Hi all,

I would appreciate any comments/advice/suggestions on the following build. Obviously, I want it to be quiet, but also use quality parts.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 - Already got this one, and I think I'll stick to it.
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - Please recommend better alternatives, if any.
Motherboard: Asus P8H77-M/CSM Micro ATX - It only has 1 case fan connector, so probably need a different one. How many connectors will I need for this build, taking the video card added heat into account? The case comes with 2 and supports quite a few more.
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB SSD
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB - This one is supposed to be very quiet (SPCR discussion), but how is MSI quality? Is it better to go with a card the draws heat out (like, I think, this one:EVGA 650 Ti? Any other suggestions from the linked list or otherwise?
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini

Please recommend a power supply. That's one part where I really don't know what to choose.

Last part missing is an optical drive. I guess they only make noise when working, but if there's something you'd like to share...

Thanks for reading and any answers.

Hi, just a couple of quick comments. Don't know what your apps are, so can't comment on whether the CPU/GPU are a good fit. That said, I'm impressed by the MSI Cyclone reviews. Can't speak to it's reliability vs others. Look for low profile RAM so you don't have to deal with potential skyline conflicts with whatever cooler you end up using. If you like g.skill, then Ares is the model. Or, look at Samsung's RAM.

Power use: 77W TDP CPU, 110W TDP GPU, add 30W for mobo and another 20W for fans and drives for worst case stressed load of ~240W. Gaming load of maybe 200W max. Seasonic G-360 @ $60 is a good fit. Or, the G-450 @ $80 if you ever plan to move up to a higher wattage GPU/need a second PEG connector/want modular cabling. Or, x-560 @ $125 if you want passive operation at low load.

As CA_Steve says you'll probably not need a high-wattage PSU. The mentioned PSU's fit perfectly for your needs. If you have an unlimited budget then you could go for a completely passive or semi-passively cooled PSU. These will be a bit more quiet than the mentioned PSU's, but the G360 is very quiet as it is.

The Fractal Design Mini includes a fan controller. The downside to it is, that the cables will probably not be routed behind the motherboard tray making. If you don't want to use the fan controller, then buy a motherboard with two controllable 3-pin fan headers (and a CPU PWM fan header of course). For this built, a front fan and a back fan is definitely enough!

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO plus a good PWM fan will easily cool your CPU quietly while being very cheap. The stock fan of the predecessor, the Hyper 212+, was horrible, but the 212 EVO employs a fan that, at least superficially, looks very different from their other fans. I'd definitely give this new stock fan a try before I'd consider buying another PWM fan.

Thank you for the replies. I will be carefully looking into the suggestions, especially for the cooler and PSU. It's great that there are many options for QUIET powerful computing.

Also check out the Radeon HD 7750 Sapphire Ultimate, it's cooled passively, so completely silent, and is about as powerful as that 650.

Um, not really. The 650 Ti plugs in between the 7770 and the 7850.

I'm now choosing between several options for some components. Some recomendations are not in stock so I picked alternatives. Maybe you could help me choose between several options.

Cooler: NH-U12P SE2 or NH-L12 or Hyper 212 EVO + replacing its fan with Scythe Slip Stream (Kaze-Jyuni) 120mm PWM Case Fan (or another) - which will be quiter while proving adequate cooling even under load (i5-3470 - no OC)? If one of the Noctuas, is the price difference worth the noise difference in this case (pun definiteley intended )?

PSU: Seasonic G-360 (or G-450) or SS-560KM (x-560). How much of a noise difference do they all have?

HD: I'm now having second thoughts about getting an SSD because of all the reliability issues. What would be a very quiet, but reasonably fast (for non-SSD) drive? No need for a lot of space.

SSD issues have only been an issue for a number of SSD controllers such as the Sandforce 1xxx and 2xxx. a JMicron was also known to have major issues back in 2008-2010. But other controllers have not had these issues. These include the Crucial m4, any Samsung SSD's and Intel SSD's. Intel have employed Sandforce controllers before but they have used a custom firmware in that cast. Intel are known for their extensive testing prior to selling their products (at least for SSD's) so I would label them as reliable as well.

So my advice: If you want a reliable SSD go for a Crucial m4, Samsung 830 or 840, or any Intel SSD.

CPU cooler: All of the options can easily cool the CPU quietly. The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (the predecessor of the 212 EVO), coupled with a good fan, could cool a core i7-965 extreme quietly:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1046-page9.html

That's a 130 W CPU running a synthetic benchmark so it dissipates an unrealistic amount of heat. The 3470 only has a TDP of 77 W so the amount of heat will not even get close to the amount of heat dissipated by the i7-965 and that CPU could be cooled by the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. So the CPU coolers can easily cool the CPU. There's no doubt about that. I would be more concerned about the minimum fan speed of the CPU fans as this number is an indication of the lowest noise level. The price should also be part of your consideration, of course.

PSU: The x-560 will not contribute to the noise level as it runs fanlessly at most of the time. At idle, the G-360 runs at 13 dBA/1m. That's very quiet, but some SPCR users might think that inaudibility is the only acceptable noise level. In that case, the G-360 is probably a tad too noisy.