Hello!

I am in the process of creating a new computer. It will be used in my work that is poker and for computer games.
Would love to be able to play the latest games at the highest settings possible. However you can not always get what you want.
I am using a Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP with resolution 2560x1600 daily, I will later buy a 27". But I am not sure if I will use them at the same time.

I would appreciate all the help I can get, it has been a long time since I built a computer.


What I want is a small, silent and powerfull computer.
I plan to use the following components:

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5GHz Socket 1150 Box
CPU Cooler: Hear I need some advice in what to pick!
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5 (I am not sure if this is for me)
Memory: Hear I need some advice in what to pick!
SSD : Need advice around 500 gb , prefer it a bit more stable in exchange for top speed
Storage: Need advice at least 1tb
Video Card :GeForce GTX 780 or GeForce GTX 780 Ti ( the best and the most silent cooler will decide this)
Power: Hear I need some advice in what to pick (Have a Zalman ZM1000 - HP 1000W laying around , it might fit ?)
Case: I am not sure what to pick,

I want the case as small as possible so here is a short list of some cases that I have found:

Silverstone

SST-SG08-LITEB
222 mm (W) x 190 mm (H) x 351 mm (D), 14.8 liters
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.p ... 84&area=en

PS09
170mm (W) x 359.8mm (H) x 406.6mm (D), 24.87 liters
http://www.silverstonetek.com.cn/produc ... 53&area=en

FT03-MINI
188.9mm(W)x 397mm(H)x235.1mm(D), 17.6 liters
http://www.silverstonetek.com.cn/produc ... ea=en&tid=

I also consider the Temjin TJ08B-E but its not as pretty as the rest.

Lian Li

PC-Q28
(W) 227mm (H) 305mm (D) 345mm
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q28/

PC-Q25
(W) 199mm (H) 280mm (D) 366mm
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q25/

Lan gear

DaBox 100 Classic
http://www.lan-gear.eu/shop/index.php?i ... er=product

DaBox 100 Blackheart
http://www.lan-gear.eu/shop/index.php?i ... er=product


If a fan is to noisy on the case I will exchange this.


Cooling: I plan to exchange and buy new coolers for the GPU and the CPU. But I don´t know what to pick!?
I don´t know if watercooling is the best choice or if regular cooling or some combinations is the best?
So please advice me of what is the best and the most silenced cooler out there.


I am not sure if its even possible to create a computer with such small cases but I hope there is coolers quiet enough to fit.

Some extra info:
Is it even possible to consider Sli in such a small case?
I problably want to update my graphic card in a few years , is it possible with the motherboard?
I am planning to dress the inside of the case with sounddampening material of some sort (suggestions)
So every little detail to make this computer silent, I want to know what to do.
My budget is big, but still I am not going to pay 400 dollars extra for a 10% increase in this and that.

Whew! It was probably all, I hope!


I always search for months for the most powerful and quietest components!
Followed by a mental and physical breakdown, I am hoping to take a shortcut, while crying blood as I open yet another tab to read.
By asking the pros!

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to SPCR,

For the smallest and quiestest possible buildi would go with Fractal Design Node 304, recently reviewed by SPCR Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX Case. Check OCN [Official] Fractal Design Node 304 Owners Club for ideas into what you can fit on the case.

Thinking on the NODE 304, i would go with Asus motherboard because of the CPU socket placemnent that its more centered than most motherboards allowing to install almost any cooler in the market. Depending on your budget and needs, look into the following motherboards,
ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
ASUS Z87I-DELUXE LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
ASUS H87I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard With UEFI BIOS
ASUS H81I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H81 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard


For the quietest high end GPU, look into MSI N780ti GTX780ti, read TechPowerUp MSI GTX 780 Ti Gaming 3 GB, quoting from it,



Cross check that the games/apps you will be running benefit from Hyperthreading, else its better to save $100 and go with i5 4670K, there is even gains in temps between 5-10C, so if you are persuing a quiet setup, be sure to know if you will take advantage of the hyperthreading, else you not only wasting your money but you might end up needing fans to speed higher thus more noise.

The Node 304 + Asus mobo can fit almost any cooler, check the thread posted above to see if what you are picking will not have any issues. From SPCR recommended list, Scythe Mugen 4 CPU Cooler: Scythe Strikes Back or if you have a bigger budget, Noctua NH-U14S Slim 140mm Tower Cooler.

I would go with 8gb ddr3 1600mhz, whatever brand is on the QVL list of asus, personally i like a lot Curcial ballistix Sport Low profile Low voltage, but go with whatever you like, just dont go with all memory heatspreaders as there is no need and might intefere with the CPU cooler, go with low profile or standard height. Cross check if the motherboard manufactuer has a QVL list, if so buy one of on it to guarantee avoiding incompatibilities.

I would place Samsung 840Pro as the best SSD in the market atm, its been long enough out, it has very mature firmware and has a very good track, it uses MLC and also recommended by SPCR Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD. There is a 512gb version that should fit your desire (i own it and been perfect from day one, no issues). Now its an expensive SSD, as a good alternative the Samsung 840 EVO has been really good aswell, but its TLC SSD, there is also the upcoming Crucial M550 that they just announced recently that might be worth checking, but i would remain on samsung as my first choice.

WD Green has been the standard among SPCR forum users, and now REDs also seem to have good trend. I have used 4tb Seagate and seem also pretty decent option as well.

Check SPCR Zalman ZM1000-HP: Quiet KiloWatt PSU, draw you own conclusion there. I would probably take a look into Corsair RM 450/550/650 PSUs, they should fit fine the Node 304.

Thanks a lot for the help, it helps me tremendously!

I will go for the Samsung 840Pro ssd and the WD Green is perfect for my rig.

I have been reading about Noctua NH-U14S Slim 140mm Tower Cooler and the Noctua NH-U12S Slim Tower Heatsink.
I will most likely choose the first alternative after your advice and the SPCR´s reviews.

But I am thinking about increasing the size of the case and go for the DEFINE Mini
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/prod ... efine-mini

or pick the SilverStone Temjin TJ08B-E. They seem to be easier to build in and make them soundproof.

The graphic advice is a bit suprising that the GTX 780 Ti have lower noiselevel then the GTX 780.
After reading the link you provided http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/ ... ng/23.html

I am not sure I understand if this test is performed with the coolers that the cards come with from the fabric?
If yes, is it possible to make the noise even lower by buying a special GPU cooler?

I would appreciate if you could point me in the right direction for a GPU cooler for a GTX 780 Ti and GTX 780,
I am still not sure on what card to pick but I think the GTX 780 Ti is the number one, so thirdpart cooler would be good if its possile.

While i like a lot Fractal cases, personally i dont like much the Mini, unless you are going for mulitple hdds, where it does make sense, its not a bad case at all, dont get me wrong, its a fine choice, but i dont see it as small, its just 3 pcie slots less, thats all you gain over the R4, and since you were presuing a small... i dont think its the best choice, unless you going to use a lot of mechanical hdds.

The TJ08-E is a very good case, was reviewed by SPCR and got the editors choice, for its size it cools very good, the only drawback of it, is that the frontal fan (AP181) requires a lot of undervolting for it to become bearable, below 600rpm starts to become decent, below 500rpms is how i used it for two years and although not dead silent, it was very quiet. Worth mentioning that quiet or noisy are very relative terms for each user, we all have different scales or opinions into whats good enough or whats irritating, so while the fan at 500rpm was good enough for me, i have encounter people that have change the fan as they find it still too noticeable... so no way of knowing until you try it. Still is a case that i do recommend a lot, as for me for its factor and its cooling its very good, and for SSD + single mechanical, you can take off the middle cage and have direct airflow for your cpu and gpu, ends up very nice. As an alternative there is also the PS07 which has basically the same internals, just instead of the 180mm it has 2x 120s, which are much easier to replace, i also did a build for friend on it, and was the same as mine.

Recommended you read the following thread, OCN Silverstone TJ08-E Owners Club. In there you will find tons of builds and combos that can help you decide or even ask there, there are tons of owners that can help you.

Now a build that i really liked in that thread was iamdjango bild post #5264, he fits a phantek PH-TC14PE + Prolimatech MK-26, really both big coolers, he also added some sound deading material, and went with PS07 and 120mm fans, worth mentioning that i asked him a few post below that mk26 mounting bracket makes some screws stick on the back and into micro atx mobos, the PCIe 16x is right next to CPU socket, so very wide coolers or brackets that have screws in the back makes it so they touch, this might or not matter to you, in my case Artic cooling Accelero did touch, so is this case with mk26, weather it will affect the CPU socket adding extra weight to it, is something that i fear, but idk if it will affect it at all.

Yes, on the GTX780ti i belive nvidia allow manufacuters to use their own coolers from release, and the review refers to all the cards they have tested, most of them with coolers that came design by their own manufacturers. I really wished we could have reviews by SPCR to back up the claims that techpowerup is making, but at least you can have a comparation between the cards they review, thats as good as it gets, specially because high end cards are not what most quiet builds aim for, but still some of us think we need them (punt intended to me), either way i think MSI twin frozr is the best bet into looking for the quietest factory cooler based card out of all.

Probably, specially cooolers like prolimatech MK-26, which is massive and allows to install big fans, but there are drawbacks like needing 4x PCI slots, so this wont fit in NODE 304, and also its a lot of wight that you put the PCIe slot.... even the mobo will get some extra weight that its not meant for. Read the SPCR Prolimatech MK-26 Multi-VGA Cooler, it puts into shame almost any cooler, even artic cooling, its a really superb cooler, just not for everybody. Personally i don't recommend anyone to go aftermarket unless they need to, going for something like MSI twin frozr should be good enough for most, and if you think its too noisy after putting it inside you PC and playing with it, then go for aftermarket, my guess is you will be happy with how the MSI comes.

Some other comments,

You might not believe this, but a mini itx motherboard like the ASUS i linked above will have more space than micro atx mobo, i mean between the cpu socket and 16x PCIe, allowing to install bigger cooler without touching, this is because of the CPU socket placement, and Asrock mobos have even more space as they place it oposite to the 16x (but this might not be ideal for node 304). Overall i like Fractal Node 304, it can pack a lot of hardware for its small factor, and choosing the right motherboard will help or allow to install a very big cpu cooler.

As a last recommendation, read the OCN threads for both the NODE 304 and TJ08-E, i think either case should fit what you are looking, personally i would favor the NODE 304 because you want small, and since you are using a single mechanical hdd, you can even suspend it with the front of the case for even quieter build, but its a case that you will never be able to do SLI or add cards, but at the same time its what allows it to have a small factor and still allow a really impressive and quiet build.

Small, silent, and powerful are all possible with the right cooling! 6 months ago, I was after the same goal and search around case after cases that was small but still fit my GPU+cooler. My solution was open test bench!

http://cdn.overclock.net/e/ed/900x900px ... 36387.jpeg
http://cdn.overclock.net/3/3a/900x900px ... _0155.jpeg

The loudest component will definitely be the GPU for a majority of builds and the best way to minimize noise is to provide the best air cooler - the Prolimatech MK-26! That way I can strap on some of the quietest fans - Noctua NF-S12A pwms. My GPU (gtx 670) idles at 30C with my fans at 400rpm and max load doesn't get past 55C with the fans at 1000rpm.

Instead of getting a "silence" case, I opted for the best cooling possible which is completely open air which completely eliminates the need for case fans. Less fans = less noise. It also bypasses the issue of deadzones, and mixing of hot and cold air within a case. I convinced a few friends to try this and they were blown away by how quiet an open case could be. When this rig gets pushed to the max, there is only a faint whispering whoosh in the background while it is completely inaudible for normal usage.

The overall footprint is just a bit large than an ATX mobo and the height is maybe ~18in. Dust is not really an issue as it's very easy to take outside and blast with canned air. The only possible problem I can think of is for people with pets or small children.

That looks really nice and I am glad that you found something for your needs. But I am afraid I can´t or am allowed by my girlfriend to have something like that!

I like that we are crossposting and discussing my problem in two threads
I understand that you are really good at this! I wish I had you here for every build I do haha

If you had free hands was me and wanted to create a small computer what would you do?
The Cpu, GPU and the ssd is a must for me, because of my job, playing poker.

I understand that you think that Node 304 is better because of the factor that it´s smaller then the TJ08 and the Define mini.
But I am also discussing this on a swedish site and they don´t think its possible with that CPU and GPU to get the silence I aim for.
Because is just to small and the air would not get around good.

The MSI twin frozr sounds like a good suggestion but like I told in the other thread, if the Prolimatech is more silence from the get go, I rather pick it.
Because the Computerstore will assemble my computer.

Last thing with the info provided and the only thing I want to do in a couple of years is to swap out the GPU for something better,
what would your build be like?

I am glad for every advice I get but some think this and other that, and I am not smart enough to decide whats best
I have also read a big amount of threads, but I still can´t decide ahhhhh!!!!

I mean it's not that simple: a larger case may offer less straight paths to airflow, and how close the case fans are to the hot parts really matter.

If you feel more comfortable with something bigger, what about the Cooltek W1 enclosure?

Im a little confused though, if all you do is play poker on this PC, then you dont need a dedicated GPU, you should be fine with the built in intel iGPU, unelss there is heavy animation on the cards. And even if you benefit from a dedicated GPU, i doubt you will need a GTX780ti, this is a high end super expensive card, meant for gaming above 1080p or very high demanding games, its not a poker game card, at least that how i see it.

The problem that i see is that you are trying to built a super high end gaming PC that doesnt do any noise..... this is impossible, the only thing you can do is get quiet enough components that your ambient noise will be higher than what the PC will produce, but still certain compromises have to be accepted in leaning toward high end components. Most of the people here will peruse a mid end GPU at best, as they know its much easier to control a not such high end component, and the less heat you have to deal with the less you need to cool it, and thus the fan can spin lower, etc, its like chain, where you are making it harder just out of going into higher components.

Now you can see reviews from SPCR, like SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E: MicroATX Evolved and Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX Case, both are editor choice for lawrance, so they are good cases to plan a quiet build (but not silent), i suggested both out of your title... small and powerful, silent..... is another thing, that can only be achieved by no moving parts, so no fans and no mechanical hdds, no psu fans, no cpu fans, and so forth, what most of us do, is just get quiet components that will do less noise than our ambient noise, and thus giving the impression of silence or a very quiet build that blends and disappear or its not noticeable, but silent...... you are in another league, that its impossible with high end components as you are choosing.

Read my comments on the OCN, things are not as simple as you think, im trying to warn you about issues that you might encounter.

For totally silent builds look into Vicotnik HDPLEX H1-S and ASRock mini-ITX, pretty good, and probably should be good enough for poker.

Whatever you end up doing, I HIGHLY recommend getting an Prolimatech MK-26. So your case requirement will be a small case that can fit a 4 slot GPU.

Open case was my easy way put of finding the right case which ended up being the best solution.