New Build: Smaller, Not Slower

[Piano Man]

My goal for this build, is to basically go as small as possible, without sacrificing speed or noise. I won't use newegg, but its a nice place to piece it out, so I used it for just an initial look at cost. This will possibly turn into an eyefinity setup eventually, and be used for gaming, music recording/listening, as well as every day stuff.

I'm hoping to hit 4.5GHz while keeping the system to around 20db from 2-3 ft away (the GPU makes me a little nervous, but I love the out the back design).

The eClaro Sound Card choice is because its tiny, is PCIe, allows for swap-able OPAMPs for Headphone listening, as well as good specs for recording, listening, gaming. I have the Creative Titanium HD, and I'll never buy creative again for its driver support (lack there of).

MoBo is pricey, but it's got an intel NIC on it, and seems to have the best OC specs of the mATX Z68 MoBos. It also has USB 3 Onboard as well for the Front jacks.

Even though the case is mATX, it will fit the Noctua NH-D14 as long as you use 2.5" HDDs in the drive cage (I'll have one SSD in there). The 3.5" 2GB WD Black will be on the bottom slot, away from harms way. Its also a really shallow case that will allow me to put it nicely in a slot under my desk. The case must stay

PS choice was because its only 160mm deep as well as completely modular, and great efficiency rating. And its Corsair. Love their PS's.

Let me know what you think.

Case:
SILVERSTONE Temjin Series TJ08B-E Black Aluminum front panel, steel body MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163182
$99.00

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070
$314.99

HS&F:
Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018
$85.87

TIM:
Indigo Xtreme for Intel Core i5/i7 Processors LGA1156 / LGA1155 socket
http://www.petrastechshop.com/inxtforincoi.html
$18.99

MoBo:
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131759
$172.99

RAM:
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231461
$59.99

GPU:
SAPPHIRE Toxic 100312TXSR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102951
$269.99

Sound Card:
HT | OMEGA eClaro 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829271006
$184.99

SSD
Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148443
$390.99

HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136792
$134.99

Optical Drive:
SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Combo SATA Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151222
$59.99

PS:
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139016
$169.99

Case Fan:
Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608004
$24.99


$1,987.76

 

[Blain]

If you're going to be doing audio recording, check out the M-Audio 1010LT

 

[Zap]

Here are my suggestions.

Case:
SILVERSTONE Temjin Series TJ08B-E Black Aluminum front panel, steel body MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163182
$99.00

Ok.

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070
$314.99

Consider the Core i5-2500k. The reason is that it is $100 less. Unless you know with absolute certainty that you require HyperThreading, the 3% extra performance does not justify the 45% extra cost. Also, they can both hit 4.5GHz overclocks.

HS&F:
Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018
$85.87

Very overkill. The Sandy Bridge CPUs don't run that hot, even when overclocked. Also, since you mentioned you want it quiet, aim for a quieter design (wider spaced fins). Here are a couple choices, but really anything over $20 will keep the 4.5GHz Sandy Bridge cool enough. The only choice is to find a "quiet" design.

Scythe Ninja SCNJ-3000
The Ninja has forever been the standard for "quiet" due to huge size + widely spaced fins. I've used them to PASSIVELY cool OVERCLOCKED dual cores. The 3000 model adds mounting support for the new sockets.

Zalman CNPS10X Quiet
Zalman makes three versions of the CNPS10X, the Extreme, Flex and Quiet. They are closely spaced fins, normal and widely spaced fins, respectively. You'd want the widely spaced fin model, AKA the "Quiet."

Heck, I'd just do the Ninja, and ditch the fan. The 120mm case fan will be right behind it, thus effectively cooling it.

TIM:
Indigo Xtreme for Intel Core i5/i7 Processors LGA1156 / LGA1155 socket
http://www.petrastechshop.com/inxtforincoi.html
$18.99

$19 wasted. 4.5GHz is hardly going to stress the cooling. Just use the TIM that comes with the heatsink.

MoBo:
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131759
$172.99

Ok.

RAM:
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231461
$59.99

Ok.

GPU:
SAPPHIRE Toxic 100312TXSR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102951
$269.99

Since you are concerned with noise, please note that these "blower" style coolers on graphics cards are usually the noisier ones. Since you want your system to be on the quieter side, shop for a card that uses dual axial fans such as this Sapphire card. I also see Powercolor, XFX, MSI and Asus all offering similar dual fan designs for 2GB 6950 cards.

Sound Card:
HT | OMEGA eClaro 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829271006
$184.99

You should at least consider using onboard audio. Onboard audio has come a LONG way in the past few years, plus your motherboard choice has premium onboard audio which is supposed to be better than most. Since you come from an X-Fi, note that Creative Labs tunes their OpAmps for a particular sound, so if you consider that sound to be your gold standard, then nothing else will sounds as "good." Since a sound card is so easy to add in, trying out onboard audio is a simple, no-cost way to see if you can save some money. Let your ears tell you if you need to spend another $185. Don't spend that $185 just because you think it will be better based on experiences from years ago with onboard audio.

SSD
Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148443
$390.99

Ok.

HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136792
$134.99

Consider the Hitachi 3TB 5400RPM drives for these reasons.
1) WD Caviar Black drives are the NOISIEST desktop drives on the market, by far. They are even noisier than VelociRaptors. They are tuned for very aggressive seeks, which means you hear the rattling of the heads. This makes them very good drives for running applications from due to faster seeks, but since you will be using an SSD this issue is moot.
2) You get 50% more space for less money.
3) Even though 5400RPM, due to high platter density the drive can still outperform lesser 7200RPM drives, such as the WD Caviar Blue.
4) Quieter.

Optical Drive:
SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Combo SATA Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151222
$59.99

Ok.

PS:
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139016
$169.99

You can save money (depending on deals) by getting the SeaSonic X750. It is the same PSU, for a few bucks less. Alternately, you can save even more money by getting something like this SeaSonic 560W unit to save $40. Your proposed rig would probably run great on 450W, so 750W is vast overkill.

Case Fan:
Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608004
$24.99

I would choose another fan, more specifically one with PWM control. This way it can be run off a motherboard header and change in speed automatically based on temperature. This $10 fan would suffice, but really anything that is PWM and has a max RPM under 1400 or so would suffice.

By following my suggestions, the system would be under $1600 for 98% the performance at 80% the cost. More importantly, it will be more quiet.

 

[Ken g6]

I won't use newegg

Why not? Where are you?

I'm not seeing a reason to get a 2600k over a 2500k here, unless some audio processing that I don't know about is particularly multi-core intensive.

 

[piasabird]

I came accross this case on the Missing Remote Site link from a post on their forum:

http://www.shop.perfecthometheater....play-right-button-Silver-HTPC-M10-ND-rb-S.htm

Interesting site? This is a little bit expensive.

 

[Piano Man]

Why not? Where are you?

I'm not seeing a reason to get a 2600k over a 2500k here, unless some audio processing that I don't know about is particularly multi-core intensive.

Los Angeles.

I'm pretty set on the 2600k. I'll have a couple VMs with CentOS and Fedora as well.

Zap - I actually already have the Noctua and Indigo Xtreme, so I'll be transferring them over. I'm a huge fan of rear exhaust video card, especially in this tight case. Although, I totally agree that it tends to be louder, this is actually a custom cooler that has been reviewed as being quieter than the stock rear exhaust ones.

As far as the sound card goes, I do agree about onboard for most things, but I can't live without the swappable OPAMP. The multi I/O is nice since I have a few instruments going into it as well.

I've had M-Audio in the past, and like creative, I don't want to deal with their driver support anymore.

Those PS's are nice, I'll look into it.

I'll also look into that 3TB drive as well.

 

[Piano Man]

I came accross this case on the Missing Remote Site link from a post on their forum:

http://www.shop.perfecthometheater....play-right-button-Silver-HTPC-M10-ND-rb-S.htm

Interesting site? This is a little bit expensive.

Nice case. Its a little too small for what I want to do though.

 

[mfenn]

Overall, I agree with Zap.

I'm pretty set on the 2600k. I'll have a couple VMs with CentOS and Fedora as well.

If a "couple" means 2 or 3 running simultaneously, then the i5 2500 will handle that with aplomb. Any more than that, and you need to spend the money on RAM before you spend it on the CPU.

Zap - I actually already have the Noctua and Indigo Xtreme, so I'll be transferring them over.

Just as an FYI, you should probably mention which parts you already own so that we don't factor them into the budget.

I'm a huge fan of rear exhaust video card, especially in this tight case. Although, I totally agree that it tends to be louder, this is actually a custom cooler that has been reviewed as being quieter than the stock rear exhaust ones.

I'm a little worried that you're going to be able to hit your 20dB target with any sort of high-end GPU. As a reference, my P182 with all Noctua fans and a 6950 2GB is 30dB from 3 feet, with the vast majority of the noise coming from the GPU.

As far as the sound card goes, I do agree about onboard for most things, but I can't live without the swappable OPAMP. The multi I/O is nice since I have a few instruments going into it as well.

I'm curious why you say that you need the swappable OPAMP? If you already have a card with one, you might as well just migrate that over.

 

[Piano Man]

Overall, I agree with Zap.



If a "couple" means 2 or 3 running simultaneously, then the i5 2500 will handle that with aplomb. Any more than that, and you need to spend the money on RAM before you spend it on the CPU.



Just as an FYI, you should probably mention which parts you already own so that we don't factor them into the budget.



I'm a little worried that you're going to be able to hit your 20dB target with any sort of high-end GPU. As a reference, my P182 with all Noctua fans and a 6950 2GB is 30dB from 3 feet, with the vast majority of the noise coming from the GPU.



I'm curious why you say that you need the swappable OPAMP? If you already have a card with one, you might as well just migrate that over.

I have a nice OPAMP that I use now for headphone listening, and I need a soundcard that I can put it into. This is that card, plus its low profile (won't impede the fan intake of the 6950), and I've seen good reviews about their driver support, unlike Creative's.

I agree on the GPU thing for sure. My 5850 is definitely the loudest thing on my current system unless the fan is under 33%, which prohibits overclocking. Since my current vidcard is rear exhaust as well, and this one has a custom cooler that has gotten positive review, I'm hopeful though

I know, I know about the 2600k Let me sleep on it. Its so hard to go lower in cores from where I am now .

 

[mfenn]

I know, I know about the 2600k Let me sleep on it. Its so hard to go lower in cores from where I am now .

It's not really lower in cores, just lower in pixie dust fake cores.

 

[Zap]

I agree on the GPU thing for sure. My 5850 is definitely the loudest thing on my current system unless the fan is under 33%, which prohibits overclocking. Since my current vidcard is rear exhaust as well, and this one has a custom cooler that has gotten positive review, I'm hopeful though

Have you seen how tiny the rear exhaust is due to the extra DVI port? The dual fan cards will still run cooler and quieter even without the exhaust. Actually, it has the same rear exhaust, just that heat can go out the other way too. Oh yeah, I botched the link in the previous post so here it is.

I know, I know about the 2600k Let me sleep on it. Its so hard to go lower in cores from where I am now .

They are both quad cores. What's the issue?