Time to replace a 9yo laptop I currently use in my living room. It hasn’t moved from its spot for more than 3 years, so I figure I’ll just replace it with a quiet desktop.
Hopefully I’ve done some decent research, which I’ve put up on https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Michael-j ... ved/s9JbXL
The only items I’ve set on are the 2700X and the 970 Evo.
Goals:
- Stability
- Silent
- Longevity, ~10yr.
- No overclocking
- Will be in a room with other electronics (TV, etc.)
Uses:
- Linux
- LAMP stack / E-Commerce website development work
- VMs for Windows and Android game development
- Play a movie on a TV
- Light 1080p gaming
Purchasing date:
- Black Friday thru Cyber Monday
I’ve added some other items below that have been mentioned by people here in SPCR, but everything beyond the 2700X and the 970 Evo are open for suggestions on bigger, better, cheaper, more quite.
Thanks All,
Michael
List so far:
CPU
AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor, $324.99
Storage
Samsung - 970 Evo 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive, $349.99
Edit >>
Bulk Storage
Hitachi - HGST Ultrastar He10 10TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive, $323.99
I’ve got a source for Certified Refurbished w/ OEM Warranty for ~60-75% retail on the SaS version and I thought it’d be easy enough to find an adapter. They also have a SATA 6.0Gb/s version.CA_Steve wrote:Why the SaS HDD?
Big, reliable, and cheap is really all I’m looking for. I’ll end up with two, all they are are drives to store 2 copies of the TBs of client tarballs I end up with. Needed for “Due diligence” compliance...
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Motherboard
I’d rather have an X470 motherboard with native SAS 12 Gb/s to allow the HGST Ultrastar its full capabilities, but is there such a MB? I also tried to Google for PCIe-SAS adapter cards, but it was all coming up as $300+ raid cards, anyone know of a non-raid, reasonably priced such a thing?
ASRock - X470 Taichi ATX AM4 Motherboard, $189.99
Onboard Video Depends on CPU
GIGABYTE X470 AORUS Gaming 7 WIFI
Asus Prime X470 Pro
This vid from level1tech.com https://youtu.be/MD_XuHv-5Cs reviews the MSI M7 and the ASUS CROSSHAIR VII below.
MSI X470 GAMING M7 AC, $230
ECC disabled
ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR VII HERO (WI-FI), $270
Separate IOmmu groups for graphics card, 3rd m.2(pci express adapter), each nvme card, serial attached scsi adapter,
ECC supported
Auto memory speed backoff w/ timing tightening
Onboard Video No
CPU Cooler
Thermalright - Le Grand Macho RT 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler, $79.99
Rated Speed: 300 – 1300 RPM
Noise Level: 14 – 20dBA
Air Flow: 16.9- 73.6 CFM
Connector: 4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
Thermal design power: 320watt
Scythe - Mugen 5 PCGH Edition, $96.94 + $3.99 shipping
Model Number: SCMG-5PCGH
4 ~ 14.5 dBA
16.6 ~ 43.03 CFM / 28.2 ~ 73.1 m³/h
300 ~ 800 rpm (±10%) (PWM-controlled)
Thermal design power: (not listed on http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products/cp ... ition.html )
Thermalright - TRUE Spirit 140 (BW) Rev.A
Thermal design power: 240watt
Can’t seem to find a ‘Rev A’ for sale.
Rev A uses a TY-147A. (True Spirit 140 Power uses a TY-147)
Memory
G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory, $416.98
Diminishing returns beyond 3200 per the above video.
Have to look at the QVL for the final MB choice.
Video Card
MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card, $314.98
Case
Okay, I’d love to do the cube of HVAC filters with a barebones $20 case frame inside, but ‘eh…
Fractal Design - Define R6 Blackout TG ATX Mid Tower Case, $140.05
Case dimensions (LxWxH) 543 x 233 x 465 mm (21.78 x 9.17 x 18.31)
Power Supply
SeaSonic - PRIME Ultra Titanium 650W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply, $123.04
12 yr warranty.
Bitfenix whisper
7 yr warranty.https://www.anandtech.com/show/11123/the-bitfenix-whisper-m-450w-850w-psu-review/5 wrote:With loads lower than 300 Watts, the higher efficiency of the 450W model allows it to maintain lower internal operating temperatures, but not lower noise levels. The fans of both units seem to copy each other, with the fan of the 850W model simply speeding up further with loads above 450 Watts. Regardless, the sound pressure level with loads below 300 Watts is below 34 dB(A) with both units, which corresponds to a very soft humming noise if one gets an ear very close to the PSU.
As a result, the Whisper M units cannot really operate quietly in a very hot environment, but the internal temperatures will always remain at perfectly safe levels.
The thermal control of the Whisper M units is simplistic, and therefore the acoustics strongly depend on the internal temperature of the case. This may be a good or bad thing, depending on how well-cooled the system is. It is possible that good builds may allow the Whisper M to stay completely quiet until even if it is heavily loaded, whereas restrictive setups could force it to spin up its fan even while the system is idling. One thing is for certain - the power rating has very little to do with the acoustics performance here given how close both units perform audibly. It would actually be harmful to purchase a significantly oversized model hoping to get lower noise levels, as the electrical performance within the load range of the system would decline.
Is the 34 dB(A) best case above considered good?CA_Steve wrote:... in a completely silent room, the best hearing can discern 0dB. Realistically, anything under 10dB is inaudible under most conditions. Under 20dB is considered very quiet (by SPCR standards).
be quiet! Straight Power 10. Gold
5 yr warranty. (500W CM)
Monitor(TV), Keyboard, Mice(Trackball)
Yes... I’ve got no clue. I’m looking to ‘replace’ all three into the same ‘space’ the laptop is currently using. Which is a laptop/bed tray similar to this:
https://www.amazon.com/Greenco-Bamboo-F ... B01DV12NK4
My tray measures 20" W x 12" H x 1.5" inner depth.
The current laptop screen is a 17” wide. I’ll re-work what I need to so the three fit securely on the tray.
Speakers
Yes... Again, no clue, just something decent that doesn’t use batteries...