Quiet gaming rig

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K9-Cop
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:09 am
Location: Canada

Quiet gaming rig

Post by K9-Cop » Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:11 pm

Here's my initial thoughts on a quiet gaming rig... I don't typically overclock my components or mess around too much once the thing is built.

Case: Silverstone TJ08-E
Power: SeaSonic SS-460FL2 Fanless
Mobo: ASUS H87M-Pro
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 Haswell 3.4GHz
Cooler: XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
SSD: Samsung EVO 840 500GB
Video: Gigabyte HD6850 (reusing from existing rig, but will probably upgrade in another year or so)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A PWM 120mm
Monitor: BenQ RL2450HT

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated!

Update 1: Swapped i7 to i5. Swapped Crucial M500 to Samsung EVO 840. Added the case fan (most of the SPCR reviews are for fans that are no longer available in Canada). Agree that it makes the most sense to keep both a heatsink fan and rear exhaust fan and let the mobo reduce the speeds.
Update 2: Swapped a Noctua NH-U12S to a XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283. This is strictly a cost saving move, and shaves off about $35-40. Similarly, swapped the Seasonic SS-500FL2 for the SeaSonic SS-400FL2. This shaves another $20. As for the case, the PS07 is definitely worth considering, as it's $20 cheaper. Honestly, I can't decide, so I'll stick with the TJ08-E for now.
Final Build: Swapped the SeaSonic SS-400FL2 for the SS-460FL2. The 460 comes with two PEG connectors for graphics cards, rather than just one. I've bought the parts and am looking forward to putting it together.
Last edited by K9-Cop on Sun Oct 06, 2013 3:38 am, edited 5 times in total.

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Quiet gaming rig

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu Sep 26, 2013 2:56 pm

K9-Cop wrote:can I drop the heatsink fan?

No way you may, guy!

CA_Steve
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Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Quiet gaming rig

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Sep 26, 2013 3:38 pm

Very few games make use of hyperthreading, so the i7 isn't going to provide much benefit over an i5.

The Samsung Evo might be a better fit. Might be worth getting a 250GB class SSD and a quiet/slow HDD for the rest. If you drop to 128GB, the 3-bit SSDs drop a lot of random write speed...so, you might consider the 840 Pro.

PSU: If you upgrade your GPU, it may use two PEG connectors. Make sure your PSU has 'em. That said, your stressed load power with the 6850 is ~250W. If you move up to even a 200W class graphics card, that just raises the max stressed load to 320W..and probably <280W gaming.

Fans: better off having multiple slow moving fans.

Blood
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 114
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 2:52 am

Re: Quiet gaming rig

Post by Blood » Fri Sep 27, 2013 6:37 am

If aesthetics is not of utmost concern, I will recommend the PS07 over TJ08.

The PS07 (also cheaper) could be more quiet than the TJ08 if you fit it with quiet fans. Personally, I am not impressed by any of the 180mm fans out there.

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