Advice on Fast Quiet Gaming machine

[wardp]

Dear all - I'm new to this - but found spcr spot on for my questions. I want a new desktop that I can use in my open plan living room with wife and new baby. Hence silence is very golden - but I got an addiction to modern, high-end games to match her addiction to Top Model. I've just about saved up for a Dell XPS 710 (mid-range vers) but then found your site and thought I'd work with local builder to make a better machine and save some money (and blow the savings on a Dell 2407WFP)

I'm trying to build the faster quietest rig possible for delivery in next couple of weeks and here is what my very good guy here in Sweden came up with - suggestions? Ideas? I'm a noob but they're pros so if you have any advice - you'll have to talk real slow for me but not for them . . .

Intel Core2 Duo E6700
2 x GeiL 2 GB DDR-2 800 MHz Ultra Dual Channel
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe (Intel 975)
Antec Solo (P150 Black)
Cooltek 600W, ATX 2.2,
Samsung SH-S183A SATA
2 x Samsung 500 GB SATA-2 /7200 rpm 16 MB
Zalman CNPS-9500AT (Socket 775)
Asus GF8800GTX 768MB PCI-E
Thermalright HR-03 Plus
Microsoft Vista Home Premium Engelsk
Creative SB X-Fi XtremeMusic
Linksys WMP300N (Draft-N PCI kort)

And of course

Dell 2407WFP

Any thoughts appreciated ..

ward

[laguz1]

hmm, looks like a great setup, but i have a few suggestions

1. i would get an Core 2 Duo E6420 instead of that E6700...nearly the same processor, and a bit cheaper (both have the 4mb cache). do you plan on overclocking your processor at all?

2. Seasonic or Corsair PSU - both are very quiet and have high efficiency. i would go with the Energy+ 550, or HX520

3. the zalman 9500 may be sufficient if you don't overclock, but it can get pretty loud when your CPU is under stress (aka gaming on that monster 24" lcd)...there's tons of great CPU heatsinks out there, and i'm sure everybody else will recommend various coolers, but the scythe ninja in my opinion is one of the best

otherwise than that, you might have some conflict with that HR-03 plus and the sound card...i think you can fit both, but you probably couldn't fit a fan for the HR-03...which = more degrees on that GPU. I'm not positive on this though, and others probably can help you in greater detail here

good luck with your new build!

[jackylman]

-What else can you get in terms of Power Supplies? Can you get anything on this list?: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html
You certainly don't need 600W. An S12-380 will run this system easily.

-You can save some money by getting a slower CPU and overclocking it. If you're shy about overclocking, get the E6600. It's a good bit cheaper and you can still set it to be as fast as the E6700 without much effort.

-You'll probably want a quiet fan to replace the Tri-Cool that comes with the Antec case. This is something you can fix after you get your system running and seeing if the noise level is acceptable.

[wardp]

Thanks for responses:

I'll probably not want to deal with OC at this time but I take the point of the PSU still being overpowered/noisy. I'll see if the builder can use one of the PSUs on http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html esp the S12-430 as well as looking into better CPU heat management

My understanding is that the HR-03 plus is optimized with fan - and the builder understands that a fan is required - we're lucky we'll be able to test as he has some other orders for some of these parts.

Thanks for input . . if anyone is curious I'll let you know how it goes though I won't be able to provide db numbers - just whether my wife let's me play in the living room or in the garage . . . .

[angelkiller]

Just some further suggestions.

1) I'd get a SLI capable motherboard. In the future, a viable upgrade would be adding another 8800GTX. Already having the right mobo helps alot. Since you're going C2D, you can pick between the 650i, 680i LT, and 680i chipsets. 680i LT is a stripped down version of 680i. Any of the three chipsets will meet your needs. Chose by features and price. (650i boards are the cheapest.)

1.5) If you don't decide on a SLI board, I'd still avoid the 975 chipset. 965 has proven to be a better OC'er and has been more popular.

2) As a baseline, I'd also suggest a Corsair HX520. It's at least as quiet as a Seasonic, but has room for future upgrades. You may even want to consider the 620W version, as a OC'ed C2D, 8800GTX SLI can pull close to 400W. (Scroll down) But the HX520 should be perfectly capable of producing 400W.

3) As others have said, you may want to consider another heatsink. How about a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme? It's probably the best air cooler out there.

Hope this helps.

[jackylman]

1) I'd get a SLI capable motherboard. ...

I disagree. The nForce chipsets consume far more power than a 975X or P965. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipse ... html#sect0

If he has a HR-03 and an X-fi, how will he fit another GTX with proper quiet cooling in there? By the time the 8800GTX no longer serves their needs, he's better off selling it and getting the best available graphic card at that time.

[Klinn]

Since you are interested in a high performance gaming system, you might want to consider one of the latest Intel P35 chipset-based motherboards, e.g. Asus P5K Deluxe. They appear to run a little bit hotter than the 975-based boards, but are faster and about the same price. Speaking of price, just in case you didn’t know, Intel will be cutting CPU prices significantly on July 22nd.

Note that the 8800GTX will not fit into the Solo or P150 case without cutting a small notch out of a drive bay support.

As others have mentioned, the power supply will have big impact on the noise produced by the system. You may also want to ensure that it has the two six-pin PCI-E power connectors required by the 8800GTX, although I believe you can get around this by using some adapters for 4-pin Molex lines.

For a gaming system, do you really want Vista at this point in time? I don’t want to get into a whole religious debate here, but I would suggest you look around at the articles documenting decreased DX9 gaming performance under Vista, plus the apparent lack of any noticable DX10 graphical advantages so far. I’m sure eventually it will be the way to go, but personally I don’t believe that time has arrived. But since this can be a hot topic, please don't just take my word for it, check some of
ExtremeTech's tests, or over at AnandTech and reach your own conclusions.

[Max Slowik]

I second the P35 boards. They're much, much faster than the 975X chipset, even when paired with an identical processor.

[wardp]

Dear all: After talking to my builder guy - I've decided to go with E6700 and forgo OC at this time -

Also he has suggested that we go with Antec Phantom 500W with Hybrid Fan for PSU. ( I know - it is not on the Recommended list but here is an old if favorable review on the site http://www.silentpcreview.com/article241-page1.html
We're also gonna try the Scythe ninja for CPU - thanks for the CPU cooling tip and finally I've decided not to go with SLI at this time - I'll try to stick to one card and update in a couple years.

As to the Vista question - from a gamer POV - I agree that XP is better. But as this machine will also be my main machine (WWW, Video and Photo editing, Media server etc) I don't want to have to deal with having dual boots or migrating data/PWs etc more than I have to. I anticipate Vista to be around awhile so I'll bite the bullet and suffer the problems while waiting for SPs.

Thanks for heads up on CPU price reduction - we're waiting on that now

Thanks to all input ..

ward

[thejamppa]

Are you sure you want Ninja on LGA-775? Push pins are problematic. Why not get Thermalright ultra-120 / eXtreme. Then you don't need to worry about secure attachment.

[harijan]

Can the HR-03 even cool the 8800GTX enough?

I thought I saw a thread around here where someone had to attach a fan to it to cool it properly.

[wardp]

RE: the HR-03 and if sufficient to cool 8800GTX - yeah - by itself may not be enough http://www.thermalright.com then VGA Cooler and then HR-03 Plus - they recommend a Fan to be added: "NOTE: In order for HR-03 PLUS to run effectively, it is strongly recommended that a 92mm fan is installed."

So we'll be installing the fan in addition - there was a question of if it will fit with fan but builder says he thinks so but will test in any case. Fan is mandatory - if it doesn't fit - then back to drawing board . ..

We'll look into the Ninja push pins - builder seems confident but we'll check - thanks for heads up . .

ward

[wardp]

Dear all - as there is so little, and yet much needed, closure in the world today – I thought I’d be a part of the solution and not the usual problem . .

Thanks to all for advice on my rig – see sig and pics if you like. The rig is running great – loudest noise by far is the DVD drive. My 1yr old work laptop is louder than this system – and the Dell 2407 rocks . . even if I couldn’t get the HC version here in Sweden. My wife is pleased - which means I'm pleased.

My only concern is the temp of the 8800GTS GPU. I’m begining to freak out but thought I’d post first and freak later. nTune reports (ambient: 24.5C – warm Swedish summer) GPU at 77C idle and 96C under 3D stress (BF2142) – with peaks to 102C or so. I have chosen not to put a recommended fan due to advice from builder but am now regretting this – and so will probably install fan if I can find one that will fit – any ideas welcome.

But as I'm going down this stress test path - (and here’s the final question!) I noticed that that nTune is reporting temp of 74C approx 2 minutes after I start the computer in morning (ambient: 25C) – does the GPU get up to idle temp of 74C – 77C really that quickly or is nTune not giving a correct temp? (Wrong forum on GPU temp question – I know – but I thought you all might be curious/informed as well . . .) I'll post elsewhere in a few days if required . . .

Thanks for any input . .
wardp

[ronrem]

The push pin setup can work-it's something that a lot of folks have trouble with since each pin needs to fully seat.

Dual 8800 cards add up to huge $ and huge heat. I think you can live with the few moments when you'd notice the difference. For a multi-role machine it's even more so.

A stripped down XP (N-Lite) on a seperate partition with minimal other apps/processes,is a pretty nice "boost" for any performane intensive app. I found acronis to be my favorite Boot/Partition system,Disk Director has been easy and stable. Have used Partition Magic,System Commander. This is doing best overall.

Note....Samsung T series is a little nicer than P series,though it's a small difference.

[MikeC]

The Solo has room in the front for 2 92mm fans. Install 2 quiet ones, run them both off a controller and increase the speed till you get some acceptable balance between VGA temp and noise. Try removing PCI slot covers just below the VGA card slot -- it might help (or not).

[Tzupy]

The simplest solution is the one recommended by Thermalright, if you have the needed space, add a quiet 92 mm fan.
You could mount a 800 rpm 120 mm fan too, by using zip-ties.
If you want to keep it passive, it depends how you installed the HR-03+, on which side of the 8800 GTS.
If you installed it towards the bottom of the case, don't install front case fans.
Open two (or three) PCI slot covers below the 8800 GTS and block the back intake nearby.
You need to maximise the airspeed through the fins of the HR-03+, so negative pressure works for you.
If you installed it over the 8800 GTS, towards the Ninja, then adding front case fans will help.
In this case you could try to tape a cardboard piece about 5 x 20 cm to the Solo side panel, to channel the airflow better through the HR-03+ fins.
The position should be just above the 8800 GTS, horizontally and gently resting on the heatpipes of the HR-03+.