 2500k , not sure yet
RAM -8gb crucial (can always get more)
CASe antec p280 -to reduce noise
mobo -asrock z77 pro3
hdd -any 2.5" hdd that i can find lying around (2.5 to reduce noise)
gpu -ati 6670 or ati 7750 (both with passive cooling)
psu-700W ocz modstream x (how quiet is this?)
heatsink cpu- noctua nh-d14.

overclocking-maybe
budget is 600-800£ but closer to 600 is preferrable (base unit only)
when will i build -not for a month at least.
no parts bought so far so open to suggestions.
Open to suggestions for alternative psu (quieter).
will be built in uk- so far parts found on amazon uk and crucial.
no specific brand preferences, just so that it is quiet and reliable
sli-no,definite
maybe raid though (or multiple hdd's not in raid
monitor- no idea yet but guessing full hd for now.
additional-need it to be quiet while having decent performance, so it doesnt slow down when i have dbox and skype, chrome open (my current pc, using 50% cpu for those tasks)

Thanks for your help

 

[antonk242]

Hello,
I am thinking about building my first desktop (for multitasking,gaming).by gaming i mean cod 4 at hd and older games, so not very high. by multi tasking i mean- a few office programs open, 20 or so internet tabs, dropbox/google drive/skype all open, maybe a download here and there.I have narrowed down my choice of components and I just want your opinions in them. Note it HAS to be silent/quiet so i wont be going for a gtx690 anytime soon so dont suggest that sort of thing. It will be placed in a bedroom so silence/very quiet performance is pretty much paramount. Dont want to go watercooling as i dont want to overcomplicate my first build.

CPU i3-2120 or i5 2500k , not sure yet, which would be better
RAM -8gb crucial (can always get more)
CASe antec p280 -to reduce noise
mobo -asrock z77 pro3
hdd -any 2.5" hdd that i can find lying around (2.5 to reduce noise)
gpu -ati 6670 or ati 7750 (both with passive cooling)
psu-700W ocz modstream x (how quiet is this?)
heatsink cpu- noctua nh-d14.

overclocking-maybe
budget is 600-800£ but closer to 600 is preferrable (base unit only)
when will i build -not for a month at least.
no parts bought so far so open to suggestions.
Open to suggestions for alternative psu (quieter).

Thanks for your help

 

[jmsellars1]

For the PSU I'd look for a Seasonic, they are expensive but excellent quality and almost always extremely quiet.

If you are getting the aftermarket heatsink just for the sake of low noise, I'd get something cheaper like the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo, it's very quiet.

My choice for the CPU would be the i5-3450 or i5-3570K. Costs a bit more than the 2500k for similar performance but you get things like PCI-E 3.0 and native DDR3 1600Mhz support etc.

The passive HD 7750 would be my choice for the GPU, with that and an Ivy Bridge i5 you would be fine on 300W, I'd get around 400W+ though.

Hope this helps

 

[antonk242]

For the PSU I'd look for a Seasonic, they are expensive but excellent quality and almost always extremely quiet.
thanks-I will look into the seasonics. Are corsair any good (performance, noise)? this build will be a future proof build (meaning that i dont want to scrap most of the components when upgrading, hence the massive heatsink, expensive case) so i want something that lasts(5yr +). I know that i cant really future proof it but the last thing i want to do is spend the money and then have to spend everything again because i got budget/crap parts.
I have heard that at the moment the ib arent that much better(6% more performance) than sandy bridge- is it worth getting an i5-2400/2500k and then upgrading(to ib) when prices go down? I will be building in the uk so prices are high anyway (tax). is pci 3 really that usefull at the moment- if i keep the system for 5 years (i hope i do) will it make a huge difference in terms of what i can upgrade? How good is this psu? (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-Truepower-750W-Power-Supply/dp/B001Z07VR4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2C5VSXNYPT1BR&colid=2QWSG3EGKMRKQ ). was reviewed as one of the quietest you can get. Also is passive (or near passive with quiet fans ) cooling of the i5 possible with the noctua heatsink?
p.s. I am very sensitive to fan noise and computer noise in general( have pc on at least 12h /day, so loud pc would distract me), is it possible to passively cool the pc-or that much more difficult/expensive to do without a huge benefit. Thanks for your prompt response by the way

 

[jmsellars1]

Ivy Bridge doesn't give much more performance but doesn't cost much more either. You also get lower power consumption and DDR3 1600Mhz/PCI-E 3.0 as I mentioned. I would definitely go with the newer CPU since it only costs a bit more.

That Antec PSU looks fine but you only need like 300W+ for that setup. The i5 is 77-95W depending which one you get, the rest of the system would be like 100W in your case. I would go for something like the Antec EA-380D or this:

Corsair are great too but their lower wattage PSU's tend to be their lower end ones. You will want a low wattage, high quality one.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies+-+PSUs/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/500W+be+quiet%21+STRAIGHT+POWER+E9+80PLUS+Gold+Power+Supply+?productId=50189

Although it may be possible depending which case you go for, I wouldn't recommend trying to passively cool this kind of system.