quiet system suggestions?

[joelmold]

hi,

i'm in the process of building a pc and would like some comments on my specs. this isn't meant to be anything fancy, since i don't really do any gaming. my current pc is ~3 years old, athlon xp 1600+ on a k7s5a. the new pc needs to be almost silent, so i would especially appreciate recommendations on cpu hsf (that will fit this matx case/mobo). i plan on using the onboard video on the msi board.

(btw, this is all from newegg-- love those guys!)

• Enlight PM-240110 Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 250W PS
  MSI RS480M2-IL Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
  AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Proc. Model ADA3200DAA4BP - OEM
  CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
  Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA NCQ ST3160827AS 160GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive - OEM
  NEC ND-3520A Black IDE DVD Burner - OEM

this is just for starters. what do you all think? comments/suggestions are welcome...

EDIT: i will be using winxp 64-- any conflics? will current drivers work, or will i absolutely need 64bit drivers for all components?

thanks,
joel

 

[Matthias99]

the new pc needs to be almost silent,

www.silentpcreview.com.

Your best bet for real quiet operation is to find a motherboard that will let you undervolt/clock your CPU so you can run it with a slow fan -- or even fanless. I'm not sure what options that MSI board offers.

You'll also want to get a quiet PSU (like a Seasonic Super Tornado/S12, or other 'quiet' model; SPCR has extensive reviews). You'll want a quiet hard drive that's mounted in a way to avoid vibration. Using a MicroATX case may limit your options somewhat in this regard, since you may not be able to get a different PSU, or change out the case fans easily for quieter ones. Your MB choices are also very limited.

EDIT: i will be using winxp 64-- any conflics? will current drivers work, or will i absolutely need 64bit drivers for all components?

sticked in the OS forum for a reason

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: joelmold
the new pc needs to be almost silent, so i would especially appreciate recommendations on cpu hsf (that will fit this matx case/mobo). i plan on using the onboard video on the msi board.

• Enlight PM-240110 Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 250W PS
  MSI RS480M2-IL Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
  AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Proc. Model ADA3200DAA4BP - OEM
  CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
  Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA NCQ ST3160827AS 160GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive - OEM
  NEC ND-3520A Black IDE DVD Burner - OEM

Get a case with implements for quiet components-- One that will take 120mm fans, rubber washer mounts for the drives, AND NO INCLUDED PSU, like the Antec SLK3000B. That Enlight PSU will be noisy, I guarantee it.

Then get yourself a Seasonic 120mm-fan PSU like Matthias said. Those are recommended by Silent PC Review as the quietest fan-cooled PSUs available.

Get a nice, quiet CPU heatsink for that AMD64-- Zalman CNPS7000 should work well, run it at the slowest fan speed.

Plus get a bunch of fan controllers so you can slow down all the case fans.

Such a setup should be quite quiet, if not almost silent.

HTH!

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Another vote for an SLK-3000b and a Seasonic S12.

I have a Seasonic 430watt and I can't believe how quiet it is.

120mm fans is the way to go.

 

[joelmold]

thanks, mattias99, for the great links. thanks also to everyone else for the suggestions.

please keep them coming!

 

[SGtheArtist]

2 main options

1) Pentium M or Athlon64 w/Cool & Quiet
2) few fans, low rpm fans, bigger diameter fans.

Also check into the Enermax MaxFlow case > 3 fans (2x 120mm, 1x 80mm + PSU)

And finally sound dampening material to muffle the sound.

 

[joelmold]

i've used this enlight case before, and the ps fan noise is not an issue at this time. i could always switch the ps at a later date.

right now i'm looking for someone that has experience with this specific mobo. i've read that the a64's run fairly cool, so i'm hoping i can get away with a very slow fan or even no fan at all.

i will not underclock (or overclock, for that matter).

this is not meant to be a "power" system, and i don't want to put a lot of time or effort into it...

thanks!

 

[yadda]

I second the Zalman. I have one that is extremely quiet and for a case I have an Antec Sonata that I love. It is slick black finish.

Y

 

[fierydemise]

If you want a quiet hard drive samsung spin point is the way to go, silent PC review said it is much better then the Seagate one you have not only in noise but also in performance

 

[SGtheArtist]

Thats strange that you can't underclock the CPU as that was my next suggestion. You might also consider a slower CPU?

Just another idea.

 

[l Xes l]

if u r not going to game at all.. pentium might be a better consideration...

 

[ShadowBlade]

he says it has to be quiet, which means slower fans, so 99% of intels are out of the question

 

[Bonesdad]

Is that right on the Enlight case? A 250W PSU???

 

[wisdomtooth]

MSI recommends at least 350W for the RS480M2-IL.. Despite our admonitions, the OP seems fixated on that Enlight case and POS PSU. It's his money. (shrug)

 

[joelmold]

i'm absolutely not fixated on the enlight case, i've just used it before and like the design. this is why i asked though, so i could get input. i've decided to get a different psu, not sure yet which one though. i checked out the zalman and the samsung hd, and both look like they are worth it.

thanks for all the suggestions!