Hi guys,

I am trying to set up an extremely silent PC because it would be placed inside my bedroom, where I am going to make some home-recording of Audiobooks.
I am not a gamer (apart for some game once in a while) and therefore I am not going to make any sort of OC.
I use PC for Audio Recording (through External audio card) and Editing, Video de-coding and encoding, and then normal home use.

I have here a part list that I would like to submit to your attention in order to understand if there is something that I should change:

CPU – Ryzen 5 1600
CPU Cooler – Cryorig H7
MOBO – Asus Prime X370-Pro
RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8Gb DDR4 C15 3000 MHz
SSD – Samsung 850 EVO 2,5” 250Gb (For Windows 10 and just the programs I regularly use. I already have a 1TB external HDD for archive).
GRAPHIC CARD – MSI Geforce GTX 1060 Gaming X 6G
PSU – Seasonic Prime 650W Platinum
CASE – Nanoxia Deep Silence 3

I am looking forward to receiving your comments, thanks !!

Bye

Mark

Welcome to SPCR.

- CPU: ok
- mobo: ok. Has Intel LAN and decent audio chain...if you plan to use the mobo audio for anything. Haven't seen any DPC latency test for any of these AMD boards, yet...
- GPU: the GTX 1060 is a great 1080p gaming card...which you aren't focused on. Do you need this for your video transcoding? Otherweise, you could step down to a lower cost and TDP card.
- SSD: 250GB Evo is fine. Consider getting the 500GB version as it's only $70 more.
- cooler: H7 is ok. pretty darn quiet, middle class cooling. Should be fine for 65W CPU. Make sure it has AM4 socket compatibility
- RAM: doublecheck your mobo's qualified vendor list to make sure this model is compatible with your CPU.
- PSU: with the GTX 1060, your stress load is around 220W. Your load while recording audio will be close to idle..call it 60W. So 650W prime platinum is a little overkill. Consider the Corsair RM550x as it's well built, cheaper, and fan will be off for recording loads...and maybe even for high GPU loads.
- case: ok.

Hi Steve,
thanks for your welcome.
As far as the GPU is concerned, frankly spaking I don't need all that horsepower provided by the GTX 1060 (i put my eyes on it beacuse of the flattering revies regarding its so silent operativity).
Do you have some other card to suggest, able to grant very silent behavior (and maybe able to let me save some cash)?

The Cryorig H7 is not natively supported on AM4 boards, but the vendor say they would send the compatibility pack once the customer shows proof of purchase.
Just in case, which other CPU Cooler would be a valid alternative (considering I would do no OC)?

As regards the RAM, I just checked the compatibility chart updated on July by ASUS and, not only it is supported, but it seems that it also belongs to that short list of products able to support 2933 Mhz among the category of 2x8Gb DDR4 3000MHZ category

As regards PSU....Corsair RM550x, is it very silent? Unfortunately the online store where I would provide myself with the whole components doesn't have that article. Do you have some other alternatives to suggest?

Thank you so much for your help. I will be waiting for your feedback

Mark

What's your location? US or....

How about a link to your preferred merchant so I can see what they offer. Is this merchant going to build the PC or just provide the components?

I do live in Italy.

This merchant I selected (it is a very well-known one and it gets very high rating from PC-enthusiasts) would build the PC.

Their link is https://www.taocomputer.eu/shop2007/

Their prices are the most competitive, but in case you cannot find the best products for my needs, Iwill try to search elsewhere.
The priority goes on the components, because I really need the most silent build.

Thank you so much for your kind help

Ok, I'll run the site through google translate and see what I can see....

gfx card: Palit GTX 1050Ti KalmX passive card..really wants directed airflow from the front case fan...so let's look at the case...

case: you'll want to remove both the 2.5" drive cage as well as the upper 3.5" cage for better airflow. You can mount the SSD in the lower bay..

This is the point where I mention I don't see Nanoxia or Cryorg on this etailer's site...

cooler: they have both Noctua and Scythe...but none of the decent scythes...there is the Noctua NH-U12S AM4 version...which should be good for your 65W CPU.

ok...where the heck are the PSUs...alimentatori...hmm..ok. Here's the Corsair PSU.

Some other thoughts...
- connect the case fans to the motherboard headers and control them via Asus' bios level fan controls. You should be able to set up an inaudible profile for recording.
- stay away from windows bloat s/w...don't install the various Asus s/w wizards...you don't want any background tasks running that you absolutely don't need..as all can interrupt the processor and add to DPC latency causing potential for pops/clicks in audio.

Steve,

I would avoid GPU passive cards because one way or another more fans should work in order to keep down the temperature producing more airflow and since the store will do the assembling and testing on their own, Ihave not the possibility to give them instructions about how to mount the several parts. This is the same regarding the precious suggestions you game me at the end of your message.
Unfortunately I am not so experienced assembling PCs so I would prefer to avoid that and let the shop apply their expertise and job experience.

Maybe we could either change the GPU or another silent case or maybe both ?

As regards the CPU Cooler, I found the Noctua NH-D15 SE- AM4 which is specifically aimed to AM4 sockets. This fan is huge but seems to probably be the most silent and efficient one. So, also because of that, maybe I should get a bigger silent case?

Waiting for your comments

One thing to keep in mind is the new Coffee lake, if you dont need a dedicated GPU, the iGPU that comes in the Coffee lake should be sufficient, and the 8700K should be a very capable CPU, probably much more capable than Ryzen 1600, that said, intel is clearly more expensive but i feel the extra $$$ invested on the dedicated GPU could go into 8700K, and end up with a very capable CPU with a decent iGPU that will do everything aside gaming, thats if you rendering/editing dont benefit from the cuda core that nvidia offer on their GPUs.

Abula: 1) You want a guy that doesn't feel comfortable unscrewing a couple of hard drive cages to deal with early release cpu/mobo bugs?
2) overkill CPU for his applications.

Mark_Mat:

- the NH-D15 is crazy overkill for a 65W CPU. Plus, I don't know the etailer's practices for shipping...and it's a 1.3kg weight hanging from the mobo.
...also, you need to recognize that audio recording takes very little in the way of resources. The CPu will be nearly idling and use so little power that whatever cooler is on there will be running at minimal fan speed..

- gpu:
1) As Abula pointed out, if your applications don't make use of the gpu for acceleration, and you don't care to game, you could go with an integrated CPU/GPU...but I'd recommend an i5-7600 Kaby Lake rather than i5-8xxx Coffee Lake if you have to build now. If you don't have to build for a few months, then yeah, Coffee Lake should be mature enough/bugs squashed for use.
2) if you do need the horsepower of a discrete gpu for your apps or want to do some gaming, then we can pursue this further. Probably ought to figure out if you need a GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1050. The two 'Ti's I'd recommend are curiously absent from your etailer's site (Asus Strix 4GB or MSI Gaming X 4GB).

Hi Abula and Steve,

what do you think about following list?

CPU AMD Ryzen 5 1600 WRAITH 3400 AM4 BOX Wraith Spire 80W Cooler
I would stick to Ryzen 5 1600 for a couple of reasons.
First of all, the kind of applications I use do massively benefit by multi-cores rather than single core performance and, considering the bunch of reviews online, Ryzen 5 1600 outperforms Kaby Lake i5-7600 when working more as a workstation than as a gaming machine.
As regards the Intel’s beast Coffe Lake 8700k, I cannot unfortunately consider it because I need to build my PC very soon.

Said that, considering Steve’s comment on Noctua being overkill for my setup, why don’t leaving the stock cooler? Reading reviews around, it seems it works great …. I hope it is quite silent. What do you think about that?

MOBO ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
Even if I am not a gamer, since I am not the kind of guy that either upgrades or change a PC each couple of years, I would like to build a machine that has some longevity and than might let me play some games with no anxiety.
I know I will never equip my PC with multi graphic cards and that I will never make any sort of OC, so an X370 Mobo may seem too much for me, but I like the bunch of connectivity options provided by the Prime X370-Pro, together with the good audio chipset.

RAM CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR4 2X8GB 3000 MHZ C15 (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15)

GRAPHIC CARD MSI GEFORCE GTX 1060 GAMING X 3G
After looking at several online revies and tests, this card seems to be very very quiet and…in case I want to play some games and push myself towards more challenging video editing sometime in a near future, I am already equipped.
This card, quieter than the previous one I indicated in my first list, also let me save something more than 80,00 euros.
What do you think about that?

CASE NANOXIA DEEP SILENCE 3
Is there any better option in terms of silence?

PSU CORSAIR RM550X


SSD DISK SAMSUNG 250 GB 850EVO
I have a question here and please apologize me for me ignorance: is it possible to build a PC with just one SSD internal drive? Isn’t it mandatory to have at least one HDD?
In case it is, I would stick to the 250GB SSD. In case it is not, I would rather choose the 500Gb as suggested by Steve.

What do you think guys?

If you really do want a deadly silent setup then maybe you should consider one of the Ryzen AM4 specific semi-passive coolers from Arctic such as the twin 120mm PWM fan Freezer 33 Plus. This coolers keeps the fans off below the 40% PWM duty cycle level, and in conjunction with the BIOS tuning facilities of your motherboard should ensure that the CPU fans do not run at all unless the system is significantly stressed. The price is fairly reasonable too.

The other thing you can do with the Arctic 33 is to use only one of the two fans on the cooler and use the other one as a replacement for the 120mm exhaust fan on the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 (a PWM extension cable might be needed). This linking of the CPU and exhaust fans is particularly easy to do with the Asus Prime X370 PRO motherboard as it has a CPU_OPT PWM fan header that is ideal for this purpose. Essentially the CPU_OPT PWM header simply mirrors the the CPU fan settings, so it will not turn on the exhaust fan until the CPU fan does. When the CPU fan is running the exhaust fan will run at the same speed. When/if the CPU fan runs this helps in keeping fan speeds to a minimum.

The other benefit to using the Arctic 33 is that it fits in with two other components in your system - the PSU and graphics card - that both have a 0dB fans off feature during idling or low system stress conditions. In other words with the Arctic 33 also keeping its fans off there would be no components running fans at all except when gaming. The only fans that could be running would be the Nanoxia supplied 120mm 3-pin case fans. The BIOS fan controls on the Prime X370 Pro should enable you to keep the speed of these fans to a minimum, but I am not sure if they can actually keep them off. Arctic don't seem to sell their semi-passive 120mm PWM fans separately. The only sem-passive 120mm case fans I know off are the EK-Vardar EVO 120ER Black. These fans don't run under 25% PWM duty cycle. Using the Asus motherboard BIOS controls it would be easy to set a manual profile for these fans to typically hold the duty cycle under 25% until the CPU hits say 50-55C. Again this will mean they only run under gaming conditions. Using these fans in conjunction with the Arctic 33 cooler and your other components would mean that under idle/low system stress conditions there would be no fans running at all, a silent system for audio home-recording and a fairly quiet one when gaming.

I don't think the Wraith cooler will get down to noise levels you will like for recording.

GTX 1060 3GB: sure.

mandatory HDD: was a law passed requiring this? I have an internal HDD that's sole purpose is daily backup of my two SSDs and storage of games that I'm not playing...it's spun down and silent the rest of the time. The SSDs contain the OS, all the apps and data.

case: a lot of them will work, and your system's heat load really won't stress them...if you like the looks and features of the Nanoxia case, then go for it.

Your CPU, RAM, Cooler, Case and Storage are ideal choices.

A 370 motherboard may be excessive for a recording studio. A 350 is probably plenty.

3GB 1060 is a good choice for price to performance. My Asus version of the fan has software that can put it to Silent Mode.

Ok Steve,

I have a question. I am not so sure about the GTX 1060 3Gb...since I am not an enthusiast gamer I guess it is some overkill for me.
If I wanted to get a very good graphic card but that better fits my needs, very very quiet, and maybe less expensive...what could you suggest?

I'd call the etailer and see if they will remove the two drive cages for you and move the front fan to cover the Gfx card as part of the build...If they'll do this, get the Palit GTX 1050 Ti KalmX.

Thanks Derek,

the PC I am going to build is not solely aimed to home-recording, but would also work as a video converting machine (light coding and encoding), and normal home uses, together with some occasional game.
What I like in that 370 board is the increased number of latest generation USB port, improved LAN ports, better dissipation, better bios and better build in general.
I may be wrong, naturally, but even if an Asus Prime B350 Plus could be a valid option I feel like my system would be too much "weaker" with that kind of board. Is that a ridiculous thought?

As regards the 1060 3Gb, I heard around the MSI is one of the best....do you suggest me an Asus instead?

I am still thinking if it would be better, in terms of quietness and price to performance ratio, to shift to a lower level Card, in order maybe to save some cash.

What do youy think?

Guys,
I am a little bit confused.
I am no more so sure to stick to AMD platform.
My main uses are:
1) Recording only voice for my audiobooks using an external USB Audio Interface (a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2, where I will plug my XLR microphone) but without recording any instrument whatsoever.
Then apply all post-production workflow (editing, applying effects, mixing with background music, mastering) using Adobe Audition CC 2017.
2) Some video encoding and decoding (light)
3) watching at Movies (often in streaming) at 1080 full HD (I have a Dell U2211H monitor)
4) Playing games, once in a while, but never doing OC and never being so demanding on resolutions, fps and so on
5) Surfing the web and normal home use.

Said that, after having discussed with other people that makes home-recording aimed to Audiobooks using Adobe Audition CC, it is more important to have very powerful and fast cores, rather than more cores count.

Said that, even if it would be more expensive...Idon't know...would it be smarter to shift to Intel platform?

What kind of build may I set-up?

Thank you for the help

It's hard for me to equate "very powerful and fast cores" with audio editing/processing...especially since you are talking just a handful of tracks at most. If you were mixing orchestral levels of virtual intruments, then yeah, you need some horsepower/cores and speed both. This, not so much.

Do you have an existing system with this s/w on it? Benchmark it. Run task manager in the background and see how much CPU it uses. Then report back with your existing system specs and the CPU processing % Audition used.

Either Intel or AMD are fine. Ryzen 5 1600 and the 6th gen i5's are both solid. Only at the high-end are the differences between the two brands pronounced, as both will perform most tasks flawlessly. Honestly, even a Ryzen 3 1200 can handle a recording studio fine.

Audio recording needs a lot of fast I/O when you're recording multiple things at the same time, and needs a lot of CPU power when you're adding effects live, while recording.

For a single (probably mono) track with no live effects, that's not a problem for any pc, even your smartphone could do it, if it had enough storage and the right sound interface.

You could record that on a 5+ year old laptop with no worries, probably the same for browsing and 1080p video streaming.

Now, the audio post-processing and video editing (no matter how light) are the real resource hogs, gaming too, it's best to have a recent pc there, but the gpu will mostly be for gaming.

For super-silent recording, you might consider one machine dedicated to just doing that, it's not like the files are super-big and can't be transfered to the editing environment later on. You could go fanless while recording, it's that non-cpu-intensive, just use a decent heatsink on the cpu and tweak it out until the cars driving by and your neighbour sneezing register more than your PC noise does.

Also, try to look at microphone types, some of them have an abrupt cutoff at a few inches from the diafragm so they don't get much environment noise, there is detailed technical data out there for all the models. You might not even need a PC that silent, do the recording test first, check the noise floor, use a plugin to remove it if necessary.

You might want to look into treating the walls of your room so you don't record the reverb/echoes that might occur.

Remember that what you hear is not what your microphone "hears", so test everything through it.

HTH.