I5 3570K Gaming, last sanity check before order.

[karkee]

Hey, im about to order my parts for new gaming rig. Im trying to get enough power for the latest games and ofcourse trying to get it as quiet as I can.

Case : Corsair 550D
CPU : I5 3570K
CPU Cooler : Prolimatech Mega Shadow
Motherboard : Asus P8Z77-v Deluxe
Ram : 2x4 Gskill Ripjaws 1.5v CAS 8
GPU : Asus GTX670 Direct CU Top
PSU : Super Flower Golden King Platinum 550W
SSD : Samsung 830 256GB (not planning on using Data disk, have a Synology NAS with alot of space)

Cooling: Noctua or scythe PWM fan on the mega shadow, scythe 500RPM exhaust and 1x 500RPM for front.

Any advice/tips on changing components are welcome for quieter/performance ratio.

Greetz!!

[mkk]

Looks okay, although things may get pretty hot in longer sessions of the heaviest games or other intensive tasks with just one 500 RPM exhaust. Adding a second intake fan might help enough. I'm sure you don't want to one up the top on that case.

I'd consider a case like the Define R3, perhaps even the Define Mini(with mATX motherboard) since you don't seem to need a big case for this build. There one can open up just one top exhaust for a second low speed fan.

On the other hand I might also consider taking a grinder or snips to the rear fan grating, opening them up could make it quiet enough for a single 800-ish(or some PWM) exhaust which should be quiet enough without the extra turbulence of air passing through the grating.

[CA_Steve]

Looks like it'll be a pretty build. You might have a close fit with the Mega Shadow CPU cooler - it's 158.7mm high. From Lawrence's fine review:

"With our system configuration there was only 4 mm of clearance above the 156 mm tall FZ120 cooler."

That said, people are stuffing Noctua NH-D14's in there (160mm height).

[kuzzia]

Seems good.

[karkee]

Thanks for input, I dont really like the R3. Could go the antec solo 2 instead of the corsair it might be better.

Also something I have been thinking about, if it wouldnt be better to get the I5 2500. I have been reading some articles that Ivy Bridge is getting hotter then SB but then again its most of the time on OC and I won't be doing that. On the other hand PCI 3.0 and HD4000 won't help me that much either.

So what im wondering if I won't get lower temps & less noise with an I5 2500 then a I5 3570 on stock clocks.
Any input on this?

[CA_Steve]

On an relative scale, IVB runs hotter than SNB at a given load power due to the smaller die and the less efficient heat transfer method Intel uses for the package.

However, at stock voltage and frequency...or even stock voltage and overclocked, you won't have CPU temperature issues with your proposed setup.

Benefit of SNB over IVB: It's a stable platform. IVB motherboards are going through the usual release issues and probably will for another couple of months.

Benefit of IVB over SNB: 10-15% faster at the same clock rate for a given, heavy app load. Improvements in the iGPU for Quick Sync as well as media playback. Lower power use for cpu loads.

[Das_Saunamies]

So what im wondering if I won't get lower temps & less noise with an I5 2500 then a I5 3570 on stock clocks.
Any input on this?

CA_Steve already answered this from the information standpoint, I'll just add my real world data: the 3570k in my setup (see signature) runs at 29 °C at desktop loads, sees little more than 50 °C at heavy load (ORTHOS memory test). That's cool enough to run fans at low speeds. Sandy Bridge is rather poor value at this point - it's roughly the same cost for a mostly obsolete socket and, as CA_Steve pointed out, lower performance. The upgrade prospects for that architecture are poor as well.

As for the rest of the setup, if you're going with a compact setup like that (1xGPU, no extra cards, 1xSSD, no HDDs) you should seriously consider mATX. It's much nicer to work and live with in my opinion as the main components are smaller and lighter. As for cases, something like the Fractal Design Define Mini is as easy as full ATX cases to work with and still offers excellent cooling and silencing performance.

The massive cooler is probably good for keeping fans at low RPM, but your GPU cooler will most likely drown them out, even at higher RPM (800-900 is plenty for any modern cooler, even with a single fan). The PSU is an unknown quantity, unless it's a rebrand of some established, reviewed model.

PS. I've had bad experiences with Asus Direct CU cooler fans, they've been poor quality and exhibited electrical noise. If there's an MSI Twin Frozr or a Gigabyte WindForce on offer as an alternative, I'd look those up ahead of Asus.