I want to build an extra quiet gaming rig

[Endelm]

Hi,

I'm eating and sleeping in the same room that my computer is in.

I'm gonna buy 8800gt but haven't decided yet on the motherboard and cpu.

What motherboard/cpu would you recommend and what cooling would give me the most SILENT system?

Thank you.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Budget? My rig in sig is pretty quiet. I sleep right beside my PC too.

 

[JBDan]

So many configurations you can go for these days. A mobo with passive NB & SB cooling is a must IMO. A solid case with soft mounts for the HD's. Low rpm 120mm's placed optimally with smart cable management. A quality quiet PSU. SPCR is a great place to start if you want uber quiet. Personal experience (because noise is so subjective to the user) is the "be all" in the end.

Building a "silent" pc can get as addictive as OC'ing. In the end, researching and reading will get you close or at where you want to be. Some say that you can't achieve a mid/high-end gaming rig that is quiet/silent. With a little research and planning (and sometimes a little extra $$) it's easy as cake.

Like jmm asked, what is your budget and further, what all hardware are you planning on using?

 

[Zap]

Hey Endelm, welcome to the forums.

Once you make a quiet system, the video card will become the noisiest part.

Motherboard... anything with no chipset fan. Example: $70 AR for Abit IP-35E (now OOS at Newegg).

CPU... anything current and not overclocked, such as Core 2 Duo E6750 $190 @Newegg with free Corsair RAM after combo rebate (click on Combo Deals at bottom).

Cool with a Scythe Ninja heatsink with no fan, around $40.

Use a case like the Antec Solo, leave the included Tricool fan on low or replace with undervolted Yate Loon. Suspend your hard drives using included mouting options. I think Frys.com has it for $45 after rebate.

Get a Seasonic or Corsair PSU. The Corsair 450VX is usually around $80.

Enjoy listening to your video card fan. $Priceless.

 

[Sheninat0r]

Corsairs are pretty loud - I'd go with a Seasonic S12 for max quietness.

And, for video cards, you could always load it up with an HR-03...

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
Corsairs are pretty loud - I'd go with a Seasonic S12 for max quietness.

Heh, that's one of the most ridiculous statements that I have seen all year. Since when is 22dB considered loud? The VX450 is based on the S12 II platform and uses the same Adda 120mm fan.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article753-page3.html

The HX series is just as quiet.

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
Corsairs are pretty loud - I'd go with a Seasonic S12 for max quietness.

And, for video cards, you could always load it up with an HR-03...

There were some random complaints on the web on the HX620 & 5xx where the fan had a whine to it. Isolated at best. They are extremely quiet PSU's

 

[RallyMaster]

Originally posted by: JBDan

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
Corsairs are pretty loud - I'd go with a Seasonic S12 for max quietness.

And, for video cards, you could always load it up with an HR-03...

There were some random complaints on the web on the HX620 & 5xx where the fan had a whine to it. Isolated at best. They are extremely quiet PSU's

HX520 has some whine once you put your CPU on maximum load for 3 hours straight. Other than that it's quieter than a mouse.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster

Originally posted by: JBDan

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
Corsairs are pretty loud - I'd go with a Seasonic S12 for max quietness.

And, for video cards, you could always load it up with an HR-03...

There were some random complaints on the web on the HX620 & 5xx where the fan had a whine to it. Isolated at best. They are extremely quiet PSU's

HX520 has some whine once you put your CPU on maximum load for 3 hours straight. Other than that it's quieter than a mouse.

I've got an HX520 in my rig and have never once heard a whine from it when running stress prime for 12+ hours. The people that have noisy units are in fact isolated incidents.

 

[wwswimming]

the Noctua NH-U12 is very quiet.

Xoxide has them for about $65.
http://www.xoxide.com/noctua-nh-u12-cooler.html

Frostytech rates them close to the TR-120/120E, but
there are no reports of flatness problems with the
Noctua, as there are with the TR-120's.

http://www.frostytech.com/arti...iew.cfm?articleID=1923

 

[MarcVenice]

Hmz, I got a antec p182 with a overclocked CPU, at idle or even when not doing to much, the arctic freezer pro won't rev up at all, and thus is inaudible. So an aftermarket heatsink is a must. The antec tricools are also really quiet when they are on low. I've replaced my chipset cooling with a thermaltake extreme spirit II cooler, which is also inaudible. Both HD's are suspended and I went with the samsung t166 spinpoint 500gb, because it's one the most quiet HD's out there in it's price range. Only HD's that can match it at 750-1000gb HD's. Perhaps you maybe be better of with the HD3870 which is quieter then the 8800gt, is it not ? Although I'm not sure how loud the 8800gt is, because I can't hear my 8800gts 320mb at all. Then there's the PSU, and with the 450vx based on the s12 II series, then it's probably one of the quietest PSU's you can buy, save for the s12 II psu's themself. That should do for a nearly silent rig, that can be slept next too with ease.