Help Build Quiet Performance Gaming PC!

[Karura]

I am trying to build a PC that is high performance, yet as silent as it could be, without sacrificing cooling. (We definitely don't want anything melting!)

Did I mention that it will all be air cooled?

Basically I am trying to pick parts that have a good balance of performance and low noise, especially fans. I am hoping that by using proper noise dampening materials, and low noise fans, I will be able to accomplish this project.

I plan to use the following parts:

Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Extreme

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz (overclocked to ~4.0GHz)

Memory: GeiL Black Dragon 12GB (6 x 2GB) DDR3-2000

Storage: OCZ RevoDrive 120GB PCI-E SSD (Boot drive,) WD Raptor 150GB, Seagate Barracuda 1TB.

GPU: XFX 9800GX2 Black Edition

PSU: Corsair HX1000W

NIC: Intel PRO/1000 CT

Sound Card: Onkyo SE-200PCI LTD

Enclosure: SilverStone TJ10B-W

Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-205

Other parts:

CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Copper

Card Reader: AFT PRO-35U

Acoustic Dampening: AcoustiPack ULTIMATE PC Soundproofing Kit
AcoustiPack EXTRA Foam Blocks

Thermal Compund: IC Diamond 24 Carat

Ram Heat Spreaders: 6 x EnzoTech DDR-C1

Fans: 5 x Noiseblocker Muiltiframe M12-S2 120mm (Case fans)
2 x Noiseblocker Multiframe M12-PS 120mm (CPU fans)
1 x Corsair Airflow 2 GTL (Memory cooler, not sure if this will fit.)

HDD Enclosures: 1 x GUP SMART DRIVE Copper (WD Raptor 150GB)
1 x GUP SMART DRIVE 2002C (Seagate Barracuda 1TB)

Lighting: 1 x Logisys 20" CCFL Frontal Light Bar

Bolded parts are the ones I am scraping from my previous PC.



1. I will be using this computer mostly for gaming (WoW, FPS, everything,) listening to music with Hi-Fi components, and recording (guitars, vocals, etc) once I acquire the right equipment for it.

2. My budget is very flexible, but it is around $2500CAD. The thing is, I am going to use a few parts from my previous PC that are still good in this new rig, so that will probably add up to another $1000 worth of parts.

3. I live in Canada, but not all the parts I want are here, so I will be buying my parts from Canada, USA, Japan and Germany.

4. I am an Intel and Nvidia fanboy; however, either ATI or Nvidia is fine for me seeing as they're both decent.

5. I intend to use my old PSU, GPU, a few harddrives (one WD Raptor,) and two SMART DRIVE 3.5" HDD enclosures.

6. I have looked all over the net, but I haven't found anyone trying to build a quiet gaming rig. It is always either about pure OC/cooling or pure silence.

7. I want to overclock my processor to 4.0GHz, but I am afraid that this might be too much for my cooling system to handle, I'll leave this up to you guys to critique.

8. I am planning to game at 1920x1080.

9. I plan to build the PC within a month from now, or at the very least order all the parts.

10. I understand, seriously understand that silence and overclocking do not go hand-in-hand, but perhaps it is possible if I use the right parts. Bring on the critique.

Thanks.

[_dangtx_]

welcome aboard man.

change the cpu cooler to the hr-02 . add maybe a super low turning noctua to it. or two.

[burebista]

Cooler. Noctua NH-D14
PSU. Corsair AX750/850 or Seasonic X750.
And try to change your GPU with something from our days. GTX470/HD6870 for example.

[Karura]

Thanks everyone. Sorry I was a bit ambiguous on my terminology, I would like it to be quiet, not silent. So my main priority is performance, but I want to make an extra effort to cut back on the noise with everything that can help. Will changing to the HR-02 really make a big difference?

The TRUE-120 is already a really good cooler, and I figured if I strapped two Noiseblocker M12-PS (1500rpm at 23dBA) that pushes 100,0m3/h, will that be good enough for performance while remaining relatively quiet?

Also my computer is going to be in my basement, so the ambient noise level will be very quiet since there is nothing around that will cause any noise. How many decibels should I be aiming for if I want it to be barely inaudible?

Thank you for your input and comments! I really appreciate it.

[jcmaz]

It is kind of hard to silence the GX2. You could do the twin HR02 trick but that would require you to dissemble your GX2 like crazy.

And more fans = more noise. Therefore the Noctua D14 is a better idea than the True.

[Karura]

Originally Posted by jcmaz

It is kind of hard to silence the GX2. You could do the twin HR02 trick but that would require you to dissemble your GX2 like crazy.

And more fans = more noise. Therefore the Noctua D14 is a better idea than the True.

Just curious, how come the TRUE would have more fans than the D14? They both use 2, am I right?

Also, are you referring to this crazy mod?


Haha I've always considered doing it, but I do not know where I can buy HR-03 GT (the specific version I need) right now, because they're over 2 years old and aren't being sold anywhere. I see them sold at A Power for "Special Order" and I just ordered two of them :) but I don't know if they can actually get it.

Any ideas if A Power doesn't actually have it?

[jcmaz]

Yup. I'm referring to that mod. Pretty epic, but worth blowing $100+ on cooling? Not really. The beauty of the D14 is that it uses 140mm fans. More airflow at a slower RPM which equate to less noise, perfect for you application.

[darren700]

why spend the cash upgrading a much outdated vc?

[Karura]

Wouldn't that be cheaper than buying a new video card? Plus the orientation on the new video cards make it seem like it wouldn't have the proper orientation/space to mount two HR-03s on it. I know the performance might be lower than a new card, but it seems like a not bad idea?

Also, I plan to use two Noiseblocker M12-PS fans with my TRUE cooler, would that be better than buying the HR-02 or NH-D14?
NB-Multiframe® S-Series 120mm | Noiseblocker

Also using 5 x M12-S2 for case fans.

Another question, NH-D14 or HR-02 or TRUE if I were to use the Noiseblocker fans with the TRUE?
Why?

[phantom_jo]

Originally Posted by Karura

Wouldn't that be cheaper than buying a new video card? Plus the orientation on the new video cards make it seem like it wouldn't have the proper orientation/space to mount two HR-03s on it. I know the performance might be lower than a new card, but it seems like a not bad idea?

Also, I plan to use two Noiseblocker M12-PS fans with my TRUE cooler, would that be better than buying the HR-02 or NH-D14?
NB-Multiframe® S-Series 120mm | Noiseblocker

Also using 5 x M12-S2 for case fans.

Another question, NH-D14 or HR-02 or TRUE if I were to use the Noiseblocker fans with the TRUE?
Why?

I don't quite agree with you on the video card part sir. Let us take for example the gigabyte GTX 460. This card if you are lucky, can be overclocked up for more power(725MHz stock to 900 MHz if you are lucky). They use less electricity and they have non-reference cooler that is very silent and cool. People reporting of max temp reaching only low 70 degrees. And with the price cut it's getting, you'll be spending almost the same amount that you'd spend buying 2 HR-3s and the fans anyway. Also, the card does not support newer technology such as directx11, etc which the GTX 460 has.
On the CPU cooler, you could opt for closed loop WC such as COOlIT's ECO or Corsair H50. People say it's very quiet and it cools well although it might be losing 3 or 4 degrees compared to TRUE with 2 fans.
Using those 2 recommendations you could reduce the number of fans that you need, because even though the fans themselves are quiet you'll still hear the air being moved by the fans like in a wind tunnel.