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Newbie here, I'd Like to Ensure My 1st Build is Kinda Quiet.

Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:31 pm
by Sam
Hi guys, I'm new here, seems like a great site with good community :)

CPU:AM2 5200+
GFX: 4850
Mobo: M2N-MX-SE+
RAM: 2GB G.Skill-NT or Kingston RAM
HDD: W.D. 250GB / Samsung 160GB HDD
Optical: Pioneer 216BK
Case: Antec NSK6580 / NSK2480 / 300 or CM690 / CAC-T05
Total: <$600

I'd like if you guys could suggest any changes to make this PC quieter? Also which case is best for a gaming PC? If I can get a case with good cooling, such as Antec 300/CM690 I won't have to run the fans as high, meaning quiet. Whereas I can get a more quiet case (such as Antec 2480, Sonata 3 or 6580) and keep fans mid or high.

Any and all feedback is appreciated :) Many thanks

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:04 am
by AuraAllan
Hi Sam. Welcome to SPCR !

For good cooling its hard to beat the NSK3480 IMO.
I would swap the fan in the PSU though. Its not THAT quiet.
Running a 1200 RPM Slipstream in the bottom chamber should have your 5200+ and HD4850 running cool enough.
Especially if you undervolt the 5200+, tape up the front intake and force the air to be sucked in through open PCI slots below the HD4850. The HD4850 will ofcourse be passively cooled, right?

Why not go for a 4850e or 5050e instead of the 5200+?

For other parts I don't know but an ATX motherboard is obviously not a good idea in a Micro-ATX case like the NSK3480.

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:27 am
by Riffer
Like AuraAllan's recommendation:

Look for a case with 2x120mm blowing in the front and 1x120mm in the back sucking out.

Make sure the airflow is unobstructed to the motherboard area.

If it satisfies these two criteria, you will be able to run the fams slower and reduce noise while still adequately cooling the components.

I personally use a lian-Li PC-B25B with the Hard Drive cage removed.

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:21 pm
by Sam
Thanks heaps 4 the replies. Appreciated :)
AuraAllan wrote:Hi Sam. Welcome to SPCR !

For good cooling its hard to beat the NSK3480 IMO.
I would swap the fan in the PSU though. Its not THAT quiet.
Running a 1200 RPM Slipstream in the bottom chamber should have your 5200+ and HD4850 running cool enough.
Especially if you undervolt the 5200+, tape up the front intake and force the air to be sucked in through open PCI slots below the HD4850.
What do you think about the NSK6580? To me it seems to just be a larger version of the 3480. I can get that for $129 with PSU. Over at the Whirlpool forums people recommend it.
The HD4850 will ofcourse be passively cooled, right?
By that you mean without a fan? I don't think it will be passive, I'm trying hard enough to find a 4850 in stock at MSY where I live.
Why not go for a 4850e or 5050e instead of the 5200+?
What do you think about going the Intel route? e5200 for $125, 45nm tech? And a $50 mobo to go with it?
For other parts I don't know but an ATX motherboard is obviously not a good idea in a Micro-ATX case like the NSK3480.
I'll see if you like the 6580, which is ATX.

Thanks

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:33 pm
by Sam
Riffer wrote: Look for a case with 2x120mm blowing in the front and 1x120mm in the back sucking out.
If its not too much trouble, do you have any recommendations? My case + PSU budget is $200. The 6580 which I mentioned in the above post has a 120mm in the back, and slots for 2x 92mm fans in the front.

The Antec 300 has a 140mm on top, 120mm in back, and optional 2x 120mm in front.

Here's the CM690, which I'm also considering. Lots of room for fans, but not sure whether the materials are any good for quietness.

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:27 pm
by Kate
Hello Sam!

I am pretty new to this forum and to this "world" too!

In the past few weeks I started building my own computer, with help from others.

I have met some very interesting people, and I even "be-friended" with a computer parts store owner, which actually helped me a lot choosing the right case.

In his store I had previously bought a Thermaltake Tsunami, mainly on the looks, but later I traded it for an Antec P182.

For some reason beyond my knowledge, all thermaltake cases ( I tested a Soprano RS, Soprano DX, Tsunami) have a strange "sound", not the case itself, but when you add all the components, they somewhat amplify the noise, its not annoying, but its not as silent as I wanted it to be. It is more noisy than a Dell Optiplex

I really liked the Silverstone Tenjim series, especially the TJ05. I didnt like the kublai series tho

The antec cases IMHO have a far better construction than all the cases I tested. I really enjoyed the Sonata series, but he didnt have the colour I wanted, so I decided to get a P182.

What I want to say to you is, maybe you could go to a store, check all the cases, and test it a lot. I have noticed that most of the noise perception is different for every person.

The best advice here would be "listen" to the system and decide.

I do not know anything about Cooler Master, however, after seem the Antec´s construction I would most probably favor Antec.

Same goes to fans, I bought Nexus for the cooler and Noctua for the case, honestly I cannot say which are more "silent", even the original Antec fans are pretty "noise-less" when set to Low! So I guess it is subjective.

Not sure if I helped!

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:08 pm
by Riffer
Sam wrote:
Riffer wrote: Look for a case with 2x120mm blowing in the front and 1x120mm in the back sucking out.
If its not too much trouble, do you have any recommendations? My case + PSU budget is $200. The 6580 which I mentioned in the above post has a 120mm in the back, and slots for 2x 92mm fans in the front.

The Antec 300 has a 140mm on top, 120mm in back, and optional 2x 120mm in front.

Here's the CM690, which I'm also considering. Lots of room for fans, but not sure whether the materials are any good for quietness.
My old Coolermaster had 2x92mm, and it wasn't that quiet, so I would probably go with the Antec 300 with the two front 120mm fans and the back 120mm or 140mm. I would search around here and see what some of the users that actually have one say.

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:39 pm
by ddrj
I actually bought an antec 300 case before and ended up returning it. The antec 300, although it looks good, has a very open design. Due to all the case being made for many fans, there are many fan grills for it and so you can pretty much hear what's going on inside. Not to mention, if you do end up using all the fans, you have both exterior and interior noise.

What I ended up doing was getting an Antec Solo for $59. The solo has a nice look to it too and comes with suspendible hard drive wires. It's definitely worth a look at especially if you're like me and didn't want to spend the money on a p182 (although they are very sexy and definitely worth the money).

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:36 pm
by AuraAllan
Sam wrote:What do you think about the NSK6580? To me it seems to just be a larger version of the 3480. I can get that for $129 with PSU. Over at the Whirlpool forums people recommend it.
I don't know it but im sure its okay since its an Antec. Looks to be exactly like the P150/SOLO. Maybe someone else can tell you if theres any difference.
Why do you want ATX instead of micro-ATX?
I see any reason to go ATX unless you really need all those PCI slots or need to use SLI/Crossfire.
Sam wrote:By that you mean without a fan? I don't think it will be passive, I'm trying hard enough to find a 4850 in stock at MSY where I live.
Yes, no fan. You can't find a HD4850? Thats not good.
If you can't find a fanless one you should consider buying a passive aftermarket cooler. Like the Arctic cooling Accelero S1
Sam wrote:What do you think about going the Intel route? e5200 for $125, 45nm tech? And a $50 mobo to go with it?
Sure. IIRC it should be around the same price. Performance should be almost identical too.

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:58 pm
by Sam
Cool, many thanks for all the replies everyone. I think I'll try have a look in person at some cases.