Quiet PC build, thoughts, ideas, impressions...

faro · Post by **faro** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:56 am

I have been ordered (by my wife) to build a quiet computer. I have been reading and researching for a couple of days and this is what I have come up with so far. Here is the rough draft of the build with as much detail as possible.

Goals: Quiet computer for $1400 or less ($1200 would probably be better as this appropriation has to pass the finance committee)
Uses: Gaming (hopefully Half-Life 2), surfing, word processing, and basic photo and movie work.
Equipment from old PC to move over to new PC: Several hard drives (don’t remember make and model), keyboard, and mouse.

Monitor (not included in the price goal): I decided to go with the Dell 20.1” 4:3 LCD.

Case: Antec SLK3000-B

PSU: Based on the review on this site, I was planning on going with a Seasonic Super Tornado 300 (~$60) but perhaps the 350W would be a better choice.

CPU/Mobo: Athlon. nForce4 when it comes out.

For a 939 setup, the 64-3200+(2GHz) and an Asus A8v Deluxe Wifi (~$325)

For a 754, I would probably go with a 64 3200+ (2.2GHz) but I am unsure about the mobo, maybe an Asus K8V SE Deluxe (~$300).

Video card: A 6600GT AGP ($220) but maybe a FX5900XT would work okay?

Cooling and fans

Video card HWS and fan - Zalman ZM-OP1 - $35

CPU sink and fan - Zalman 7700 - $35

RAM – Corsair RAM for $200

Optical drive – The Samsung 16X TS-H552B dual layer drive seems to be the way to go here.

As far as case fans, I was trying to choose between Panaflo and Nexus. Thoughts?
How necessary is a fan controller thingy?

pangit · Post by **pangit** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 5:26 pm

OK, I can't answer all your questions, but here goes:

Case: Sonata is OK, but the Antec SLK3700BQE is a better choice for silencing and around the same price. It's also more roomy. You may find the PSU quiet enough to start with, so see how it goes and get the Tornado later on if it becomes the noisiest component in your system.

Hard drives: what make/model are they? They can easily become the noisiest components if you start silencing CPU fans etc, so depending on how noisy they are you may want to replace them with a single Spinpoint or something.

Hard drive cooler: The Zalman will help a bit, but won't make them any quieter, you'll have to suspend/enclose them for that. Also if you have decent case airflow (read: efficient/unobstructed) near them you shouldn't need it. Monitor your HDD temps first to see how they are before getting this.

Case Fans: Nexus or Globe for 120mm, Panaflo L1A for 80mm, depending on what case/HS you get. Panaflo 120mm aren't that quiet.

Manual fan controller is a good idea, but make sure it's not PWM. Alternatively just do a direct 5V or 7V fan mod.

CPU HS/fan: excellent choice, just make sure it fits with your case/mobo combination.

Optical drive: no comment on that model, but shouldn't make much difference unless you watch lots of DVDs, as they are not normally used enough to matter.

Video card & cooler: not sure, have to get someone else to comment on that.

Hope that helps a bit and keep it up!

By the way, well done on doing your research before posting, and

Welcome to SPCR!

faro · Post by **faro** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 7:47 pm

Thanks for the welcome and the info. This site looks like an excellent source of info.

It looks like the SLK3700BQE is definetly the way to go.

My hard drives are 1) a Samsung SP1604N (and coincidently recommended by this site) and 2) WDC WD800AW. I am thinking that I would be well served by replacing the WD drive with another Samsung SP1604N.

The Sunbeam is popular on this and other quiet PC website so I will go with that one.

I would like the PC to be quiet mainly during times when I am websurfing, typing, reading, and when it is not beign used. The sound level is much less important when I am playing games or watching/burning a DVD.

Anyone have any thoughts on the video card or CPU/mobo?

tangesazen · Post by **tangesazen** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 7:55 pm

I just built a system with some of the components you're thinking of using (see below in my sig). The end result is very quiet, the only thing I can hear at a distance of about three feet is the hard drive when it's seeking.

I kept the power supply as is, put a fanmate on the 120mm chassis fan and am running it at the lowest setting. The CPU HSF is running at the lowest setting as well with a fanmate.

If you listen from closer than three feet you can hear the rear fans, but at my normal working distance I can't hear them.

The video card is a fanless GeForce 6800, it has better performance than the two you are considering (at a cost of course). I have been running HL2 at 1024x768 with max settings, Doom3 at 1024x768 as well.

One other thing I did was install that pre-cut Acoustipack kit. I'm sorry though, I have no idea if it helped or not (some folks in these forums say no). For what I paid, I sure hope it did

meglamaniac · Post by **meglamaniac** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 2:22 am

Definately stick to the 6600 (or 6800 if you can stretch), they both knock the pants off the FX series.
The 6600GT is a more than adequate card for most purposes, and it's what I intend to get (and attach passive cooling to) in January.

The advantages of a 939 system would be PCI-express support (dependant on the motherboard of course), which will give you better upgradeablility in future and more options for your graphics card now. The 6600 series especially is a native PCI-e part, and AGP versions are only now starting to to appear and are at a premium.

How soon are you wanting to purchase?
Asus have just released their A8N series based on the nVidia nForce4 chipset, although at the moment only the top of the range SLI version is available. By new year all versions should be out, and it's a very good chipset including 3Gb/s SATA support and also NCQ support which can speed up "random" seeks on harddrives that support it. It also has no fewer than 8 SATA ports.

Having said that, the VIA chipset has had plenty of good things said about it. I wouldn't get it myself because of previous bad experience with a VIA based board, but that's my personal preference and I'm probably overly biased.

faro · Post by **faro** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 10:42 am

Arrrggghhh! Waiting for nforce4 would be a great idea. I don't know if I can hold out though...

Spod · Post by **Spod** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:10 am

I also recently built a similar system, nforce 3 based. Details in my sig.
I'd suggest an XP-120, or if that won't fit, an XP-90, and Nexus for all your fans. The 3700 BQE works well for me, and though I didn't try it without the AcoustiPack, the muffled door alone makes a big difference to optical drive noise.
For fan control, I used fanmates - I don't feel the need to tweak once I've found a balance that works, so there's no need to clutter the front of the case with knobs and lights. That's personal preference, of course.

Gigabyte do fanless versions of the 6600GT PCIe and the 6800 AGP, or you can use a Zalman cooler. New generation cards (X800, X700, 6800, 6600) are definitely worth the investment over a 9800 or FX.

The 90nm, socket 939 chips are definitely the way to go, and the 3200+ is a good deal.

RAM - Crucial Ballistix works particularly well on AMD64 systems (supports lower latencies at higher speeds). It's cheaper than most other high performance RAM, but works as fast if not faster (Anandtech has the details).

faro · Post by **faro** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:04 pm

Hold the phone! I just saw the Antec SLK3000-B and I am sold...

... and thanks for all very helpful input so far.

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 7:51 am

Good advice here - I'm in a similar buying mode and am looking at the 3500+ Winchester. Not sure about waiting for PCIe though, and I don't game so a passively-cooled video card would do me just fine.

Spod: did the XP-120 not fit in on your mobo/case setup?

Spod · Post by **Spod** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 8:55 am

Not according to ThermalRight's website. The XP-90 is good enough for me. 52ºC folding.

rototo · Post by **rototo** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:00 am

I suggest you don't get a Samsung optical drive. They are noisy (a rather high-pitched annoying sound). Both according to what I read, and my personnal experience with a recent CD burner and an older DVD drive.

Nec drives are much more bearable (though still audible).

Edward Ng · Post by **Edward Ng** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:50 am

faro wrote:Hold the phone! I just saw the Antec SLK3000-B and I am sold...

... and thanks for all very helpful input so far.

Might want to wait a couple days for Mike to post up my SLK2650-BQE review, if the SLK3000B interests you.

-Ed

Spod · Post by **Spod** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:19 pm

Is the 3000B closer to the 2650-BQE or the 3700-BQE in quality? I thought it was just an adapted 3700BQE chassis, am I wrong?

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 2:18 am

Spod wrote:Is the 3000B closer to the 2650-BQE or the 3700-BQE in quality? I thought it was just an adapted 3700BQE chassis, am I wrong?

You're right. Ralf posted a thread about the 2650 and said to steer clear as the workmanship isn't as it ought to be. Search for 2650BQE and you'll find the thread.

sthayashi · Post by **sthayashi** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 5:58 am

Cams wrote:
Spod wrote:Is the 3000B closer to the 2650-BQE or the 3700-BQE in quality? I thought it was just an adapted 3700BQE chassis, am I wrong?
You're right. Ralf posted a thread about the 2650 and said to steer clear as the workmanship isn't as it ought to be. Search for 2650BQE and you'll find the thread.

Yes, but I suspect that Ed has just recently completed a 2650-BQE review, unless I read his words wrong. He may have differente findings than Ralf.

Edward Ng · Post by **Edward Ng** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 6:46 am

I consider the SLK2650-BQE and 3000B inherently different from the 3700-AMB and 3700-BQE due to the Intel-spec, "Chassis Air Guide."

Having a side duct makes for a completely different case air flow arrangement and means that a different type of silent computer project is an option. If your build will include multiple hard drives or hotter hard drives, stick with SLK3700-AMB/BQE. If it's just a single hard drive that doesn't get as warm, or better yet, a 2.5" drive, take advantage of the intake duct on the 2650-BQE or 3000B by completely sealing off all intake openings except for the side duct and run the CPU with a good cooler and no fan at all; rely completely on the PSU and exhaust fans.

My testing shows that this is highly effective, and even kept an overclocked NewCastle core (2200MHz @ 1.35V; stock is 2000MHz for my 3000+) at under 65C under CPUBurn and the system was still extremely difficult to hear under low ambient noise conditions. The heatsink is a fanless XP-120, the PSU is a Seasonic Super Silencer; fan was spinning at 625rpm during all tests (it never ramped!) and the single case can was a Nexus 120 in the exhaust port out back; at the 2.2/1.35 level during CPUBurn, it was spinning at 730rpm.

-Ed

faro · Post by **faro** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:49 pm

This case discussion is leaving me completly confused. I was planning on covering up the side vents of whatever case I get. I wanted to have a nice, roomy interior in which to work.

Apparently there are 4 cases being discussed now:

SLK2650-BQE
3000B
3700-AMB
3700-BQE

I was interested in the 3000B because I didn't like what I was reading about the sideways mounted HD cage airflow issue. It appeared that the 3000B fixes that.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 6:02 am

faro wrote:This case discussion is leaving me completly confused. I was planning on covering up the side vents of whatever case I get. I wanted to have a nice, roomy interior in which to work.

Apparently there are 4 cases being discussed now:

SLK2650-BQE
3000B
3700-AMB
3700-BQE

I was interested in the 3000B because I didn't like what I was reading about the sideways mounted HD cage airflow issue. It appeared that the 3000B fixes that.

Forget the other cases and get the 3000B. It's a better case than any of them.

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 8:04 am

Ralf Hutter wrote:Forget the other cases and get the 3000B. It's a better case than any of them.

I just heard from kustompcs.co.uk that they will have the 3000B in stock at the beginning of January for £39 incl. VAT.

Looks like I've found my next case!

faro · Post by **faro** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 8:43 am

Ralf, that was the impression I got from the 3000B thread.

faro · Post by **faro** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:43 pm

I'm going to go with either a 6600GT or 6800.

Numbers · Post by **Numbers** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:22 pm

If you can hold off, AMD boards with PCI express will be coming out in the next few months. If you upgrade frequently enough, it might be worthwhile to get a 6600 PCIE instead of an AGP.

As for the Samsung burner, avoid it. Get a NEC 3500, it's silent, and the best burning performance you can get (with the free hacked firmware at CDFreaks.com's forums.) The Samsung is VERY picky with media while the NEC burns anything you throw at it, so that's another plus. You can get the NEC for about $60 if you live in the US, or even cheaper when Staples or one of those types of stores has a sale. I got mine for $40.

Also, you're going to LOVE that Dell 20" LCD, I love mine.

faro · Post by **faro** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:29 pm

I assume you mean nforce4. I am trying to hold off but I need to get this thing built before I get a real job (the reverse of the usual situation). I would like to get a nforce4 ultra board when they come out.

For the vidoe card, I am torn between getting a card that comes passive or adding heatsinks and a quiet fan to one that comes with a fan.

I love hacked firmware (see Sampo DVD players). I will look for that NEC burner.

You are sooo right. The LCD is freaking awesome! No, really. It's my first LCD and its so nice.

Thanks for the input. Excellent and most helpful thread so far.

Numbers · Post by **Numbers** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:31 pm

NForce4 is out according to Newegg.com's stock. And yeah.... The 2001FP was MY first LCD too, I'm thinking about buying another one and going dual DVI.

As for the NEC, well, you can either get an OEM NEC drive at newegg for like, $65, or look for Mad Dog drives on sale at Officemax. If you go nuts with a coupon, plus rebates, you can get the mad dog for $40, but it's EASIER to just order the OEM.

As for the hacked firmware, go to www.cdfreaks.com and look for "Liggy & Dee's release 3" in the NEC section of the forum, you can't miss the thread.

faro · Post by **faro** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 9:21 am

Oh yeah, which firmware helps. I was checking out the forum and I was overwhelmed by the amount of information (kind of like I was here at SPCR). I saw lots of different firmware for the 3500 and I wasn't sure which to use. I see Liggy and Dee have a V2 beta2 thread. Is that the one?

This is the link I found to the Mad Dog DVD burner.

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 9:42 am

I was also overwhelmed by what I found at cdfreaks.com - there's so much more to it than meets the eye.

I'm looking at the LG 4163B as it writes all three DVD formats. Can't find one in black though!

Numbers · Post by **Numbers** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 11:08 am

Yeah, the V2 Beta 2 is their updated version of the final release. I hadn't been there in a week, I didn't know they already started on version 2 already.

Here's a direct link to the file

nici · Post by **nici** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 12:10 pm

Seriously, painting the drives black isnt hard and i got mine pretty good. Clean with alcohol, paint thin coats. First a few layers of primer, then about five thin layers of the paint of your choice

The plastic bits just clip off. These bits were previously beige.

faro · Post by **faro** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 1:48 pm

Nice work on the bezel.

Why would I want the LG over the NEC though?

Numbers · Post by **Numbers** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 2:30 pm

The LG supports DVD-RAM. It's pretty much a dead standard, I think LG is the only drive that still supports it. Anyways, I've never USED DVD-RAM before, so I can't comment on it, but it doesn't seem like something I'd need. Everything else (burn speed, quality, compatibility) goes to the NEC though.