Good value way of getting quiet gaming PC that will last for the PS4 generation?

[esther11]

Hi there.

I want a quiet gaming PC with specs sufficiently better than PS4 that it will be able to play new release well for the rest of this gen.

I was planning to wait another year or so, when the technology should be cheaper and more efficient/quieter, but I'm still running XP, and it looks like that means I'll need to upgrade before then.

Any suggestions? I've only started looking but was thinking of going for something like this and then maybe having to upgrade the graphics card in three years time: http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Wraith.html

re building my own: I've only done things like changing ram/video cards before, and would be willing to pay a bit extra to not have to build my own. (Tinkering with hardware is not something I want to do as a hobby, but if it saved a lot of money is something I could look into).

re budget: I have saved up enough cash to be able to spend about a grand... but I'd rather spend as little of that as possible as I'm counting pennies everywhere else, so the cheaper the better. I need something built to last!

Given how well optimized games end up being on consoles, would 8gb of ram be enough? Given what I want, would I really be much better off waiting a bit longer so that there's less of a conflict between desired performance and heat/quiet?

Any advice would be appreciated. As ever, there are lots of things to balance up, and it would be much easier if I had technology from the future!



Standard Qs:

Approximate Purchase Date: depends - when XP becomes a real problem?

Budget Range: As cheap as possible - maximum £1000, but would much prefer £600-£800 (or cheaper)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: General PC stuff (internet), games, media (playing video and music)

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - will probably go for Windows.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none.

Location: South East UK

Parts Preferences: none.

Overclocking: Maybe?

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe?

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Would like a quiet PC.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: my PC is still running XP and it seems silly to pay to upgrade windows when it will need replacing soon anyway.

Thanks.

 

[socialassassin]

If you decide to build yourself, this would be a solid build for the price.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3jHAb
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3jHAb/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3jHAb/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£149.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£68.28 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£56.53 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£59.32 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (£189.90 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£45.90 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£59.35 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£71.93 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £744.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-31 19:11 BST+0100)

 

[Suztera]

Another suggestion with a R9 280X. You will pretty much max ultra settings and keep 60FPS constant in most games
You can drop the SSD if this price is too high. A SSD is optional and will only improve loading times for games.
Cooler is optional. If you're not overclocking a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO will suffice.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2


PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor (£104.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£57.89 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.10 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£59.32 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card (£227.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£45.90 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£67.86 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£71.93 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £827.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-31 19:40 BST+0100)

 

[esther11]

Thanks socialassassin.

I think that parts like the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB might make this noisier than I want.

 

[Suztera]

If you want a more silence optimised case, look for the Fractal Define R4 or the NZXT H440

 

[esther11]

Also thanks Suztera!

Again, I think that ideally I'd be able to get something quieter than the Sapphire Radeon R9 280X.

The PC is in our sitting room, so I'd like to keep the constant hum to a bare minimum.

(actually - maybe I'm being dim, and not taking into account the fact that the PC case will absorb a lot of the noise, meaning a 35db card will be barely audible? What does anyone think? Ta)

 

[esther11]

Ta again Suztera (I keep missing your responses when I'm typing).

How much of a difference would a case like that make? I've never built a PC, so don't really know how much quieter things like cases can make seeing as the fanse are going to be pumping air straight out anyway..

 

[Suztera]

Also thanks Suztera!

Again, I think that ideally I'd be able to get something quieter than the Sapphire Radeon R9 280X.

The PC is in our sitting room, so I'd like to keep the constant hum to a bare minimum.

(actually - maybe I'm being dim, and not taking into account the fact that the PC case will absorb a lot of the noise, meaning a 35db card will be barely audible? What does anyone think? Ta)

35db is kinda like a whisper. If you get the Define R4, it has sound-dampening foam so it will help to reduce the noise. However, it is really subjective because everyone has different levels of sensitivity. I pretty sure that the lowest db a graphic card can go.

 

[esther11]

Also - does anyone have a view on the value of the Chillblast PC I posted? It seems that the spec is nearly a year old, but that the price has only going down by about £40 which must make it less good value than when I first looked at it!

 

[Suztera]

Also - does anyone have a view on the value of the Chillblast PC I posted? It seems that the spec is nearly a year old, but that the price has only going down by about £40 which must make it less good value than when I first looked at it!

The prebuilt option is overpriced. The only good option for pre-built system is certain second-handed system being sold but you don;t have warranty guarantee on parts.
For best performance per cost, building yourself is the cheapest as it cuts out the middleman.
EDIT I sent a message about one option you might consider-

 

[esther11]

"everyone has different levels of sensitivity"

I fear that I may be a whiner! I constant whispering in the corner can be a distraction.

Currently I've got a fanless graphics card, but it seems that maybe there haven't been many new ones of these recently?

This is not the sort of thing one can easily check in a noisy shop either. Thanks.

 

[Suztera]

"everyone has different levels of sensitivity"

I fear that I may be a whiner! I constant whispering in the corner can be a distraction.

Currently I've got a fanless graphics card, but it seems that maybe there haven't been many new ones of these recently?

This is not the sort of thing one can easily check in a noisy shop either. Thanks.

There aren't any fanless air cooled gpu as it would not be able to dissipate heat enough for gaming needs. Only a watercooled card would be silent but it will be expensive and you will have to check the tubes if there are any leaks.

 

[esther11]

Ta Suztera.

re building myself: how much of a premium would you say there tends to be for pre-built?

My guess is that it would take me at least a couple of days of reading/planning/working to get it done myself... and I might mess up something stupid! It's something I'd kind of like to have done as a learning experience, but also I recently put together an exercise bike and that reminded me how little fun doing stuff like that is (for me anyway).

 

[esther11]

re fanless graphics cards, I meant stuff like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-HD7750-Ultimate-Passive-Graphics/dp/B007H24NLG

It used to be that you could get fanless ones that weren't that far behind... nowadays it seems that there's more of a gap.

 

[Suztera]

re fanless graphics cards, I meant stuff like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-HD7750-Ultimate-Passive-Graphics/dp/B007H24NLG

It used to be that you could get fanless ones that weren't that far behind... nowadays it seems that there's more of a gap.

If you are willing to pay for a prebuilt - This one looks alright - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-002-OG&groupid=43&catid=2475&subcat=2602
However, I can't comment on the quietness but there aren't any sound-dampening foam but i guess you would only hear the case fans when you are generally browsing or when idle.
If you are willing to build, it is better to look up guides on youtube, there are plenty out look for the most recent videos. LinusTechTips is one channel recommend to look at.

And yeah, fanless gpu are no longer wanted as the 'new' generation demands more graphics. Fanless gpu would not cope. But the fans on the gpu are pretty quiet. In my system the only noise i have is the case fans because i don't have a fan controller yet to reduce the speed so they are running at full speed.

 

[esther11]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I am now thinking that getting something second hand could be the best bet, and I hadn't really considered that previously. I'll have to keep a look out for a bargain.