Silent PC for Gaming/Work

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Aneon
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:08 am
Location: Sweden

Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Aneon » Mon Nov 25, 2019 1:48 pm

Hi. I'm planning to build a new PC for gaming and work, and want it to be as silent as possible, especially during idle. My current PC was built in 2011 based on guides by this site, and it's been great (I have upgraded the GPU once :) ).

Here's what I'm planning so far (inspired by some forum posts here and elsewhere):
  • Case: Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
  • PSU: Corsair RM750X 750W v2
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI (EDIT: Went for Gigabyte Z390 AORUS MASTER)
  • RAM: Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2666Mhz CL16 Vengeance LPX (EDIT: Went for 3200Mhz version as it was cheaper)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 9700K 3.6 GHz 12MB
  • CPU cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 (EDIT: Went for Noctua chromax NH-D15)
  • M2 SSD 1 (Windows): Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB
  • M2 SSD 2 (Storage): Intel 660p 2TB
  • GPU: Asus GeForce RTX 2070 Super ROG Strix Gaming Advanced 2xHDMI 2xDP 8GB
I think I will try out the three included 140 mm case fans on the Define R6 (2 front, 1 back), but if they're not good enough I've heard that the Be Quiet! Silent Wings 3 are great.

Will also be attaching some 2.5" SATA SSD:s that I already have, but no old-school HDD:s (good-bye WD Green 5200 rpm).

If you see any parts that could cause trouble, I'd love to hear your thoughts, as I'm not really that experienced in PC building.
Last edited by Aneon on Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Abula » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:16 pm

All of your choices are good quiet components, if you spends sometime tweaking your fan control you should end up with a very quiet setup.

Some minor comments,
I like more Aorus Master out of the M.2 placement (i don't use near the gpu), and better heatsink/vrms, but more expensive.
I prefer the Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX, specially since you are choosing standard profile memory you will be able to use both fans.

Aneon
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:08 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Aneon » Mon Nov 25, 2019 9:02 pm

Thanks a lot for your suggestions! I've already learned a lot from your responses in other threads as well.

After looking into it, I will probably go with the Aorus Master. It seems to have a better audio solution as well, plus I do like the three M2-slots like you said. I assume it would be best to mount the GPU in the bottom PCIe-slot, furthest away from the CPU, to keep it cool, or am I wrong?

I had completely missed the Noctua NH-D15 Chromax version and that it comes with dual fans. That's definitely interesting. You don't notice any extra noise from the extra fan in idle?

A review claimed that the Dark Rock Pro 4 was slightly quieter in both idle and load compared to the original Noctua NH-D15, so that's why I was drawn towards it, although the temperature was higher, so it might mean it raises the fan rpm earlier.

Aneon
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:08 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Aneon » Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:06 pm

I found a French review that seems to show great noise vs temperature ratings for the NH-D15 Chromax, so I'll definitely go with that :) Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I'm thinking a lower CPU temperature should help the GPU stay cooler as well.
https://overclocking.com/test-noctua-nh ... x-black/7/

I'm still a bit confused over GPU placement. The top PCIe lane seems to generally be the fastest, as it's directly connected to the CPU (or something like that). But people say the performance gains are minimal, and I'm still thinking it might generate more heat if it's close to the CPU?

Also, in consideration to this I'm trying to figure out what the optimal placement would be of my two M.2 drives, as I'm planning to go with the Aorus Master with its triple M.2 slots.

EDIT: Right now I'm leaning towards placing the GPU in the top slot, as that's what everyone else seems to be doing. And put my two M2:s in the top and bottom slot, avoiding the middle slot which ends up directly underneath the GPU.

Aneon
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:08 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Aneon » Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:59 pm

Good news. I have received all the parts and have been up and running since about a week.

TLDR: Super happy. Surprised at how quiet it is when gaming. Slight coil whine from GPU at load.

I installed the GPU in the standard top slot to maximize intake of cool air underneath its fans (never tested the alternative). The PSU is installed with the fan downwards, to pull in air from the bottom and not compete with the GPU's air intake. I installed the Samsung M2 in the top slot, and the Intel M2 in the bottom slot, avoiding the middle M2 slot right under the GPU.

I connected the 3 case fans directly to the motherboard, ignoring the built-in case fan controller, and it seems to be working great (it controls the case fans with voltage as they're 3-pin and lack PWM-support). I'm using the default Silent profiles on all fans in the Gigabyte bios, and they are very quiet. According to Hwinfo all fans are running at around 500 RPM at idle (GPU fans at 0 RPM), and could probably be pushed lower to inaudible levels.

I had to change a hardware switch on the GPU from performance mode (P mode) to quiet mode (Q mode) which changed the fan curve of the GPU, and turns off the GPU fans completely at idle, at the cost of higher temperatures. I'm surprised at how quiet this card is even under load compared to my old GTX 970, although I do hear a slight high-pitch noise, probably coil whine, which is a bit annoying, although I've heard it can get better over time. At least I think the whine is coming from the GPU, as it only happens during GPU load.

I have removed the front door of the case, changed to the mesh top, and am using the "open layout" inside the case, to maximize air flow rather than sound dampening. I might experiment with closing the front and/or top some day, especially to reduce GPU coil whine noise. But using the open layout I could definitely push for even lower fan curves of CPU/case fans.

Current temperatures in my 24° C living room:

CPU (idle): 30°, 500 RPM
CPU (gaming): 60-70°, 800 RPM

GPU (idle): 50°, 0 RPM
GPU (gaming): 65-75°, 1000-1300 RPM

M2 drives (idle): 45° for top slot, 34° for bottom slot.
M2 drives (gaming): 60° for top slot, 40° for bottom slot.
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Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by Abula » Mon Dec 16, 2019 5:40 am

Nice build, glad everything work out for you. Enjoy.

aleemiqbal
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 3:51 pm

Re: Silent PC for Gaming/Work

Post by aleemiqbal » Fri May 08, 2020 7:23 pm

Fractal Design Define S is said to be the most silent pc case for gaming.

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