QUIET PC build, need well laid out case

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Batman

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# 204736 15-Oct-2016 07:48

Hi I am building a full sized PC, but would like it to be as quiet as possible, when not under load, would be great even if under load!

So far - think will get a Noctua NH-U14S for CPU cooler, and some quiet secondhand GPU.

Going for overkill Corsair RMi - apparently if under 40% load fans don't run? So 850-1000W ok?

Now stuck at the case.

Would passive cooling be an option? If not then which one has the best lay out/design for cooling, access to components, hot swapping drives, etc?

Looked at the Corsair Air 540 - fans are very noisy but could I run it without fans?

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

timmmay

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# 1651407 15-Oct-2016 08:12

1000W only if you have two huge GPUs. I have CoolerMaster Silencio case (quite old, 5 years?) and quiet fans help, but hard drive noise still comes though, you'd want rubber mounts. Not sure I'd buy this CM case again but they've prob improved.

Batman

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# 1651411 15-Oct-2016 08:27

Thanks just rattle away any well designed cases i will check them out. Too many options to research from scratch.

Also any such thing as silent gpu?

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

Batman

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# 1651412 15-Oct-2016 08:28

Oh cpu 6700k, for photoshop.

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davidcole

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# 1651422 15-Oct-2016 09:25

Quiet GPU - what about the amd apus - or i5,i7

Depends the point of your machine. If just a dogs body - or. Or high end gaming, then no dedicated gpu is probably quietest.

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darylblake

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# 1651463 15-Oct-2016 09:47

One person supports this post

I just built a new gaming machine with a mix of new and second hand parts over the last few months. Before I had too tiny kids and no time for games. But they are a bit older and more self-sufficent now. So decided to make a new gaming machine.

Here is what I found:

1) I would get Intel. Not a fan of AMD's cpu's at the moment. Probably an i5. But its all budget dependent. If you need to go cheap get a i3-6100 with a H150 or B150 chipset board. If you have a bit more budget you can jump up to a i5-6500 or a i5-6600k (K chip paired with a Z170 motherboard). If you go with an i7 then just go with a z170 board and a i7-6700k. (Unless you want to spend quite a bit more and get an x99 chipset and i7-6800k). But depending what you need the machine for will determine what you get.

2) I looked at cases, and ended up buying a barely used NZXT S340 (White) case from a member here. I have been very very happy with it. Its very quiet. The other case I looked at is the Fractal Design R5. But I guess you need to consider how large you want it as well. I you can get a 140mm fan for exhaust on the top, and it has 2 140mm holes and filter for intake on the front. It has a 120mm fax exhaust port. I only have 2 fans + a CPU fan and gpu fans, but even under load very very quiet. I put this down partially to my PSU unit.

3) My PSU unit is an EVGA 650W Gold. It is awesome, the fan doesnt spin unless it needs to, so at idle it makes pretty much no noise.

4) I looked at that noctua heatsink, it MIGHT only just fit in the s340 case.. So just be weary about which case you get if you are dead set on that heatsink. I personally just bought a cooler master EVO Hyper X (212) and its fine.

I had a GTX780 on for sale its in offers and wanted, have had a few people possibly interested, but no one has gotten back to me. Its quite quiet has 3 fans. I just replaced it with an EVGA SC 1070. The fans on this don't spin until it hits about 60 degrees. (so gaming they are running at about 30%).

Batman

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# 1651527 15-Oct-2016 11:43

Thanks for the suggestions. Will take a look at the R5.

Just wondering - WD Red HDD can be powered off by windows right?

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

Batman

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# 1651549 15-Oct-2016 12:37

Does insulation matter? Something like a Corsair Air 540 - wide open meshes but no insulation ... also how do I control the fans on the Air 540? To run at low speed?

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richms

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# 1651554 15-Oct-2016 13:02

IME windows is so often accessing drives that having them spin down is futile, they are way noisier spinning up, so unless you are going to go and disable them in device manager when not using them (which usually demands a reboot when I try) they will just be spinning up all the time to access one thing that windows decides to check if its still there.

Richard rich.ms

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# 1651839 16-Oct-2016 10:15

Most of the modern GPU's will only spin the fans up under load, similar to the Corsair PSU.

I have an RM650x and a EVGA GTX 1070 SC both of which don't spin the fans up for normal 2D desktop work. Coupled with case and CPU PWM fans (idle around 800rpm) and my PC is near silent with minimal effort/extra cost. Not overclocked though.

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# 1651867 16-Oct-2016 12:05

Thanks I've gathered that well insulated means poor air flow and vice versa. I've narrowed down to one based on a couple of youtube mic review.

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sultanoswing

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# 1652054 16-Oct-2016 20:35

I recently rebuilst aiming for very quiet.

The R5 is an excellent case. I went with a Seasonic 750w Snow Silent. Like others above, its fan doesn't spin unless it's at >50% of load. Also went with a WD Red 4GB drive for storage, which is much quieter than my old 1TB WD Black.

With SSD's, the only remaining noise in my box is subtle coil wine from my old LCD monitor and GTX460 card. When I get a bit more cash together I'll be looking at a GTX1070.

It's great that power consumption and acoustics are given so much more consideration by manufacturers these days.