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Quiet[er] case and PSU suggestions needed

I

igor01

Member
I will be building me a new system to replace my Northwood setup that served me well for over 3 years 🙂

The new machine will have an Intel 975XBX mobo, Intel E6600 Conroe and an Nvidia 7950 video card. I'll need a beefy PSU to run this setup but I would really like to build something quieter this time around. My old system is housed in an old Thermaltake case with a bunch of fans that provide for good airflow but I am really tired of the noise levels, the PSU is an Enermax 470 and is pretty noisy too.

I've been out of the overclocking game for a few years now and didn't keep up with all the latest developments. Any suggestions on a quieter case, a PSU and any other ways to keep the noise down would be greatly appreciated.
 
Seasonic S12-500 in a P180 should do it.

EDIT: P180B is the new revision. It's got a few improvements, and IMO it looks better than the standard one.
 
The 7950 exhausts heat out of the case so you could probably keep your existing case and just slow down all of the fans (Zalman Fanmates) or buy quieter fans like Nexus or Yate Loon.

The main reason to move to a new case like an Antec SLK3000 would be if your case has 80mm fan mounts instead of 120mm, since the 120mm fans run quieter for the same cooling.

Seasonic S12-430 or -500 is a good choice. The 430 is perfectly capable of powering a 7950-based system, you really only need the -500 for SLI or if you want the extra cables.
 
The S12-500 should be slightly quieter than the S12-430 since it's got bigger HSs.

EDIT: Looking at the SPCR data, it seems they're at about the same noise output. igor01, if you go with an S12, you can quiet it down just a tad if you replace the fan with a Yate Loon D12SM-12.
 
Originally posted by: Howard
The S12-500 should be slightly quieter than the S12-430 since it's got bigger HSs.
Click to expand...
Good to know, the 500 is what I have and it is quiet.

It's also more future-proof if igor01 decides to go SLI or switch to an ATI card that draws more power than the 7950.
 
I've built several very quiet machines now; almost any case can be made quiet with the right fans (Yate Loon, Panaflo). Go with a solid case with good air flow characteristics; Lian Li makes some of the best cases around so that would be my suggestion. Specifically the V600 and V1100. The P180 doesn?t particularly impress me.

For the PSU I've used Seasonic in many builds now; the S12 is the quietest actively cooled PSU currently available and it also happens to be one the best units in general. I would suggest the 380 or 430 watt model.

Other general recommendations.

1. Choose a motherboard with passive cooling, northbridge fans suck.

2. Forget the 7950; go with a X1900XT with a Zalman VF-900.

3. Skip the stock CPU cooling and go with a Zalman 9500AT, or Thermalright XP-90 / SI-120 with your choice of low speed fan.

4. Use SpeedFan or BIOS controls (if present) to lower the RPM and hence noise of your CPU and system fans at idle. Intake fans are ok to run at a fixed 5v since they have very little impact on system temps. They do however keep your HDs frosty and act as a guide for proper airflow.

Note, I believe Intel has completely switched over to 4-pin PWM CPU fans now, so you need an appropriate 4-pin PWM fan for the CPU if you hope to control its speed/noise. JMC is the only one I?ve seen show up in retail but according to those at SPCR they are very good quality low noise fans.
 
Aluminum cases tend to be louder than steel cases.

Why would you recommend the 9500 and the XP/SI when there are better choices available for quiet cooling?
 
Thanks for all the excellent input and suggestions, guys.

Operandi, I will read up on the compenents you've suggested although the X1900XT is probably not the best card for me since I run my games at 1920x1200 and the 7950 seems to do much better with AA/AF at that resolution. Upgrading my 24" LCD to a 30" is also not out of question, so my graphics card must keep up at very high resoltuions.

I suppose I also should have mentioned that the case/PSU I am looking for should be able to keep up with more obstructions to the airflow and more heat generated as the time goes. For example if the Conroe is replaced by a Kentsfield, another 7950 is added and a few more harddrives (I download a lot, already at over 1TB).

Those who recommended the S12 PSU, do you guys think that the 500W model is enough or would the 600W be a more future-proof version for possible SLI and a Quad Core CPU upgrade?

Thanks!

 
Originally posted by: Howard
Aluminum cases tend to be louder than steel cases.

Why would you recommend the 9500 and the XP/SI when there are better choices available for quiet cooling?
Click to expand...
AL tends to resonate more then steel, that?s true but the differences is insignificant in my opinion, all my builds use AL cases. Besides it really only becomes an issue in very, very low noise circumstances and it's nothing some sound dampening material can't cure.

I actually recommended the 9500 and XP, SI (with the right fan) heatsinks because I don't think there are better choices available.

Originally posted by: igor01
Thanks for all the excellent input and suggestions, guys.

Operandi, I will read up on the compenents you've suggested although the X1900XT is probably not the best card for me since I run my games at 1920x1200 and the 7950 seems to do much better with AA/AF at that resolution. Upgrading my 24" LCD to a 30" is also not out of question, so my graphics card must keep up at very high resoltuions.

I suppose I also should have mentioned that the case/PSU I am looking for should be able to keep up with more obstructions to the airflow and more heat generated as the time goes. For example if the Conroe is replaced by a Kentsfield, another 7950 is added and a few more harddrives (I download a lot, already at over 1TB).

Those who recommended the S12 PSU, do you guys think that the 500W model is enough or would the 600W be a more future-proof version for possible SLI and a Quad Core CPU upgrade?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well I don't think the 7950 and "quiet or quieter" are going to go very well together. Stock GPU fans are pretty terrible in terms of noise and the 9750 has two of them, that just can't sound good. That coupled with the fact there is no aftermarket cooling option and the 7950 doesn?t make a very good choice.

Since you seem to be going very high-end I would suggest the Lian Li PC V1100 with a pair or 120mm Yate Loons The PC-7B is also an option but not as nice looking in my opinion.

The 500 watt S12 should be plenty unless Intel's quad core CPUs are expected to draw significantly more then Core2.
 
Originally posted by: Operandi

Well I don't think the 7950 and "quiet or quieter" are going to go very well together. Stock GPU fans are pretty terrible in terms of noise and the 9750 has two of them, that just can't sound good. That coupled with the fact there is no aftermarket cooling option and the 7950 doesn?t make a very good choice.
Click to expand...

This was one of my concerns as well, however a review at GamePC seems to indicate that the 7950 GX2 is a rare animal as far as stock GPU noisy collers go:

With the nature of the product (two hot GPU's crammed together in close proximity to each other) and small, high-RPM cooling fans, we expected these cards to be screamers. However, we were extremely surprised to hear that the 7950 GX2 card is amazingly quiet. Even under heavy load, we never heard the cooler spin up to more than a very tolerable low-hum. In comparison, nVidia's superb GeForce 7900 GTX cooler is still quieter overall, although the 7950 GX2 is certainly what we would consider to be on the low-end of noise levels of modern day graphics cards. Considering the thermal environment, seeing nVidia produce such a low-noise product is really quite a feat. After seeing nVidia produce a near-silent dual-GPU product, the noise level produced by ATI's rival X1900 XT/XTX products is increasingly annoying.

Originally posted by: Operandi Since you seem to be going very high-end I would suggest the Lian Li PC V1100 with a pair or 120mm Yate Loons The PC-7B is also an option but not as nice looking in my opinion.

The 500 watt S12 should be plenty unless Intel's quad core CPUs are expected to draw significantly more then Core2.
Click to expand...

Much appreciate your suggestions, will definetely research these ones.

 
Originally posted by: igor01
Originally posted by: Operandi

Well I don't think the 7950 and "quiet or quieter" are going to go very well together. Stock GPU fans are pretty terrible in terms of noise and the 9750 has two of them, that just can't sound good. That coupled with the fact there is no aftermarket cooling option and the 7950 doesn?t make a very good choice.
Click to expand...

This was one of my concerns as well, however a review at GamePC seems to indicate that the 7950 GX2 is a rare animal as far as stock GPU noisy collers go:

With the nature of the product (two hot GPU's crammed together in close proximity to each other) and small, high-RPM cooling fans, we expected these cards to be screamers. However, we were extremely surprised to hear that the 7950 GX2 card is amazingly quiet. Even under heavy load, we never heard the cooler spin up to more than a very tolerable low-hum. In comparison, nVidia's superb GeForce 7900 GTX cooler is still quieter overall, although the 7950 GX2 is certainly what we would consider to be on the low-end of noise levels of modern day graphics cards. Considering the thermal environment, seeing nVidia produce such a low-noise product is really quite a feat. After seeing nVidia produce a near-silent dual-GPU product, the noise level produced by ATI's rival X1900 XT/XTX products is increasingly annoying.
Click to expand...

Well noise is a very subjective thing (especially when you don't take dBA readings); what?s loud to some is quiet to others. While the 7950 may be quieter then say the 1900XTX, that?s not exactly saying much.

Personally I've never heard a stock GPU HS/F I would be happy with. The Zalman VF-700 and 900 operate on a whole other acoustic level.

 
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
Aluminum cases tend to be louder than steel cases.

Why would you recommend the 9500 and the XP/SI when there are better choices available for quiet cooling?
Click to expand...
AL tends to resonate more then steel, that?s true but the differences is insignificant in my opinion, all my builds use AL cases. Besides it really only becomes an issue in very, very low noise circumstances and it's nothing some sound dampening material can't cure.

I actually recommended the 9500 and XP, SI (with the right fan) heatsinks because I don't think there are better choices available.
Click to expand...
Seriously?

For quiet cooling, you can't get much better than the Scythe Ninja (the TR Ultra-120/SI-128, Tuniq Tower 120, and TT BT perform similarly, some are better with more airflow) but it definitely takes the lead when running passively or with a very very slow fan - say, a Nexus at 5V, or any other fan with a nominal ~1000RPM at 12V.
 
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
Aluminum cases tend to be louder than steel cases.

Why would you recommend the 9500 and the XP/SI when there are better choices available for quiet cooling?
Click to expand...
AL tends to resonate more then steel, that?s true but the differences is insignificant in my opinion, all my builds use AL cases. Besides it really only becomes an issue in very, very low noise circumstances and it's nothing some sound dampening material can't cure.

I actually recommended the 9500 and XP, SI (with the right fan) heatsinks because I don't think there are better choices available.
Click to expand...
Seriously?

For quiet cooling, you can't get much better than the Scythe Ninja (the TR Ultra-120/SI-128, Tuniq Tower 120, and TT BT perform similarly, some are better with more airflow) but it definitely takes the lead when running passively or with a very very slow fan.
Click to expand...

The Ninja is probably the best passive heatsink but the SI / XP-120 perform virtually the same with a fan.
 
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article285-page5.html

See comparison 2.
Click to expand...
20 dBA is so low it might as well be 0 dBA. For all practical purposes the Ninja and SI/XP 120 perform the same, with a slight edge for the Ninja.
Click to expand...
In comparison 2, the Scythe Ninja has a 5 degree lead over the XP-120 when both are using the same fan at 12V. I'd say that's more than a slight edge.
 
Just to throw out a different opinion:

Try an Antec Sonata II. (comes with a 450w PSU and a 120mm 3 speed fan)
Put an NV Silencer on your ATI card. Install whatever Zalman you want on your CPU (make sure it comes with a Fanmate 1/2)
If you want, you can get a second 120mm fan but things will get tight.
 
Originally posted by: RedBeard
Just to throw out a different opinion:

Try an Antec Sonata II. (comes with a 450w PSU and a 120mm 3 speed fan)
Put an NV Silencer on your ATI card. Install whatever Zalman you want on your CPU (make sure it comes with a Fanmate 1/2)
If you want, you can get a second 120mm fan but things will get tight.
Click to expand...
I haven't used the Sonata II, but there are a few people (mostly on SPCR) who feel that the orientation of the HDDs in it impedes flow more than the conventional orientation. That, and the SP2 is none too quiet.
 
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article285-page5.html

See comparison 2.
Click to expand...
20 dBA is so low it might as well be 0 dBA. For all practical purposes the Ninja and SI/XP 120 perform the same, with a slight edge for the Ninja.
Click to expand...
In comparison 2, the Scythe Ninja has a 5 degree lead over the XP-120 when both are using the same fan at 12V. I'd say that's more than a slight edge.
Click to expand...

With that particular fan yes but a different fan will yield different results. My point is both offer excellent performance; I prefer Thermalright heatsinks so that?s my recommendation.
 
I haven't used the Sonata II, but there are a few people (mostly on SPCR) who feel that the orientation of the HDDs in it impedes flow more than the conventional orientation. That, and the SP2 is none too quiet.
Click to expand...

Most of us only have 1 or 2 HDD's. Given the size of the mid tower, I doubt the orientation of the drives will make a difference at all. The second optional fan is mounted behind the drive cage anyway. (if you are going to run 4 HDD then it MIGHT be a problem)

I could hear my WD3200KS (in idle) hard drive over the Smart Power 2.0 PSU. Just make sure you don't connect the Fan power connector. It seems to send high temp readings that lead to the fans spinning higher than necessary.
 
Originally posted by: RedBeard
[Most of us only have 1 or 2 HDD's. Given the size of the mid tower, I doubt the orientation of the drives will make a difference at all. The second optional fan is mounted behind the drive cage anyway. (if you are going to run 4 HDD then it MIGHT be a problem)
Click to expand...

Alas, I don't fall in the "most of us" category, I now have 5 drives and my new box will eventually end up with more than 1 or 2, no doubt about that. Also not to forget, the Conroe will eventually be replaced by a Kentsfiled (twice the number of cores, lots more heat) and the 7950 will probably be replaced by either SLI or whatever new ATI or Nvidia have at that time. Given the above, do you think that a P150 or P180 would be a better case for me?

 
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Howard
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article285-page5.html

See comparison 2.
Click to expand...
20 dBA is so low it might as well be 0 dBA. For all practical purposes the Ninja and SI/XP 120 perform the same, with a slight edge for the Ninja.
Click to expand...
In comparison 2, the Scythe Ninja has a 5 degree lead over the XP-120 when both are using the same fan at 12V. I'd say that's more than a slight edge.
Click to expand...

With that particular fan yes but a different fan will yield different results. My point is both offer excellent performance; I prefer Thermalright heatsinks so that?s my recommendation.
Click to expand...
By "different fan" I understand as "faster fan". Yes, I agree that the difference will close as the airflow increases... but he did want low noise.

Nevertheless, I believe he would be satisfied with any of the top-ranked HSFs.
 
Originally posted by: igor01
Given the above, do you think that a P150 or P180 would be a better case for me?
Click to expand...
I think that most people that used both Antec and Lian wind up recommending Lian Li. The V1xxx series has room for six drives, and the V1100 has a solid AL front door and sound dampening material pre-installed which will help cut down on noise.
 
Lian Li cases are designed to be cool and quiet. There is sound insulation installed and the large 120mm fans are quiet. I did want a little more cooling so I installed a couple more smaller 80mm fans that are temperature contolled. My case is 8C degrees cooler and my CPU will run at 100 percent without much change in temp compared to my old Thermaltake that had six howling fans.
 
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