Opinions on this quiet build?

[Bejitto]

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[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The 2500K would probably give you better resale value for a little bit more $, but if you have a MicroCenter near-by & a state tax of ~ 7%, you can probably save 6$ off that 200$ proposal and pick a 2500k for 194$ after tax.

 

[Bejitto]

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[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Ontario, Canada. 13% tax here. My local store is Canada Computers, which for the most part has been beating Newegg.

Sorry you don't have a MC nearby

 

[fffblackmage]

I think you're better off with a much cheaper PSU. I currently have the P183 with a 'cheap' Antec Neo Eco 400C. I cannot hear the PSU. In fact, the loudest components are the two case fans the P183 came with (CPU heatsink is fanless).

 

[Zap]

Hello Bejitto, and welcome to AnandTech Forums.

The goal is a quiet PC, with the ability to turn into a gaming rig down the road if I choose to add a GPU. No SLI / Crossfire, though. No overclocking. No flashy LEDs or anything either, I hate that stuff.

Sounds good!

I chose the Antec P183 because of all the reviews I've gone through on the P180/182/183, and my attraction to it. Seems like a great investment.

There are other cases that are not flashy and are quiet, such as the Fractal Design Define R3 and Lian Li PC-B25 series.

In fact, since your chosen motherboard is micro ATX, why not go with a micro ATX case? Antec makes the Mini P180 and Fractal Design makes the Define Mini. Both are micro ATX cases that have similar features and looks to their larger brethren, but are downsized a bit. With only one HDD and no graphics card, basically it will just be a big, empty box.

The H67 motherboard was chosen because of the need for using the IGP. This, along with no desire for overclocking or Crossfire / SLI, meant I didn't need to bother with a P67 board.

How soon are you buying? The reason I ask is because there's a rumor that motherboards based on the newer Z68 chipset will be available on May 8th.

I could've chosen the i5-2500K over the i5-2400, but I didn't really see it being worth the extra $30. I still may change my mind and bump up to the i5-2500 or K. It'd give me the HD-3000 IGP that way.

That's what I'd recommend, just for the better IGP. Depending on what games you play in the future, you may not even need to add a graphics card. HD 3000 is around the performance of a Radeon 5450.

 

[Bejitto]

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[Doclife]

Quote:
There are other cases that are not flashy and are quiet, such as the Fractal Design Define R3 and Lian Li PC-B25 series.

In fact, since your chosen motherboard is micro ATX, why not go with a micro ATX case? Antec makes the Mini P180 and Fractal Design makes the Define Mini. Both are micro ATX cases that have similar features and looks to their larger brethren, but are downsized a bit. With only one HDD and no graphics card, basically it will just be a big, empty box.
I have considered a number of other cases. I chose not to go with the P180 because of the lack of cable management, as well as all the improvements the P183 brought to the table. The Fractal R3 was probably my 2nd choice, but I had trouble locating it in Canada (Newegg.ca, NCIX, Canada Computers). The Solo and Sonata I just wasn't as impressed with as the P183. The Lian Li B25 I'd seen, but for roughly the same cost or more, I was more interested visually and physically in the P183. I consider the case a long term investment, and the only part that actually has to appeal to me visually. I know it'll be a big empty box, but I have the option to expand it later on with a GPU, Sound Card, additional HDDs/SSDs, etc.

I think Zap means the Mini P180 not the regular P180. They are 2 entirely different cases. Review of the Mini P180

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article810-page1.html

 

[mfenn]

I had considered cheaper alternatives (such as the Antec TP 650 @ $70), but I wasn't able to find anything I was happy with, nor anything that was also fully modular.

Can you be more specific here? There is really no reason to be spending $130 on a PSU for this system, and here's why:
- The fact that the PSU doesn't run the fan below 20% load is irrelevant. The other fans in the case, (and on the CPU itself!) will be louder.
- Fully-modular is irrelevant in an ATX case. The P183 in particular has plenty of room above the PSU to bundle excess cables.

Do as fffblackmage suggests and get a Neo Eco 400C or 520C. You can spend the savings on places that do matter such as getting a quieter HSF or towards an SSD.