[vvs_75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cerbie /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope that helps and doesn't confuse you too much.

No you didn't confuse me, you scared hell of me!

Thanks for your help! Your guide for dummies will help me through out the process.

 

[vvs_75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here are some pics of the CM690, Intel Q6600, Corsair 520HX, Abit IP35-Pro, 2x2gig G.Skill, MSI 9600GT, Thermalright 128SE with 3 6400AAKS's.

Thanks for the pics. Sometimes pictures tell more that words.

I am definitely will get Corsair 520HX.
After seeing HTPC cases, having hard time to decide if the nice look worth the trouble. Plus they are more expansive then regular tower cases.

Does they worth the trouble?

 

[alxwang]

I was using the follow part to build mine:

The case is:
Antec P182 ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Audio Firewire (P182)

Use 3-4
Noctua NF-S12-1200 120MM Ultra Quiet Cooling Fan 1200RPM 81M3/H 17DBA Molex to create 2 stable but quiet air flow - one for CPU one for video card

Use this without fans
Thermalright IFX-14 Heatpipe CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA775/AM2

Use this PS and install HD in front of it so the heat of HD will be suck out too.
Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX Triple 12V 50A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 2X PCI-E

For the video card use the asus fanless one:
ASUS Radeon HD 3450 600MHZ 512MB 800MHZ DDR2 PCI-E DVI-I HDCP VGA HDTV Out Fanless Video Card(or something like it)

If you want you can upgrade the 2 case fan from antic to Noctua and install a fan speed control.

Just my 2 cents about quiet a PC.

 

[LeonvB]

I noticed no one really looks for smaller enclosures, so I'll throw in another option:

Enclosure: In-win BK635 ::::::::::IN WIN::::::::::
It has a decent 80+ efficient PSU. Can hold 2x 3.5" drives, and a 5.25" drive (DVD-burner or Blu-ray). It supports normal components and full height cards in all slots in the smallest package I know of. It's specificly made to Intels specs, and very, very quiet when paired with stock Intel components.

Board: Intel DG45ID Intel® Desktop Board DG45ID - Overview
It only has one PCI slot, but really: do you need more? On-board video is capable of playing Bluray. Seen it: it works. And on-board video uses less power than most normal videocards. Plus it's passive.

CPU: If you want to use it for HD video: E7200 or E8x00. You'll want to wait till monday to get this one. Otherwise just get an E2200 (or lower).

 

[compuryan]

If you are trying to build a really quiet pc, I would avoid smaller cases. The cramped spaces tend to cause things to get hot inside, and thus your fans will have to blow more air to keep things cool (making things noisier). A bigger case has more room for the heat to radiate.

 

[Hookem]

Well HTPC cases have gotten much better...But generally speaking they are not very expandable...Most only hold 2 hard drives...Some just one...They usually have very poor theramal performance...The power supply's are really not good for a modern computer...Alot of them are limited to microATX boards.

I bought a Antec Fusion and put together a system using a Abit AN-M2HD microATX board.

Promptly took it out and sold the case.

I have not looked at them lately.

But the nice ones are very expensive.

Unless you are going to use it in a HTPC enviorment like sitting under your TV with your surround sound system then I would stay away from them.

On the case thing...Just make sure you buy a case that has 120m/m fans.

The CM690 is not a small case.

I personally like Lian-Li cases...Here are some pics of the PC7B Plus II

It is a mid tower with a windowed door...That is why all the wires are stuck out there where you can see them...It has UV black lights and all the blue stuff lights up.

I have some other pics of it if you would like to see them with the door on all finished up.

 

[Hookem]

If you can say how much you want to spend it would be much easier to recommend a complete parts list, soup to nuts, that will give you the best bang for the buck within your budget.

 

[david21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FasterThanEver /img/forum/go_quote.gif Basic choices: - Hard disk - make sure it's big enough to hold your current and anticipated music collection. I've used both Seagate and Western Digital and found them reliable and fairly quiet. If I need another hard drive now, I'd consider a Western Digital green power 1 TByte drive. uses less power than conventional 1 TB drives and is probably a bit quieter. Hard disk manufacturers all have production problems so your experience may depend on your luck. All hard disks are functionally similar for 2 channel audio playback. Bill

+1 on the GreenPower drives. The have a few of these drives and they're the quietest drives I've ever owned. Best part is that they produce VERY little heat even under heavy loads.

 

[david21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have some other pics of it if you would like to see them with the door on all finished up.

Now that's a nice and clean looking rig you got there!

 

[compuryan]

Hookem, I have that exact same case, the PC-7b, I absolutely love it. It really has that "elegant simplicity" thing to it, don't you think? heres an older pic of mine, I have since changed some things:

Lian-Li cases are always an excellent choice.

 

[Hookem]

Lian-Li's fit, finish and build quality is just outstanding.

And the choices are almost endless.

I have used the Plus II in probably 30 builds and every client just loves that case.

And I agree that have a simple elegance that is very attractive.

They are made of aluminum...So using them for a foot stool is a bad idea.

Performance PC's usually has the most up to date selection of their cases.

Mid-Towers.

Lian-Li Midtower Cases : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

Full tower.

Lian-Li Full Tower/Server Cases : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

As far as fans you really cannot beat Yate Loon's...Dirt cheap and very good fans indeed...Jab-Tech is a good place to purchase them...They come in H (high) M (medium) and L's (low)...The L's 7 volted are super quiet.

120mm Fans

Since most motherboards are coming with passive coolers on the north and southbridge's I really like the Thermalright SI128 SE...Paired with a 120m/m L series Yate and you have a setup that will blow down on the motherboard cooling the north and south bridges...The L series Yate's have very good static pressure considering how quiet they are...Probably have to use the motherboards fan controller to get it uber quiet.

Ultimate CPU Cooling Solutions! USA

I personally stay away from cases with doors.

You could certainly do worse than Lian-Li, Yate Loon and Thermalright.

IMHO of course.

 

[vvs_75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can say how much you want to spend it would be much easier to recommend a complete parts list, soup to nuts, that will give you the best bang for the buck within your budget.

I like the clean and elegant look of Lian Li cases, especially LIAN LI PC-7B with two 120mm fans. I will look at other Lian Li cases from the links you provided as well.


I see that you like Thermalright SI128 cooler. I checked Newegg rating and best rating goes to ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler which is cost the same as SI128 cooler. My guess that the SI128 quieter and have more fans options?

Also since Corsair 520W PSU quieter then 400W, could be 620W even quieter?

At this point I just bought AES16 soundcard and trying to decide which case to get. So I am looking to spend about $700 for the rest remain components. If spending few extra $$ give me less noisy system that’s fine since I won’t do upgrades for a long time.

Thanks

 

[Hookem]

Do you want quiet ???

Or virtual silence ???

The systems I build are high end gaming, video editing, rendering and CAD machines.

So quiet they are...Silent ???

I dont think so.

Hard to make a overclocked, dual video card machine that is run for days at a time silent.

Just listening to music is not real taxing on a system...So "near" silence is achievable.

You start rendering in 3d Studio Max...Or gaming for 48hrs without stopping and heat really comes into play.

You start taking performance hits when the temps get up to a certain temperature.

I do have clients that are CEO, CFO type guys who want everything...And quiet is one of those things.

Never had any complaints from guys who want quiet...I just tell them straight up if they want some hot-rod computer it will not be silent up front.

Back in the day we built them by turning the case into swiss cheese and throwing a fan in every hole...And they were loud...I have found there is a difference...There is sound from a computer that can be annoying.

But if the only thing you are hearing is the air moving through the case and some very slight fan sound it is usually not annoying.

Certainly at low enough dba that if you are playing music at even low volumes you cannot really hear it.

It is certainly easy to get a very quiet computer that will perform at extremley high levels...I mean dual or quad's running all cores at 100% with very good temps overclocked with overclocked video cards to boot.

Zalman has cut their teeth in the computer world making quiet components.

The Theramlright stuff falls right in line with Lian-Li...The build quality and mounting hardware is just jaw dropping compared to just about any other manufacturer.

Fans are a very objective thing...That is why Thermalright does not sell them I guess...You pick the fan for you paticular application.

I have used many Zalman sinks per customer request...But if I make up the parts list...Thermalright.

I can tell you one thing...Newegg hardware evaluations should not be taken with even one grain of salt.

Stick with some of the many very good forums that excellent advice can be had from guys that have forgotten more about computer than I will ever know...And I have 7 years building box's under my belt.

 

[Kilane]

There's a lot of video cards and such with fan-less heatsinks that might be suitable as long as you're not planning on taxing anything.

I love Lian Li, but if you're looking for cheap you can probably get a solid body case for cheaper, depends on what your budget is.

As far as component recommendation, Rosewill's PSU's (the bargain ones on Newegg) actually hold up to load pretty well, don't blow a ton of money on "expensive RAM" unless you're deciding to run with DDR 3... and make sure you don't get sucked into thinking that the more cores the better. Nothing out there can use that kind of architecture effectively in apps... yet.

 

[Hookem]

As far as the Zalman you mention from newegg.

It has a 92m/m fan...I can assure you that you want a sink with a 120m/m fan.

80m/m and 92m/m fans have a annoyance factor that 120's have much less of.

Way more cfm versus dba with 120's.

I can assure you this...Newegg's customer evaluations should not be taken with even one grain of salt.

I usually will find the loudest component and 5 or 7 volt the fans to get a good balance between them and the loudest component.

I hate fan controllers...Just way too unreliable...And a nightmare when it comes to wire managemnet...I'm not down with rat's nest in my build's...They have to look "professional" when you crack the case open.

The Corsair power supply's are not the quietest around...But very quiet and the build quality is very good...Most of them are made by Seasonic to their specs...Funny thing PC Power & Cooling are no doubt top of the heap in the supply world...But their "Silencer" series with one 80m/m fan will run you outta the house when you start putting the tax on your box.

I have used the 520, 550, 620, 650 and the 750 Corsairs and they are very quiet compared to most supply's I have used and that is most of them on the market...Get around to trying the latest and greatest at one time or another and I like em !!!