Hello everyone here,

I'd like to upgrade my System. It's not really about boosting it but about finally making it run quietly, the problem I have pretty much since I got my current rig almost two and a half years ago is that it's very loud, I can hear it from over a 30 meter distance and even through a closed door from about 5 meters distance to the door (10 meter distance in total). Until now it didn't really made a difference but I'll be moving somewhere else in a few weeks and I really need to get it quiet. Anyway, here's what I got at the moment:

AMD Phenom II X4 955 (4x 3.2 GHz)
MSI 770T-C45 Mainboard (Socket AM2+)
2x 2 GB DDR2 RAM (I think it's 800)
Sapphire ATi Radeon HD5750
550 Watts PSU
2x 1 TB Harddrives (Western Digital) S-ATA II
Samsung DVD Burner, Double Layer S-ATA
Novita TFT 22" 1680x1050
Case: Full Tower - Thermaltake Armor ([img=Picture]http://www.azpoint.net/img/articoli/tt_armor/45viewSilver.jpg[/img])

I am a gamer so I like good graphics. I never meant to keep the Radeon HD5750 for very long but now I used it for about 16 months. I think it is the source of the really loud noise and it doesn't perform very well anyway. Then there is the case which is kind of unfavorable: as you can also see from the picture I linked it has an opening on the top that has no air filter so it's getting quite dusty in there all the time making the fans louder etc.

So, my plan was to get a new case and a new graphics card, thing is I'm not very much into computer building so I can't really tell what's good and what not. For the graphics card I though I'll change to nVidia, they've performed very well in the last time and ATi/AMD missed to take certain steps so nVidia is much better at the moment without costing a lot more. I already talked to some people and I was told the MSI N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC is good, quiet and cool, still I am not sure if is the right choice. Then there still is the case I'd like to switch to a case preventing the spread of noise and which is good at cooling so the components don't have to get noisy. Now I think I need a Big Tower again as gaming graphics cards use quite some space usually (but if a normal tower is enough that'd be nice too).

I did search for reviews on cases on the internet but I am still missing real advise. I've been looking at the Cooler Master HAF 932 case but then again I read one review saying it's fans are kind of loud...

Well, I guess I speak no more and let the people that are good at this stuff help me out. Thanks in advance for any help and advise you can give me.

Greetings,
KayTwoEx

P.S.: I wont build it myself but bring it to someone who can put things together. Though I think I can plug the things together I don't know how to do all the cable stuff and my fingers are all thumbs anyway so I guess I'd just break things and in the end have to buy a whole new rig...

Sorry, I failed to link the case properly and if I edit the first post it needs to be checked by a mod again so here it is: Picture

I would spend money on silent upgrades for your core system. It would be foolish to get rid of any of your components, as they are not slow (just loud).

GPU & GPU Cooling:
Your monitor max resolution (1680x1050) is a good match for your video card speed. In video games, AMD and Nvidia are a close match at the low and medium price points. A low-noise cooler for your 5750 should only cost $20.
ARCTIC COOLING Accelero L2 Pro

CPU Heatsink and Fan:
The next thing to do is to replace the stock cooler on your CPU. Xigmatek makes a lot of low-noise coolers that are not expensive. In the low-priced market, the Xigmatek Gaia SD1283 is a good performer that can be bought at many stores for about $30.
Xigmatek Gaia SD1283

Power Supply:
If your power supply is going to be out of warranty, then you should not be afraid to open it up and replace the fan. Their are many fans that can be used, but many avoid normal sleeve bearing fans in this area that can get hot under load. You will need to buy a 80, 92 or 120mm fan that is low-noise. A quality non-sleeve 120 mm fan will cost $10-25.
Computer Power Supply Fan Replacement

Case Fans:
You should replace your intake and output fans on the case with low-noise fans. I can not find exact information about your Thermaltake Armor case; some places claim 92 mm fans are used, while other sites claim 120mm fans are used. The people here at SilentPCReview like the Nexus 120mm low-speed units. They are $8 to 12 each, depending on where you buy them.

Unused top holes in the case should be covered to avoid dust and noise problems. Lian Li and Puget Systems both make 120mm & 200mm fan hole covers that sell for $8-12 each. You can also use strong packing tape to cover the holes. The tape only works if you completely clean the area so that the tape will stick.
Lian Li PC-343
120mm Fan Mount Cover (Black)
200mm Fan Mount Cover (Black)

Hard Drives:
Finally, your hard drives may be a source of noise if they are 7200 RPM or faster. You can replace them with a Green/Eco/LP drive that spin at a slower RPM. You could also get some anti-vibration mounts for your existing drives if they are already slower RPM units.

Some people are happy with the XIGMATEK CCA-EMFCB-U01 and it costs about $25.

Conclusion:
It "sounds" like you can silence your system for $125 plus shipping to your home. You also should add labor costs, but I have no idea how much you are paying. Installing all of these parts will take 2 or 3 hours.

I would do Dr. Jim Pomatter, seems good and cheap changes.

Just in case you still changing your case, i would consider Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case or if you are planning on fitting large card on the future and like bigger cases, Fractal Design Define XL Black ATX Full Tower Silent PC Computer Case, you can remove the top hdd case to fit very large video cards.

First of all thanks for your help.

I think I will definately get a new case if my only choise is to tape over the opening on the top of my current case. It's rather large and oval so hard to really close and then it would just look bad. I'll be able to spent 300 +-50 € (thats 350 to 500 $, I'm not including labor costs yet; I'm from Germany) so I should have enough for pretty much anything I need to get things silenced anyway.

So, what I need is a new CPU Cooler. Sadly, the internet store I usually order my hardware from does not stock the Xigmatek Gaia SD1283 so I'd take Thermalright Venomous X RT which has also been mentioned in other threads to be good cooler.
The store has the GPU Cooler but I'm still tempted to get a new card, as I said I like to play games, especially with high settings if possible (btw does it help with the cooling/temperature if I play games at low settings with a good card? Didn't seem to have an effect here whatsoever...).

About the PSU I will to one of those Noise Checks as descibed in the sticky thread in this forum to see if it is such a loud nose-maker, depending on that I will decide whether it needs a new one or not. I think 550W should be enough though.

I think I will keep the hard drives as they are. I only mounted the 2nd TB last winter and it didn't make any difference sound-wise as far as I can hear it over the loud fans. They're not exactly cheap anyway and I really need the space. Some anti-vibration mounts might be in the budget if needed tho.


Am I seeing it right that the front panel has to be opened in order for the two front fans to be able to blow air into the case? All in all it seems to be a very interesting case with many options...