Small, strong and silent - matx gaming build
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:45 pm
This is my long overdue second build (last one 5 years ago, a lot has changed) and this is my first small build so I need some advice on the parts, cooling, noise, fitting it all in and making sure there is decent enough airflow. My budget is generous and although I'm conscious of overkill, this build is all about seeing just how much power you can squeeze in a small and quiet build because I'm gonna be putting it through its paces for sure. Here's the plan:
Case - fractal design define mini
CPU - intel i7 3770k @ ~4ghz
Mobo - maximus v gene
Ram - 8gb corsair vengeance low profile 1600
Graphics - gigabyte gtx 680 3x windforce 4gb (read below for why I need 4gb)
PSU - seasonic x750
SSD - Samsung 840 pro 256gb
CPU cooler - noctua nh-d14
Case fans - 2x noctua 120mms + the two fractal fans that come with the case ( standard push-pull)
Firstly, some may think this is a pretty serious rig to be squeezing in a small case but I'm limited for room and really want a small build that packs a (rather quiet) punch. The rig will mainly be for playing a very heavily modded skyrim (with all the trimmings) and similar games, as well as some moderate CAD work and mapping software, and databases (SPSS and SQL). I'm aware that the build may still seem a bit much for what I require but a heavily modded skyrim can easily take up a whole 2gb of gpu memory, often more for serious modders so I want that extra power from the 4gb. The rest of the parts are a mix of futureproofing (PSU, CPU) and amazing reviews (SSD, MaximusVGene, Noctua)
Really I'm only unsure about the ram (more/less? Faster?), CPU cooler (mainly clearance from the graphics card) and mobo but if anyone has any input regarding the other parts I'm all ears. I'm really looking for the quietest build possibly but considering the performance I need I understand that even the gigabyte (one of the quiestest cards available) will still be noisy under full load, nevertheless ill sacrifice some temperature increases for less noise as I'm only gonna be overclocking a little bit to see if its a noticeable performance increase (probably not going to take the CPU above 4ghz unless its worth it)
Finally the case is a certainty, my friend has one and the really are worth every penny, IMO nothing could be better for me. I hope this is enough info but if I've missed anything please let me know
Case - fractal design define mini
CPU - intel i7 3770k @ ~4ghz
Mobo - maximus v gene
Ram - 8gb corsair vengeance low profile 1600
Graphics - gigabyte gtx 680 3x windforce 4gb (read below for why I need 4gb)
PSU - seasonic x750
SSD - Samsung 840 pro 256gb
CPU cooler - noctua nh-d14
Case fans - 2x noctua 120mms + the two fractal fans that come with the case ( standard push-pull)
Firstly, some may think this is a pretty serious rig to be squeezing in a small case but I'm limited for room and really want a small build that packs a (rather quiet) punch. The rig will mainly be for playing a very heavily modded skyrim (with all the trimmings) and similar games, as well as some moderate CAD work and mapping software, and databases (SPSS and SQL). I'm aware that the build may still seem a bit much for what I require but a heavily modded skyrim can easily take up a whole 2gb of gpu memory, often more for serious modders so I want that extra power from the 4gb. The rest of the parts are a mix of futureproofing (PSU, CPU) and amazing reviews (SSD, MaximusVGene, Noctua)
Really I'm only unsure about the ram (more/less? Faster?), CPU cooler (mainly clearance from the graphics card) and mobo but if anyone has any input regarding the other parts I'm all ears. I'm really looking for the quietest build possibly but considering the performance I need I understand that even the gigabyte (one of the quiestest cards available) will still be noisy under full load, nevertheless ill sacrifice some temperature increases for less noise as I'm only gonna be overclocking a little bit to see if its a noticeable performance increase (probably not going to take the CPU above 4ghz unless its worth it)
Finally the case is a certainty, my friend has one and the really are worth every penny, IMO nothing could be better for me. I hope this is enough info but if I've missed anything please let me know