Buidling a QUIET PC - little help pls!

[DrowningInTheBS]

hey - I've seen some really helpful posts here regarding the DFI LanParty boards. I really like 'em, but have concerns when it comes to Quiet computing. The DFI looks like Big Trouble when it comes to fitting a large aftermarket cooler. I need a new pc, and don't much care what it costs - I think the bang for buck these days is amazing. Here's the catch... gotta be high performance - gotta be quiet. I have a sony viao desktop replacement that sounds like the space shuttle taking off L-O-U-D !!

[spazmire11]

well i have a dfi and a xp-90c with a 30cfm fan on it and my temps are GREAT!

tho i have a 3000+

if you are realy serious about quiet try water cooling its great for temps and sound! as far as dfi's space problem, dont worry too much

[ripken204]

if u want quiet thenu need a good case and this one is the bets ive seen

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811129154

you can put 3 120mm fans in here too, just get a fan controller

and the dfi nf4 boards are compatible with all of the good heatsink like the xp-90 and xp-120

if u wanted to dish out the money then you could get watercooling

[DrowningInTheBS]

Thanks for that spazmire11 - I am looking to use one of the higher end AMD chips though (I think one of the toledo cored X2's). I do like the XP-90C, but not sure if it will cut it for noise once a suitable fan goes on top... TPD of the X2 chips is in the order of 110watts...

[DrowningInTheBS]

Yep - I've seen some other posts (from you I think) about the Antec cases, and agree they are great performers. What do you think about about the Coolermaster Stacker? Too much gun?

[DigeratiPrime]

get a shuttle xpc, its amazingly quiet and cool.

[svasutin]

I think the biggest sources of fan noise are the video card and chipset fans. Hence, get an ATI AIW 2006 edition (256 MB AGP 8x NO FAN) and a board without chipset fans.

From there look into Antec True Power II 550 (2 fan) power supply. Finally you should be down to case + cpu fan (and the fan on your optical device, which you can't control). For these fans look for settings under 25 dB(A).

As for hard drives, rumor has it, SATA is quieter than ATA/100/133.

Don't get hung up on dB(A). If you ever watch late night tv, then you know commercials are usually louder, even though the dBA (volume) is the same. The difference is in the pitch/frequency. 60 Hz at 34 dBA is quieter and much less annoying than 1kHz at 34 dBA. Less fans = slightly less noise; removing or adding one fan typically cannot be heard (3 dBA difference for two identical fans).

As for Cool, remember, in Las Vegas, they have days at 117 F ~ 47 C, and computers still run. Since you really can't cool more than your surrounding, shoot for 50-55 C (I know people are going to think I'm nuts).

Having your case closed adds 5-10 C depending upon a small/mid/full tower, but decreases the pitch, and hence the noise, of fans.

[DrowningInTheBS]

This is great stuff! Thanks for the detail - much appreciated. Any Coolers you'd recommend? Any mobo's?

[ripken204]

Yep - I've seen some other posts (from you I think) about the Antec cases, and agree they are great performers. What do you think about about the Coolermaster Stacker? Too much gun?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the cm stacker is an amazing case too, if you have the space for it. it can keep your comp very cool b/c of how big it is and b/c of all the fans you can put in it but it will be loud.

what else do you plan on getting?

Edited August 17, 2005 by ripken204

[DrowningInTheBS]

Looks like the DFI mobo is *almost* a lock... wrt your earlier comments I am not keen on water cooling - water and electricity never go well together in my experience! Too risky.

-Some case - LianLi/ Antec/ CM

-Baracuda drives * 4 in raid config

- said drives in SilentMax housings or similar

- a few 120mm quiet fans - panaflow / zalman

- mebee the xc-120 cooler, but I like the design of the zalman

- 2Gb ram to start

- like the pioneer d/l dvd

- no idea about the video card... none at all. Something with grunt, I'm most likely going to be video editing.

- sound?? no idea here either

- screen - no idea (recurring theme)

- k/b, blah blah bits - no idea

- a header unit to connect to stereo in living room - to pipe music and sound out there... no idea - mebee the roku labs bit.

- a divorce lawyer shd round out the package nicely

[DrowningInTheBS]

... and the PSU.. I think svasutin hit the nail on the head with the Antec 550.

[ripken204]

dont get the zalman, its kinda loud compared to the xp-90 which is what you want

take a look at the nec3540 for the dvd burner

panaflo fans all the way, get a fan controller tho

if u dont care about the vid card then you can just get a cheap 9800 or something like that

if you want good sound the get the audigy 2 zs

what size monitor you want, lcd or crt, and how much u wna spend

and that antec TPII will suite you just fine

[DrowningInTheBS]

Thinking a 23" lcd should cut it for screen power. I like fan control to be totally auto - the machine will be running all the time - when I'm not using it the machine will be finding a cure for cancer (scrn saver) - this can cause a pc to overhead superfast.

[svasutin]

Actually, only the 2006 ed. does not have a fan. You might need to look into the ati 9600 to avoid the fan.

[dale5605]

If you want a really good cpu cooler that is ultra quiet look no further than this:

http://www.xoxide.com/zalman-7700-cu-cpu-cooler.html

I have it and I can't even hear it on full blast. Cools great, the temps speak for themselves.

Also, I have a DFI lanparty NF4 ultra-D. The zalman fits perfectly on the board. The 4th ram slot is slightly obstructed though. If you install the ram in that slot prior to the zalman you'll be fine. Although, with a little effort I was able to get a stick of ram into the 4th slot with the zalman already installed.