Silent Mini-ITX Config?

[Miny]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum.
I'm looking for something that can stand on the desk in my room, with priority to the low noise, small size, low power consumption and good performance for a long term usage. The main use is for work/university, watching movies /TV shows, p2p and occasionally gaming (rarely). I am undecided in particular on the case and power supply, as I would like something small and not very noisy in my bedroom, (something a little bigger than a NUC but smaller than others) Budget is 600€

CASE: Dunno
CPU+VGA: Intel i5-4460
CPU FAN : Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B or Noctua NH-L9i
PSU: Something between 150-450w, a Silverstone ST30SF 300W SFX maybe or Corsair CX430M
MOTHERBOARD: Asrock H97M-ITX/AC
RAM : 2x4gb(8gb) low profile DDR3 1600mhz
SSD : Crucial MX100 128gb
HD: WD Caviar Green 2TB 5900rpm

An alternative could be the new Intel NUC5i5RYH, adding wifi/bluetooth, msata and ram but I lose the space storage of 2tb because there isn't space in it.

That's all folks, thanks!

 

[klopz]

I think you'll be in pretty good shape as far as noise goes. I've got the same CPU and use it to run a Plex server. It does just fine.

 

[JeffBlair]

I'm actually using an AMD chip, and the stock cooler. I don't even hear mine. Everything else is pretty much the same except for the 2TB drive. I use my storage server for all my movies/TV.

 

[Miny]

I would like to move the topic in the "Small Form Factor Systems" section if it's possible; I need some advice to start my new build! Thanks

 

[defaultluser]

If you want quiet, you're going to need something larger than the NUC. That blower fan is working overtime in that tiny case.

http://www.legitreviews.com/intel-nuc-kit-nuc5i5ryk-review-broadwell-comes-nuc_158261/8

Also, if you just want the "equivalent" of the Core i5 in the NUC, it's just a Core i3 desktop procesor. Same 2 core / 4 thread, same GT2 graphics, and a lot less expensive than a 4-core desktop i5. Unless you're doing 3D modeling, or heavy video editing or top-end gaming, you won't notice the difference.

Also, if you want to possibly add a video card in the future, you really want a larger mITX case.

I'm using a Fractal Design Node 304, and although it's large for a mITX, it has 2 front 92mm fans, 1 140mm rear fan, and plenty of clearance for CPU coolers and a full-sized PSU. It also has space for a mid-length 2-slot graphics card, if you ever get the itch to add real gaming, or more than 2 drives. Each of the 3 cages can hold 2 drives, or you can remove them to increase airflow / make room for cable runs.

Core i3 stock cooler + GTX 750 Ti + case fans low = can't hear the fans at all during gaming, even from a few inches away.

Also, due the recent new product introduction, you might consider this instead of the MX100 128GB:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT250BX100SSD1-2-5-Inch-Internal-Adapter/dp/B00RQA6TEI

The new BX100 is FASTER and the same price, because they switched controllers. Marvell sucks compared to Silicon Motion, see this review:

http://techreport.com/review/27824/crucial-bx100-and-mx200-solid-state-drives-reviewed/3

Faster in every real-world test, plus has half the worst-case write latency, which which has always been a sore point for Crucial's Marvell drives. The most interesting thing is how the speeds just move up the chart as the file sizes get smaller, which is great for a general-purpose SSD

Also, I would never buy less tha 256GB in these low-end drives. The reason they can price them so low is because they use high-density flash, but that means the 128GB drives don't have enough parallel flash chips to feed the controller. The 256GB models are the bare-minimum to feed that controller properly, and the 512GB models are the optimum balanced config.

Lucky for you, they price them so low it's cheap to move-up to the 256GB model

If you drop your processor to Core i3, you can easily afford the 256GB SSD.

 

[Miny]

Actually I only need space for : CPU (i5-4460), Mini-itx Motherboard, 1 HD 3.5", 1 Optical Drive (slim or normal) and 1 SSD 2.5". I can use a SFX PSU and everything is done.