Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

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Crux
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Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 3:34 pm

Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by Crux » Tue May 14, 2013 4:11 pm

I have an old computer that I would like to replace with a new gaming PC. Although I put together my old computer with a friend, that was eight years ago and I have since left the technical world. Any notions that my old knowledge would help me figure out what to purchase today were soundly dashed as I browsed through this website. -- By the way, I would just like to add that I have really enjoyed reading the articles here. There were many new concepts to design and computers that I had never encountered before and it was all just very interesting.

My current PC is loud. I would like my new one to be quiet and unobtrusive. I plan to use it to play games, stream video, and browse the internet. Any advice that you could give me to help accomplish this would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a list of parts I've come up with so far:
  • CPU: $210 Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K

    GPU: $290 GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

    MOBO: ? ?

    SSD: $198 Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT256M4SSD2

    HDD $71 Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

    CPU Fan: $30 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+

    RAM: $54 Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB kit (4GBx2) DDR3-1600 1.5V 240-Pin UDIMM BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00

    Case: $111 Fractal Design Define R4 Cases, Black Pearl (FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL)

    PSU: ? ?

    Case Fans: $19 each Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition CO-9050009-WW 140mm High Airflow Case Fan -- (case comes with two - how many more are required and where?)
Any ideas for a motherboard and a power supply.
Are any of these components known to be loud? Or prone to failure? Or otherwise undesirable?
Is the GPU likely to be loud with it's small fan?

Again, any help would really be appreciated.

Edit 1: I forgot to add that I am not planning to overclock. As far as I know, it isn't necessary to overclock in order to play games so I'd rather not -- I'd wind up melting my computer.
Last edited by Crux on Tue May 14, 2013 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CA_Steve
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by CA_Steve » Tue May 14, 2013 7:15 pm

Hi and welcome to SPCR. Given the 660 Ti, I'm guessing you want to game at 1080p?

If you don't plan to overclock/overvolt, your stressed load power is in the 275W range..and maybe 250W gaming. So, you could go with a fanless Gold/Platinum 80+ PSU in the 400-450W watt range (but need to look for one with 2 PCIe Graphics connectors) or you could go with a fanned PSU that's quiet while gaming (probably in the 500-550W range). For the former, there's the Seasonic 460FL. For the latter, there's a couple of choices. Seasonic G-550, X-550 and Kingwin LZP-550 are decent. The first has an always on fan. The last two can be set for semi-passive operation - the fan comes on at higher loads/temps.

Mobo's: Asus P8Z77-V is a nice choice. Great fan controls.

GPU: The Gigabyte card is about the same as Asus and MSI versions as far as noise goes. Asus might be a touch better on noise and GPU temp. MSI has nice VRM cooling. Here's a 660 Ti review cheat sheet.

CPU: If you don't plan to OC, you could save a few bucks and get the non-K variant.

SSD: M4 is nice. Another is the Samsung 840.

case fans: I'd start with the two Fractal fans (front/rear) and see how it works for you. You can always add more/different fans later.

cooler: The 212 EVO is a nice inexpensive cooler. You might or might not like the stock fan. The Thermalright TRUE Spirit 120m is also nice with a fan you may or may not like :)

boost
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by boost » Tue May 14, 2013 10:34 pm

Component you listed are good choices for a quiet PC.
PSU: Best Seasonic 460-FL (400W model only has 1 PCIe power connector)
Very Good: Seadonic G-450.
Mobo: Asus board with Z77 chipset. Find the one with all the features onboard that you might need, buying add ons later is only going to cost more.
The P8Z77-V has both wireless and PCI, I don't need either so I got the P8Z77M-Pro. Asus' fan control is very good.
Keep the Fractal design case fans and get a single good 120mm 4-pin PWM fan to replace the Coolermaster CPU cooler fan. Corsair would be a good choice here.
GPU: Get the Asus 660 TI DC2. Asus DC2 cooler and fan profiles are the best out of the box you can get.
I think the price difference between the i5-3570 and the i5-3570K is too small not recommend the k version. You might change your mind about overclocking if you keep your PC for a longer period of time.

Abula
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by Abula » Tue May 14, 2013 11:33 pm

Crux wrote:CPU: $210 Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K
Edit 1: I forgot to add that I am not planning to overclock. As far as I know, it isn't necessary to overclock in order to play games so I'd rather not -- I'd wind up melting my computer.
Since you are not overclocking, i would go with the none K version, but atm is the same price with the K version.... so i would just go with the K for maybe better resell value or even if you down the road want to OC.
Crux wrote:GPU:$290 GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
ASUS GTX 660 Ti Series Graphics Card Overclocked Edition Graphics Cards GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5, atm is cheaper than most 660ti and its a great gaming card.
Crux wrote:MOBO:?
I second Steve suggestion, ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard, its the cheapest Asus mobo with fanXpert2, so it should give you full control of your fans.
Crux wrote:SSD: $198 Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT256M4SSD2
Its a fine ssd, already has a good time on the market with a good record on performance/reliability. But if you want the best SSD for sata III, and what im going for soon, Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive MZ-7PD256BW
Crux wrote:HDD $71 Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003
I would go with what most consder a quiter mechanical hdd with the WD caviar green, like WD Green 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, SATA III, 64 MB Cache - WD10EZRX
Crux wrote:CPU Fan: $30 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+
Here im going to suggest to spend a little more toward, Thermlright HR-02 macho, wonderful cooler for the money, and comes with a decent fan that can be ran around 700rpm were is quiet and still perform really well, and it should match easily the theme of the R4 with the black n white, if you wish to read more, checp SPCR Thermalright HR-02 Macho Quiet/Fanless Cooler
Crux wrote:RAM: $54 Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB kit (4GBx2) DDR3-1600 1.5V 240-Pin UDIMM BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00
Whatever you like, the crucial should be fine.
Crux wrote:Case: $111 Fractal Design Define R4 Cases, Black Pearl (FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL)
Good choice, no comments.
Crux wrote:PSU:?
There is an offer that ends today on newegg that i would go for, Rosewill SilentNight-500 500W $140 - 20% = $112. Reviewed by SPCR Rosewill Silent Night 500 Platinum 80 Plus. If you want something cheaper, or you cant order from newegg, then i would go with Seasonic G550 $80.
Crux wrote:Case Fans: $19 each Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition CO-9050009-WW 140mm High Airflow Case Fan -- (case comes with two - how many more are required and where?)
If you go with the rosewill psu, i would add a Fractal Design Silent Series R2 FD-FAN-SSR2-140 140mm Fan so you create positive pressure and the passive psu will get some airflow and cool itself, else it might become an intake for air and get dusty. Another fan that im going considering for my R4 build is Thermalright TY-147, this is the same fan that comes with the HR02 macho, so i would move the back case fan to the front and place the TY-147 on the back for a kinda push/pull, still checking if it should fit, i do think it will as the r4 has 120mm fan holes, TY147 is a 140mm fan with 120mm fan holes.

Crux
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by Crux » Wed May 15, 2013 4:57 pm

Thank you for the replies! After reading through them and looking through the suggestions, I have some follow-up questions:
  • 1. I am considering getting a motherboard that would support an SLI configuration for the 660 Ti DC2. That way, five years from now when I might want to increase the graphics capacity, I could just get another 660 Ti DC2 card. I have been trying to figure out what I would need to set this up and have some questions: 2. I have a spare laptop hard drive -- HITACHI 0A56415 2.5-Inch 250GB 5400 RPM SATA Internal Hard Drive -- would that be reusable in this desktop?
Thanks for all your help thus far -- I am in much, much better shape than only a few days ago. : ]

HellDiverUK
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by HellDiverUK » Thu May 16, 2013 6:56 am

Crux wrote: 2. I have a spare laptop hard drive -- HITACHI 0A56415 2.5-Inch 250GB 5400 RPM SATA Internal Hard Drive -- would that be reusable in this desktop?
Yes, but it'll be horrendously slow. I'd rather dig my eyes out with a rusty spoon than use a 5400rpm drive in a desktop PC.

CA_Steve
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by CA_Steve » Thu May 16, 2013 12:21 pm

Crux wrote:I am considering getting a motherboard that would support an SLI configuration for the 660 Ti DC2. That way, five years from now when I might want to increase the graphics capacity, I could just get another 660 Ti DC2 card.
I'm not a fan of SLI/crossfire. I think it just adds another layer of complexity and seldom seems to provide a trouble free gaming environment. On top of that, by the time you want to add another card to your single card setup (5 years!), it's fairly obsolete in terms of horsepower/watt..or possibly just obsolete. Chances are by then a single current gen card with the same price will provide what you'd expect for doing SLI with two 660 Ti's.

250GB laptop HDD in conjunction with your SSD - it'd work for your music/picture libraries. It might work for your video library. I wouldn't run a game or application from it.

Abula
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by Abula » Thu May 16, 2013 12:49 pm

Crux wrote:1. I am considering getting a motherboard that would support an SLI configuration for the 660 Ti DC2. That way, five years from now when I might want to increase the graphics capacity, I could just get another 660 Ti DC2 card. I have been trying to figure out what I would need to set this up and have some questions:
usually new gens go up around 30%, assuming in 5 years there will be 3 refresh (one very 1.5 years) the lets say, gtx960ti should at least twice as fast if not around 3 times.... That doing sli will not be worth it. IMO sli work for super high end set ups, and people that don't want to upgrade very gen, where they can get a good deal on clearance of the card they already own when the new come out to replace them, but 3 gens IMO is way too much, I would just buy a single card again of the same price range of the gtx660ti aka gtx960ti or whatever n idea name scheme ends up being.

I also second Steve, sli will increase the complexity, in the best scenarios you will need to update you drivers constantly expecting the dual gpu support, else you will only run one, and even then maximization are needed, so more driver... And 2 cards will generate more heat inside the case needing more rpm on the case fans to sustain similar case temp.
Crux wrote:2.I have a spare laptop hard drive -- HITACHI 0A56415 2.5-Inch 250GB 5400 RPM SATA Internal Hard Drive -- would that be reusable in this desktop?
you could use it for back upping, personally I would just get an external usb3. 2.5 enclosure and use it for backups or to save/transport big files.

QUIET!
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Re: Attempting to build a quiet gaming PC

Post by QUIET! » Sat May 18, 2013 10:38 am

Before you buy that i5, look on Intel's site for the Xeon e3-1220v2, e3-1225v2 and e3-1230v2.

They are all close in price to the i5 but have certain benefits. The 1220 has no graphics but since you're going discrete you might appreciate the extra 2mb of cache more. The 1225 has graphics and the larger cache also. The 1230 has hyperthreading like an i7, 8mb cache and no graphics. Some of the Xeons have slightly slower clocks than the k version desktop processors but not by much.

I've heard the z chip set motherboards allow 400mhz core over clocking which is easy with a decent heat sink and will get you right in line with the k processors.

If you are ok with the idea of x16/x4 sli, you can save a few bucks on the motherboard.

I just got an Intel dz75ml-45k for about $80. I haven't tested it quite yet but it looks fine and I won't miss the hard drive caching deal that the z77 boards have because of my SSD.

If everything works to my expectations, that motherboard is a hidden gem just like those Xeons.

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