i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

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MortyNO
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Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:34 am

i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by MortyNO » Thu Dec 24, 2015 9:54 am

Dear all,

After Christmas I'm going to get myself a proper present. :) A mid-range gaming build, optimized for near silent running. I could do with a critical opinion / checkup on my choices:
  • Mobo: Asus H170 Pro Gaming
  • CPU: Intel i5-6500
  • RAM: 2 x 8 GB generic DDR4 RAM
  • MSI GeForce 970GTX (already owned)
  • SSD: Samsung 850 Evo (already owned)
  • HDD: Spinpoint M9T 2TB (already owned)
  • Case: Fractal Design Define S
  • PSU: Arctic Cooling 550RF (already owned)
  • CPU cooler: Hyper 212 EVO
  • Fans: 2x NOCTUA NF-S12A PWM (PWM fans which are easy to get where I am)

My plan:
  • Run the Define S as a very open case, with the "moduvent" covers removed to maximize airflow
  • Replace the CPU cooler fan with a Noctua one. Place the other Noctua in the case, at first as an inlet fan.
  • Use Asus FanExpert 3 to reduce the speed of the PWM fans to ~400 RPM at low load, and ~800 RPM while gaming. Adjust fan positions and speeds as temps indicate, taking inspiration from SPCR's Quiet ATX Gaming Build Guide.
  • Soft-mount the single 2½" harddisk (which is very quiet already).
I do not want to overclock, hence the H170 instead of Z170. I do want to have good software fan control, hence the somewhat expensive Asus board which has Asus FanExpert 3.

Am I missing something; going in a bad direction somehow? :?: Ideas, improvements are welcome. :)
Last edited by MortyNO on Thu Dec 24, 2015 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CA_Steve
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:38 pm

Hiya.

I'd spend an additional $20 for the i5-6600.

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo + Noctua PWM = $50. Why not get a better cooler with a decent fan for similar/less $'s, instead? Scythe Kotetsu for example.

Better off keeping the vents closed and just have front to back cooling. It'll be quieter. The stock R5 fans are pretty quiet. Try doing the stock fan build with one in front and one in back and see if you like the noise profile. Then decide from there.

That's an odd Antec part number...did you mean perhaps Arctic Cooling 550RF?

Asus H170 mobo has much of the Fan Xpert functionality baked into the UEFI. Not as many set points, but might be able to set up as you like and not have to use the s/w. (one less background Windows task).

Abula
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by Abula » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:42 pm

CPU cooler: Hyper 212 EVO
I would invest toward Scythe Kotetsu/Ninja4 or Themlaright Macho/TRUE Spirit 140, they are more expensive than the 212, but already come with a good fan, specially the Thermalright you can drop it around 350rpms with FanXpert.

Image
Case: Fractal Design Define S
Fans: 2x NOCTUA NF-S12A PWM (PWM fans which are easy to get where I am)
Why 120mm fans? one of the case strengths is it supports 140mm fans. If like PWM and have access to noctua, consider Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM or if you want 3pin go with Noctua NF-P14s redux-900.
Run the Define S as a very open case, with the "moduvent" covers removed to maximize airflow
Test it both ways, but imo its going to be quieter with the moduvents closed, and your hardware isnt that demanding, so while you might benefit in temps, you might not gain it on reducing noise, test it both ways. Also read The Big Air Cooling Investigation, not always more is better, there are deminishing returns, but all setups are different, its best to test with your own hardware.

MortyNO
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by MortyNO » Thu Dec 24, 2015 1:52 pm

@CA_Steve: Impressive! Yes, you are correct I meant Arctic Cooling 550RF even though I wrote Antec. Corrected now. :)

I didn't consider Scythe coolers because of the (anecdotal) stories about current Scythe coolers possibly crushing Skylake CPUs. You're right though, and I will look at other coolers.

I'll look at the i5-6600 vs i5-6500. Thanks!

MortyNO
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by MortyNO » Thu Dec 24, 2015 2:06 pm

@Abula: Thanks a lot!

Yes, I think I will heed your wisdom, and go for one 120mm on the CPU and one 140mm in the case (or 2x 140, depending on the final setup). And yes, I'll probably move away from the 212 Evo to something better -- and possibly the Macho, given your report on the stock fan that comes with that cooler. :)

I was originally thinking of mounting the 212 Evo horizontally, with the fan exhausting through the case top grille. That's atypical, I know, but it might work with a very open case. Reading The Big Air Cooling Investigation clarified several things for me. Thanks a lot. :)

CA_Steve
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Dec 24, 2015 5:23 pm

MortyNO wrote:@CA_Steve: Impressive! Yes, you are correct I meant Arctic Cooling 550RF even though I wrote Antec. Corrected now. :)

I didn't consider Scythe coolers because of the (anecdotal) stories about current Scythe coolers possibly crushing Skylake CPUs. You're right though, and I will look at other coolers.
PSU: At first glance, I can't tell whether or not this (Seasonic OEM) PSU regulates the 12VDC from AC mains and then derives the other voltages from the 12V. If it doesn't, then there are compatibility issues with Haswell and later CPU's lowest idle states (returning from sleep and the like). You can disable these states in the UEFI BIOS. Or, if the PSU is relatively old, you might consider getting a newer and more efficient one.

Scythe:They narrowed it down to just two coolers...and they'll provide slightly shorter screws if you choose them.

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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by fastturtle » Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:53 pm

Everyone who's suggesting replace a working Hyper 212 EVO is full of lint. I have one and the stock fan is pretty quiet while it offers sufficient capacity to actually keep an E3-1230 v3 cool passively. The Skylake i5 should be even cooler, so there's little reason to replace a working cooler at this time plus he avoids any possible issue with the issue of crushing the CPU as is being seen with some of the other high-end coolers.

What I'd suggest is sticking with the Stock HSF for a few weeks while burning the system in and making sure everything works correctly. It's good enough for that and once things are stable, switch to the Hyper 212 and see what the temps are like.

As to switching the case fans before testing, don't bother until after the burn in. At that time you can also clean up all of your cabling to help air flow along with replacing the fans with something better. Do keep all of the extra vents closed unless you have a temp problem - shouldn't and if you do, you'll probably be replacing the case pretty soon as it's not doing it's job. Proper airflow from front to rear/bottom to top should keep CPU/GPU temsp quite cool. If it doesn't, then something is wrong - either restricted air flow due to poor cable-fu or the case is crap.

Vicotnik
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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by Vicotnik » Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:47 am

fastturtle wrote:Everyone who's suggesting replace a working Hyper 212 EVO is full of lint.
No one is replacing anything, just discussing which cooler to get, right? Hyper 212 and Hyper 212 EVO was and perhaps still is a great low budget alternative, but if the fan is to be replaced anyway there are better alternatives. I have only experience with the Hyper 212 myself, it's a decent cooler but the mounting system is not as great as the more expensive alternatives.

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Re: i5-6500 / H170 build, reality check

Post by Vicotnik » Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:49 am

MortyNO wrote:And yes, I'll probably move away from the 212 Evo to something better -- and possibly the Macho, given your report on the stock fan that comes with that cooler. :)

I was originally thinking of mounting the 212 Evo horizontally, with the fan exhausting through the case top grille. That's atypical, I know, but it might work with a very open case. Reading The Big Air Cooling Investigation clarified several things for me. Thanks a lot. :)
Oh, you are considering replacing it. :) Then I agree with all that fastturtle said.

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