Need help with the best parts for silent pc

[drbiehl1979]

hello all,
I am looking to build a new system that will act as an MP3 server/DVR appliance. I need it to be quiet since it will be near my home theater system, but fast enough to encode mpeg 2 on the fly. So the question is what processor should i get? i need it to be fast, but run cool so i will not need a HUGE heat sink/noisy fan. I was also wondering what motherboard recomondations you have. I am looking for extremely stable motherboard (not to hard these days) that has everything on board. I dont know if any have this feature, but do any have TV out on the motherboard?? I was also wondering about cooling. Again on the quiet theme, will two, maybe 3 quiet case fans do the trick? any input will be greatly appreciated.



thanks in advance

danny

 

[DaveSimmons]

www.silentpcreview.com has good reviews, recommendations, and forums on being vewwy vewwy qwiet.

For recording, you probably want an intel 2.0a - 2.4c and either retail HSF or many the new zalman alcu (review on SPCR main page). intel mobos aren't the fastest, but stable and have passive cooling.

Antec Sonata or SLK3700 case if tower, desktop maybe a cooler master 620 and a quiet power supply. Some quiet and possibly undervolted fans, either the Leadtek card (search in Hot Deals for the million-post thread) or maybe an ATI AllInWonder.

ps if they are your CDs not "shared" and you can afford it, FLAC is a lossless audio format with true CD quality, but it requires about 1 GB per 3.5 CDs

 

[magomago]

For the processor I'd reccomend the beat of a heatsink: SLK-900u. Obviously you will be going Intel due to encoding video and since they have a greater heat surface which doesn't have the heat as concentrated as AMD.

But see if you can get away with a slk900 and a 2.4c running at stock...

 

[yabanci]

I just built a pc with silence being a primary consideration for each component. This is what I ended up getting:

Epox 8RDA+ nforce2 motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton processor
Spire Falconrock II heatsink/fan (2300 rpm @ 25 dba)
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160gb ata/133 7200
Antec Sonata case

total price, including all tax and shipping: $507

I was skeptical as to whether the Antec Sonata would really be quiet, but it really surprised me. It is soooo much quieter than my old pc, and a good deal at $104 shipped at amazon.

I used the stock AMD heatsink/fan for two weeks, then installed the Spire and basically what sound I still heard was gone.

Now the only time I hear the pc is when I'm sitting next to it in the middle of the night and everything is dead quiet, which I'm happy with because you will never ever get a truely silent pc.

As someone else mentioned, silentpcreview.com is a good resource (make sure to check the forums there too).

 

[RalfHutter]

I'm building a quiet P4"C" -based rig right now.

I'm running a 2.4C on an Intel 875PBZ MoBo. Heatsink is a SLK900(U) with a 92mm Panaflo L1A running at about 8 volts. Depending on the ambient temps in here (which run fron low 70°F to mid 90°F this time of year) the CPU idles at 27-39°C and it's Prime95 load temps run 44-51°C.

My case is the Antec SLK3700 with one 120mm Panaflo L1A running at 5 volts as the exhaust fan. PSU is a Nexus 3000.

This is an extremely quiet, extremely powerful rig that would do exactly what you need.

 

[bluemax]

I'm glad to see more info on silent running. My Shuttle XPC really disappointed me... I was expecting quiet but it's NOT.
I'll be moving on to a quieter machine whether I have to build it myself or get a barebone.

It looks like I won't be quite as concerned about portability as I used to, so the MicroATX form factor is good.... I might not go SFF the next time around.

 

[chocoruacal]

Do a search. Visit the Case and Cooling or Whatever section. This is probably the easiest problem that is most asked about around forums like this.

1. Buy a quiet PS, or mod one with quiet fans.
2. Buy a Themralright sink...the biggest one that will fit.
3. NMB 80mm or Panaflo for the sink.
4. Couple of NMB fans.

There, you're done. My HTPC uses a NMB on the cooler and a POS CompUSA PS. No case fans. Can't hear it from more than a foot away.