Sound of silence

[zktier]

My first post here. Very nice to find a forum dedicated to silent computing. I am going to play hard ball directly and ask for your expert advise about my first build, or to be fair my first setup the webshop is going to build the computer.

The base in the build is:

FRACTAL DESIGN DEFINE R3 BLACK
INTEL CORE I3-2100 3.10GHZ SKT1155 3MB CACHE BOXED IN
GIGABYTE VGA-Card nVidia GTX460 1024MB PCI-E 2xDVI HDMI HDCP PhysX CUDA DDR5
GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 S1155 Z68 ATX SND+GLN+UB3 SATA 6GB/S DDR3 IN
BE QUIET! Dark Power Pro 550W

To my quiestions. The guy at the shop that i consult about the build says it is no need to get a different cpu cooling fan beacause the one preinstalled is ok, what do you think about that? Second What do you think about the overal sound with these components, is it going to be quiet? Do I need extra fans in the case?

I do not play games but the computer has to run two screens, a 27" and 24". So it has not to be a superfast computer. Will the graphic card sound loud?

Cheers

[David_CA]

Did you design this or the guy in the store?

If you don't play games why do you need the dedicated graphics card - in particular a $200 one (I just bought a new system with gaming as one portion, and it only needed a $140 card). Looking at the CPU it becomes even more imbalanced - you are not playing games, but you are spending more on a graphics card then you are on the CPU. And the CPU already includes video! (Sandy Bridge). A top of the line graphics card has nothing to do with driving two displays, even large ones (what is the native resolution of the 27", and what inputs does it have?).

First I would take out the graphics card, you don't need a high end gaming card if you're not playing games. Second, why that specific motherboard? You are buying a low end processor, so why a fancy motherboard for overclockers (spend the money on a better CPU instead)? Buy a less expensive motherboard (maybe H67?), preferably one with multiple video outputs so you don't have to waste money on splitter cables, and take advantage of the dual monitor capabilities of your i3 processor's Sandy Bridge graphics.

And yes, for a silent PC you probably want a different cooler.

[zktier]

Did you design this or the guy in the store?

If you don't play games why do you need the dedicated graphics card - in particular a $200 one (I just bought a new system with gaming as one portion, and it only needed a $140 card). Looking at the CPU it becomes even more imbalanced - you are not playing games, but you are spending more on a graphics card then you are on the CPU. And the CPU already includes video! (Sandy Bridge). A top of the line graphics card has nothing to do with driving two displays, even large ones (what is the native resolution of the 27", and what inputs does it have?).

First I would take out the graphics card, you don't need a high end gaming card if you're not playing games. Second, why that specific motherboard? You are buying a low end processor, so why a fancy motherboard for overclockers (spend the money on a better CPU instead)? Buy a less expensive motherboard (maybe H67?), preferably one with multiple video outputs so you don't have to waste money on splitter cables, and take advantage of the dual monitor capabilities of your i3 processor's Sandy Bridge graphics.

And yes, for a silent PC you probably want a different cooler.

Thanks for the answer David. Well, to be honest I am very green and do not have much clue about computer builds. The motherboard was recomended but the guy at the shop maybe bacause I said I wanted usb 3. But i will be glad to get other suggestions about motherboards.

The computer has to manage to drive two screens where one will be a benq m2700hd an the other a BenQ GL2440HM. I work with finance so it has to be able to drive chartingprograms, but they are not so heavy I recon. I was looking at this card instead, SPARKLE Geforce GTS 450 OC 1GBG DDR5, 2xDVI, mini HDMI, HDTV, Heatsink, with Cuda what do you think about that?

Or is it maybe better to go for a i5 cpu with only the internal graphis?

It would be nice to have a computer around 25 to 30db, is that possible?

[Big Pimp Daddy]

Basically, everything David_CA said.

Lose the graphics card, get a cheaper motherboard with two video outputs (probably HDMI and DVI - you may need a converter depending what inputs your monitors have), and get a basic CPU cooler, see the recommended list for choices.

The money you save here could go on a better CPU, a SSD, or just beer and hookers.

Can't speak for the PSU, never used it, I'm sure someone on here will advise though.

If you tell us exactly what you are going to use the computer for, we can give more accurate help.


EDIT - No, you won't need any extra case fans, you might even be able to undervolt the ones that come with the case depending on what your temperatures are like.

[zktier]

Basically, everything David_CA said.

Lose the graphics card, get a cheaper motherboard with two video outputs (probably HDMI and DVI - you may need a converter depending what inputs your monitors have), and get a basic CPU cooler, see the recommended list for choices.

The money you save here could go on a better CPU, a SSD, or just beer and hookers.

Can't speak for the PSU, never used it, I'm sure someone on here will advise though.

If you tell us exactly what you are going to use the computer for, we can give more accurate help.


EDIT - No, you won't need any extra case fans, you might even be able to undervolt the ones that come with the case depending on what your temperatures are like.

Thanks for the reply, my post has to be approved by the moderator before it gets through, so thats why my ansers take some time to process.

I think I want to have a graphic card becaus maybe in the future the computer has to run more heavy operations. So would be nice to have advise of a silent graphiccard with two dvi ports that is in the middle class.

[David_CA]

What do you mean by heavier operations?

If you are doing charting then it's mostly done on CPU, not the graphics card. The two monitors you specified are both 1080p and have connectors for VGA, DVI and HDMI. Sandy Bridge will have no problem powering these monitors. I would suggest connecting by DVI or HDMI, not VGA. Since a lot of Sandy Bridge compatible motherboards have 1 of each connector (VGA, DVI, HDMI) I would suggest DVI for the 24" and HDMI for the 27" with speakers.

If you really need 3D graphics processing in the future it's very easy to add a card after (and the prices will be better). For the moment I think you would get more performance from a better CPU. An upgrade to an i5 2300 or i5 2400 would cost less then the graphics card and deliver more results.

USB 3.0 is also fairly common, you don't need an expensive motherboard to get it. Every manufacturer has at least one micro-ATX motherboard in the $90-$110 range that includes HDMI/DVI/VGA, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB and a PCI 16x slot for a future discrete graphics card.

[zktier]

What do you mean by heavier operations?

If you are doing charting then it's mostly done on CPU, not the graphics card. The two monitors you specified are both 1080p and have connectors for VGA, DVI and HDMI. Sandy Bridge will have no problem powering these monitors. I would suggest connecting by DVI or HDMI, not VGA. Since a lot of Sandy Bridge compatible motherboards have 1 of each connector (VGA, DVI, HDMI) I would suggest DVI for the 24" and HDMI for the 27" with speakers.

If you really need 3D graphics processing in the future it's very easy to add a card after (and the prices will be better). For the moment I think you would get more performance from a better CPU. An upgrade to an i5 2300 or i5 2400 would cost less then the graphics card and deliver more results.

USB 3.0 is also fairly common, you don't need an expensive motherboard to get it. Every manufacturer has at least one micro-ATX motherboard in the $90-$110 range that includes HDMI/DVI/VGA, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB and a PCI 16x slot for a future discrete graphics card.

I think you are right David. I probaly dont need a graphic card. What motherboard would you recommend to an i5 2400 cpu? Is there any motherboard with two dvi outputs?

I am thinking something like this now. intel i5 2400 with a quiet, good cooling fan. an 120gb ssd (dont need anymore aint going to store anything at this computer) case, one with good airfloow and quiet fans, any recomendations? motherboard, lost on this one. sesonic fanless powersupply. dvddrive. Thats about it I recon.

[David_CA]

I don't think there are many motherboards, Sandy Bridge or not, with 2 DVI ports. However the HDMI port is backwards compatible with DVI - buy an HDMI to DVI cable or an HDMI to DVI doggle (if you have a DVI cable the doggle is cheaper at about $6, but it hangs off the back just like a DVI to VGA doggle). With the doggle plugged in the HDMI port will send a DVI signal. I use an HDMI to DVI cable on a daily basis for a laptop to drive a 24" monitor with no trouble.

However both of your monitors have HDMI connectors, and your 27" has speakers. If you plug in the 27" using an HDMI cable (and the 24" using a DVI cable) then you won't need an extra cable for sound - HDMI carries the sound as well.

[zktier]

I don't think there are many motherboards, Sandy Bridge or not, with 2 DVI ports. However the HDMI port is backwards compatible with DVI - buy an HDMI to DVI cable or an HDMI to DVI doggle (if you have a DVI cable the doggle is cheaper at about $6, but it hangs off the back just like a DVI to VGA doggle). With the doggle plugged in the HDMI port will send a DVI signal. I use an HDMI to DVI cable on a daily basis for a laptop to drive a 24" monitor with no trouble.

However both of your monitors have HDMI connectors, and your 27" has speakers. If you plug in the 27" using an HDMI cable (and the 24" using a DVI cable) then you won't need an extra cable for sound - HDMI carries the sound as well.

Yes if the motherboard has a dvi and a hdmi it will be fine for me. What I am thinking now is that an i3 with intel hd graphis 3000 probaly is enough, and I am thinking 8gb in ram and a 60gb ssd will do the trick. Maybe it will not be so expensive then aswell. The quiestion is what case will be best, I am thinking a case with good and very quiet fans and maybe it is enough to have passive cooling on the cpu? Is a htpc case the best option for me? And how much power do I need?

[Falkon]

Modifying one of my PC models for you I came up with this:
Fractal Design Core 1000
Antec Truepower New 550w
Intel Core i3 2100 3.1GHz
Noctua NH-U9B SE2
ASUS P8H67-M LE
Kingston 8GB DDR3 1333MHz
60GB SSD
LG GH22NS50 22x DVDRW
Noctua NF-S12B ULN x2
Windows 7 Home Premium x64

Using these parts, with the CPU HSF set up for low speed you will achieve excellent cooling with an extremely low level of noise, I would guess somewhere in the 14-17dB range. The total for these parts comes out to just under $650 CAD after price matching.