• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Building a quiet computer, some gaming, recommendations?

M

Maverick2002

Diamond Member
I'm going to be putting together a new system piece by piece. Most of my out-of-work computer time is spent on the internet with some office tasks. Occasionally I need to do something in Photoshop. I don't play games, but I will probably get a copy of SC2 and D3 once they're released for a play-through or two since I'm a fan of Blizzard games (just don't have time to play them).

I'm partial towards Intel/NVIDIA.

There's no definite budget for this system. I realize that an Atom system with XP is sufficient for internet browsing, but I like my systems responsive and given that I'm bad about closing windows I don't use, something that can multi-task decently.

Without going into details, I do have some limitations:

-No SSD.
-No high-end hardware.
-No "gaming" graphics card. I will get one later.
-No aftermarket cooling.

I have:

-Case (CM Cosmos ... what a beauty).
-Power Supply (Corsair 650watt).
-Keyboard/mouse/speakers.
-24" 1920x1200 BenQ LCD.
-19" Samsung 940N LCD (secondary, seldom used).
-WD Caviar Black 750GB HDD.
-DVD-RW.

So I'm really looking for:

-CPU
-Motherboard
-RAM
-Graphics card

I'd like this system to be as quiet as possible. Doesn't have to be silent, but the quieter the better. I'd prefer to have a passively-cooled graphics card. There are some G2xx cards that could fit the bill. It would be nice to get one with dual DVI, but it seems like I'm going to be heavily limited trying to find a card that's both passively cooled and has two of these ports.

For CPU/motherboard I'm thinking an i3/i5 on a 1156. How quiet/loud/cool/hot are the new stock Intel HSFs?

RAM, start off with 2x2GB DDR3.

Are there any particulars you recommend/I should look out for? Also, what CPU should I get? Keep in mind this is mostly for tons of open browser windows (a lot of them media rich and poorly programmed), occasional movie watching, and possible gaming down the road.
 
You can probably go cheap with an AMD build if all you're looking for is browsing. I dunno if SC2 or D3 is gonna be CPU-heavy, but I doubt it. I know you're partial to Intel, but for what you need, you can't beat cheap. i5 does give you that turbo, but you wouldn't need it...I guess your choices would really depend on whether your use of this build stays the same (other than gaming more, which is just an addition of a GPU).

If you want a cheap video card, Anandtech has the article on the perfect HTPC card, should take a look at that. One of the low end 5xxx from ATi doesn't use a lot of power and doesn't require a 6-pin, but you should read the AT article. I skimmed it lightly.

And I JUST read the last line, so I'm gonna probably recommend the Propus from AMD. sub-$100 quad-core is really hard to beat. That, Gigabyte UD3P (forget SATA and USB 3 if you're planning this soon), G.Skill ECO 1333.

Otherwise, if you are intent on a 1156 platform, i5-750 + UD2 + ECO. Just make sure you pick based on what you need.
 
I put the SAPPHIRE 100255HDMI Radeon HD 4670 fanless card in my re-built rig so I could play games, and it has proven to be an excellent card. Sure, i had to add a case fan to pump out the heat the card and my Phenom II X4 generate when I am going full-tilt at COD4, but with the speakers up (or with headphones), I don' t hear any system noise. When I am just cruising the web or working in Photoshop, I can run my CPU fan at 80%, nearly silent. I think I've managed to get the best compromise possible between performance (when I need it), cooling, and noise. Good luck.
 
You'll probably want a Radeon 5450. It's got all of the decoding goodies of the 5000 series, but will be passively cooled.

An AMD CPU isn't a bad idea. However, if you want to go Intel, be aware that the stock 1156 cooler sucks majorly in the sound department. You'll want to go with an aftermarket tower-style cooler that can mount a 120mm fan. Then stick a Noctua on it and you're golden.

For CPU, an i5 750 will serve you nicely, especially with your Photoshop requirement. For people who like to have 11ty bazillion browser windows open, I recommend going with 8GB of RAM, as browsers are memory hogs and hitting the page file is no fun.
 
mfenn said:
You'll probably want a Radeon 5450. It's got all of the decoding goodies of the 5000 series, but will be passively cooled.

An AMD CPU isn't a bad idea. However, if you want to go Intel, be aware that the stock 1156 cooler sucks majorly in the sound department. You'll want to go with an aftermarket tower-style cooler that can mount a 120mm fan. Then stick a Noctua on it and you're golden.

For CPU, an i5 750 will serve you nicely, especially with your Photoshop requirement. For people who like to have 11ty bazillion browser windows open, I recommend going with 8GB of RAM, as browsers are memory hogs and hitting the page file is no fun.
Click to expand...

Too lazy to find and correct my post above, but I'm gonna go ahead and + on the 8g of RAM for extreme multi-tasking. Sometimes I forget I'm running 8g and not 4g, so I think super multi-tasking is OK with 4...
 
I am building a system for similiar needs and went with a Gigabyte H55m USB30 board and an i-650 chip so I can use the built in video. Board has half, cpu has half, so they must be compatible.

If that is not enough, I will add a passive Video card I have.
 
Is getting an H55/57 board with an on-package chip sufficient for my needs? Also, how does that limit me in the future with regards to using discreet video cards? 750 is still a bit pricey for me. i3-530 looks more reasonable. How loud/hot do they run?
 
Very cool. Cool enough that a decent tower heatsink (its silly to rule out aftermarket cooling if you're going for quiet) ought to run it passively. Combine that with a low speed intake and exhaust 120mm fans, and a AC Accelero S1 with a slow fan strapped on for the GPU ,and you're good to go for quiet.
 
When you get a discrete card, it's a big jump up in power consumption.
Passively cooled discrete/motherboard graphics with dual dvi is easy to find. In the case of motherboard graphics you will normally get dvi+hdmi and you can adapt the hdmi to dvi. (The dvi is not always dual link so bear that in mind.)

Your existing components are overpowered for your use (gaming aside). Really you don't need a big box or more than 100W.

Make do with the PSU fan or add a silent case fan. Find a motherboard with good fan controls so you can turn them off as necessary; check SPCR on this. Make sure the HDD is decoupled from the case. If you do everything properly the HDD will be the hardest component to silence.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top