$1000 Silent Gaming PC

[daweinah]

I've been doing lots of research and I'm finally ready to put my proposed build before the public eye!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Primarily gaming; also web browsing, remote tech support, productivity software
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? Shooting for $1000 total
3) Which country do you live in? Texas
4 and 5) Building from the ground up, not reusing anything, A modular or semi-modular PSU is desired.
6) Will you be overclocking? Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? 24" 1920x1200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next two weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, OC tools, perhaps SLI in the future
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Yes, 64-bit

I live near a Microcenter, so I'll be picking up the CPU, mobo, H60, and SSD there.
I picked PSU as the cheapest semi-modular low 500w option from a good vendor.
I'm going back and forth on whether or not to include a HDD. I have an external HDD with plenty of space and I've never been the type to hoard data. I reinstall games to play on SSD if I care about the performance that much on my current SSD/HDD build.
I also don't think I even care about an optical drive this time around. I have an external drive at work I can borrow if I find myself needing it.
I may also invest in some additional quiet case fans depending on what you guys think.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($60.24 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($209.99 after MIR @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)
Total: $960.56
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

 

[Dangman]

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Though off the bat, ditch the H60: All of those self-contained liquid cooling HSF aren't recommended for silent builds due to the included pump being noisy. If you actually want a silent PC, ditch the H60 and go with an air-cooling setup like the Coolermaster Hyper 212+.

 

[tiraides]

You do realize that the Corsair H60 isn't silent, right? Since silence is one of your primary goals, you may be better served with, say, one of the Noctua tower CPU coolers.

Is it safe to assume that you also referenced SPCR for guidance on which parts are quiet?

Why are you so concerned about CAS Latency? You'll see no noticeable performance benefit from using CL7 RAM compared to using CL9 RAM.

And why did you choose the ASRock board? Is it safe to assume that you're overclocking the processor? If so, you should consider a Gigabyte or an Asus Z77 board as the performance of ASRock boards have been viewed as sketchy at best. (Check out some of the [H]ard|OCP reviews on ASRock boards to see what I mean.)

Speaking of which, you should grab the processor and motherboard together at Micro Center. You receive a $50 discount off any Z77 motherboard when you purchase it at the same time as the i5-3570K.

 

[daweinah]

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Ah, you replied while I was editing

You do realize that the Corsair H60 isn't silent, right? Since silence is one of your primary goals, you may be better served with, say, one of the Noctua tower CPU coolers.

Is it safe to assume that you also referenced SPCR for guidance on which parts are quiet?

Why are you so concerned about CAS Latency? You'll see no noticeable performance benefit from using CL7 RAM compared to using CL9 RAM.

And why did you choose the ASRock board? Is it safe to assume that you're overclocking the processor? If so, you should consider a Gigabyte or an Asus Z77 board as the performance of ASRock boards have been viewed as sketchy at best. (Check out some of the [H]ard|OCP reviews on ASRock boards to see what I mean.)

Speaking of which, you should grab the processor and motherboard together at Micro Center. You receive a $50 discount off any Z77 motherboard when you purchase it at the same time as the i5-3570K.

I know the H60 isn't silent, but from what I've read/youtubed it's pretty quiet and does a respectable job cooling.. plus, it's water cooling! When I made my last build that was just a dream, only suitable for extreme modders.

I checked out SPCR.
CAS was referenced early on in my reading about RAM. What else can you use to differentiate between the sea of vendors and super similar options?
The ASRock board is the favorite over at reddit.com/r/buildapc. From what I've read, they have improved vastly with the 77/79-series chipset, which seems to be supported by the X79 reviews.

 

[Q1DM6]

I have an H60. It's not absolutely silent, but it's pretty damn quiet. I would move to a higher end model if you intend to overclock though. I run noctua fans and with a passive video card my system was widely inaudible before I moved to this 7950. If I cared about quiet as much now, I would probably get a gtx670.

 

[Dangman]

Ah, you replied while I was editing

That I did.

I know the H60 isn't silent, but from what I've read/youtubed it's pretty quiet and does a respectable job cooling.. plus, it's water cooling! When I made my last build that was just a dream, only suitable for extreme modders.

Well you should probably change your title then if you're not actually building a silent PC

CAS was referenced early on in my reading about RAM. What else can you use to differentiate between the sea of vendors and super similar options?

As long as the RAM is cheap (arund $40 to $50 per 8GB), is rated at 1.5V and lower, and is rated at DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1600 from a reputable manufacturer, you'll be fine. I tend to recommend G.Skill and Corsair RAM the most. Patriot, Mushkin, and Kingston are also good choices. CAS and speed really don't matter when it comes to Intel performance. Personally I recommend this set:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233202

The ASRock board is the favorite over at reddit.com/r/buildapc. From what I've read, they have improved vastly with the 77/79-series chipset, which seems to be supported by the X79 reviews.

After spending time there a few months back, I'm very leary of any build coming from that section of reddit. They seem to have rather low standards IMO especially in regards to PSUs. Also, while AsRock can make good mobos as evident by the HardOCP review of the ASRock X79 Extreme4 shows, they can also be inconsistent as evident by the HardOCP review of the ASRock X79 Extreme9. Until I see another HardOCP review of another AsRock mobo, I'm leery in recommending them. I recommend the Asus P8Z77-V LK at a minium for overclocking.

 

[AP514]

what about the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H or the -UD3H for O/C ? do you still recommend them ? Same price as the Asrock at MC store w/ discount.

 

[Procyon12]

alot depends on how silent is silent to you.

i would get a 2.5" spindle drive for data. 128 GB means you wont even have breathing room for temp space if you convert videos or work with photos.

a 2.5 drive will have very few vibrations and airborne noise.

 

[tiraides]

what about the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H or the -UD3H for O/C ? do you still recommend them ? Same price as the Asrock at MC store w/ discount.

Either of them would be fine, based on the OP's overclocking preferences.

i would get a 2.5" spindle drive for data. 128 GB means you wont even have breathing room for temp space if you convert videos or work with photos.

a 2.5 drive will have very few vibrations and airborne noise.

Part of that is due to the fact that the 2.5" drive is often mounted on a separate mounting bracket/adapter, and oftentimes, that bracket/adapter is made of plastic. Metal-on-metal contact is how most of the vibration noise occurs, but a suspension "bracket" or silicone washers can also be used to silence a 3.5" drive just as easily.

Having said all of that, I do agree that the OP should have an internal HDD of at least 500GB for storage purposes. You can transfer the old game files from your SSD to the HDD (and back again) instead of uninstalling them and reinstalling them every time you want to play something. However, I recommend a 3.5" 7200RPM drive as you'll find the best non-SSD performance with one of those drives.

 

[daweinah]

Having said all of that, I do agree that the OP should have an internal HDD of at least 500GB for storage purposes. You can transfer the old game files from your SSD to the HDD (and back again) instead of uninstalling them and reinstalling them every time you want to play something. However, I recommend a 3.5" 7200RPM drive as you'll find the best non-SSD performance with one of those drives.

I've always felt that dragging and dropping files between drives caused some issues when the game tries to reload and can't find the files where it expects.

EDIT: Also made some changes to the OP to reflect build suggestions.

 

[ekuest]

I've always felt that dragging and dropping files between drives caused some issues when the game tries to reload and can't find the files where it expects.

EDIT: Also made some changes to the OP to reflect build suggestions.

there are actually a couple programs you can use to manage that better. i use gamesave manager to back up all my saves on my 3 computers to my backup hard drive. it also has a feature to move game installs between drives butt i havent used it so cant comment on how it works. i think steam mover does the same thing but havent used that either.

 

[tiraides]

I'm not going to fight over the recommendation of even having an HDD. But I have a couple of questions:

Which games are you going to play?

How high do you want to overclock your processor?

 

[daweinah]

ekuest: Cool, will check out that program

tiraides: mostly MMOs, but also FPS/RPGs like Mass Effect and Deus Ex, not really into FPS

I am not an extreme O/Cer but I do like to tinker and I hear it's gotten much simpler since FSB and RAM divider settings are apparently a thing of the past. I have read 4.5GHz is fairly easily attainable.

 

[billdcat4]

Hey, I'm a silence enthusiast as well and I've got some recommendations

Case: I have the Fractal R3 and I can highly recommend it.

CPU: I think the 3570K is a good CPU for this type of build

Mobo: I have had great experiences with ASUS 1155 boards, but I've also heard good things about AsRock. Personally, I'd put the extra money in to get a decent ASUS board.

RAM: I've had great luck with kits of G.Skill and Mushkin RAM. As far as I know, unless you're an extreme OC'er, RAM is RAM and you should get the best $/Gb.

PSU: Seasonic is the best, Corsair is solid as well. Thats a great model that you've picked. I've built half a dozen systems around these PSUs
520W is enough unless you want to add a second GPU.

GPU: Speaking of GPU, I've used MSI Cyclone and HAWK (TwinFrozrII) along with ASUS DCII (triple slot) GPUs and they have all be exceptionally quiet. I can't speak for the GPU model itself, but if you're gunning for silence, I'd go with a ASUS DCII, MSI TwinFrozr, or Gigabyte Windforce model.

SSD: I've had great luck with Intel SSDs, I'd take a look at their 520 series along with their 330 series. Samsung's 830 series has gotten great reviews, its a shame that you missed a $90 deal on their 128gb model today.

Cooler: I have an Antec Kuhler 620 (same Asetek OEM as the Corsair H60) and it is by no means silent (even with a swapped fan). I'd recommend a 120mm tower cooler. The CoolerMaster Hyper212+ EVO, Corsair A50/A70, or if you've got the cash a Noctua. I have the NH-D14 with Dual Nexus fans and it works amazingly. For bang for the buck, I'd get one of the Corsair heatsinks and swap the fans with something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200068 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185058 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835610006
Don't be drawn in by the name "Liquid Cooling" because these all in one coolers aren't any better than mid-range air coolers and have the added cost and noise of a pump. The only way that these coolers match up to high end air coolers is by using insanely noisy stock fans. The only real use for these AIO coolers is for small form factor builds that can't fit a proper heatsink.

Case Fans: The stock Fractal Design case fans are good fans, just make sure you have some sort of fan control system: either from the motherboard or a hardware fan controller.

Good luck buddy

 

[daweinah]

its a shame that you missed a $90 deal on their 128gb model today.

Noooooooooooo!!!

Thanks for the other recommendations. My PSU is the same one you recommended, but you had me worried for a sec.

EDIT: I did score one sweet deal though. Video card updated to MSI Radeon HD 7850 which is now on sale for $209.99 after MIR @ Newegg.

 

[doug_7506]

Hey, I understand the need for a silent build.

When I started out with my system build I wanted to have an absolutely silent build. Unfortunately, even great coolers like the ASUS DCUII will reach over 30dbs under load while the reference will get higher than 40db! This was unacceptable for me. The thing is that I also wanted to OC. It is pretty difficult to OC and stay silent.

Here is a link to my setup on an old p180b. PS yours will look A LOT cleaner as my p180b was not designed for this type of setup!
Here is the link for the mod on an AMD system.

So my first question is how much modding are you willing to do? If you are willing to do a little modding you can get a system that will never go over 20db while being heavily OC'ed!! FYI the difference between 20db and 30db is a lot IMO. When I am just browsing the internet are typing on word the loudest thing in my computer is the pumps on the h60/620!

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($60.24 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($209.99 after MIR @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)

Everything here looks good. The only other things you need is a
$13 bracket
$59 antec cooler.

The only other problem is that if you really want a quite build you would need to be willing to spend some money on some great fans. The fans the come with the h60/620 are great fans but unfortunately they are loud.
I would recommend 5 (2 front 2 top and 1 back)(the fans that come with the r3 are non-pwm and not hooked to a controller so will run at full blast all the time.) NF-F12s @ 15.98ea ($79.90)
Also you'll need a 92mm fan ($19) for your gpu ram/vrm and I recommend a vga-pwm adapter ($5) so you can control the fan on both your video card and cooler with msi afterburner.

So if you really want a silent build it will obviously cost a little more ($175.90 for the parts above) to achieve that goal. To me I wanted a silent computer but I wasn't willing to sacrifice performance. If you are interested in going down this path, pm me, I'll do what I can to help.

 

[daweinah]

Cool suggestion about the watercooled GPU, but that's out of budget for now and tbh likely more work than I'm interested in. But if the MSI turns out to be really loud I will definitely be coming back for more advice.

For the fans I'm looking at Yate Loon D12SM-12. Supposed to be very high quality for an undeservedly low price.

 

[doug_7506]

Cool suggestion about the watercooled GPU, but that's out of budget for now and tbh likely more work than I'm interested in. But if the MSI turns out to be really loud I will definitely be coming back for more advice.

For the fans I'm looking at Yate Loon D12SM-12. Supposed to be very high quality for an undeservedly low price.

I loved my yate loon. Only thing is that those fans are regular fan so they will run at max speed (33db) all the time. Make sure you get you a fan controller so you can turn those puppies down when you are not gaming!

 

[billdcat4]

Cool suggestion about the watercooled GPU, but that's out of budget for now and tbh likely more work than I'm interested in. But if the MSI turns out to be really loud I will definitely be coming back for more advice.

For the fans I'm looking at Yate Loon D12SM-12. Supposed to be very high quality for an undeservedly low price.

Any GPU's fan is going to be LOUD when the fan speed is set to 100%. However, when running a typical game load, fan speed does not have to go anywhere near that speed. So unless you're folding or bitmining on that GPU, any of the coolers that I suggested should be acceptably quiet under typical game load.

Yates are nice, but they are more of a side-grade from the stock Fractal Design fans. A note: if you've got the cash to spare, the Noctua NH-D14 is on sale for $80 shipped at the egg right now (email code).

 

[billdcat4]

This is also a solid fan: Scythe Slip Stream PWM: 200-1300rpm (goes up to ~1500rpm on my model)
If properly controlled, this fan can be silent at low RPMs and push an impressive amount of air at high RPMs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185144