[SOLVED] Build advice - Strong but quite build attempt

[SHivan_Dr]

Hey all,

I'm trying to build a strong gaming system, but it can't be loud.
Reason is that it will have to sit in our living room, and my wife is quite sensitive to fan noise 🙂

Let me start with some basic information.

Main purpose: Gaming
Type of games: Action RPG, MMO, RPG, some shooters, adventure games like tomb raider
Overclocking - No
RGB - No
Budget: 3-4K quite flexible on this, but I don't want to waste money for unnecessary performance
I don't mind giving up some performance if it keeps the system quite, but still want a great gaming rig.

I used to have a corsair One A100, and absolutely loved that machine, until it died...
I would consider the corsair One A200, unfortunately it isn't available in Belgium.

So this is what I came up with:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME TX 850 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card OR MSI GeForce RTX 3080 TI 12 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card (not worth the extra cost, but it might have to pick this as getting the 3080 Gaming X trio is very hard in Belgium, while the TI is often easier to get).
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 Tower Case (no glass) OR Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case - No glass (would prefer a smaller form, but not certain if all will fit)

I am hoping that installing the mesh top, putting the radiator on top and having the fans run on low speed would be quite enough.
If not, I would have to try the closed top, and put the radiator in the front, but I am worried that would become to hot.


Any advice is welcome.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Not all games are designed by developers the same way so mentioning the titles as opposed to the genres helps us two fold in understanding a little as to how your system will be taxed. That being said, your build looks fine but if silence is your utmost priority, then you should look into Noctua's cooling solution and their fans.

If you're yet up for it, you could look into Fractal's Nano S chassis and slap Noctua cooling all around(except the top fan mounts).

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Case: Fractal Design Define 7

maybe look for a case with some sound dampening foam but that also will allow enough cool air intake & heated air exhaust.
you may also want to replace the fans on any AIO cooler you choose with something quieter and more powerful like some of the Noctua NF models.

but i'm currently using the similar Vector RS. it is just a bit larger and offers better cooling with more fan mounting options.
you can see my system-wide cooling setup in my signature.
i use two fan profiles; one keeps all RPMs maxing at 50% and is totally silent, the second lets them all run up to 85% and is still fairly quiet.
if running very intensive games you will see much higher temps using the first profile but nothing near dangerous.
even with heavy stress testing though my second profile keeps everything very cool.

be quiet! offers some very nice cases, many with extra silent operation in mind.
the Silent Base 802 is a very nice option with modular front & top but i'm not so sure about the amount of dampening material it uses. may want to check it out.
they also offer some very high performing while still quite fans like the Silent Wings 3.

you might think that the fewer fans installed the quieter it will be but this is not true.
having many fans running at much lower RPMs will actually keep your system cooler & quieter than only a couple running at full speed.

 

[Lafong]

Wifey's ear sensitivity points to a tallish air cooler with a large low speed fan.

Maybe even a dual tower cooler. Those are heavier, but may not be required since you aren't overclocking.

Fans at say 1000 rpm will start to get your attention. The fan curves in the BIOS can likely knock rpms down into the 500 to 800 max area and they should be all but silent at that speed.

Noctua case fans maybe. Noctua cooler possibly. U12S, U14S or something in the D series if you want a dual tower.

I'd probably try to avoid any mesh on the case as that can leak noise. But I don't know details of how sensitive wife is.

 

[Why_Me]

Here's another option to consider.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90848813
GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X DDR4 €189,07

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90849235
Intel Core i5 12600KF €260,03

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12600k-vs-amd-ryzen-5-5600x-ryzen-7-5800x-cpu-face-off

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,1.html

Intel Core i5-12600K Review - Winning Price/Performance

The Core i5-12600K is the price/performance king in the Intel Alder Lake lineup. With its competitive pricing of $300, it's a clear winner against AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X and faster than even the 5800X in many applications and games. This is the gaming CPU you want.

www.techpowerup.com

i5 12600K = best overall cpu & best gaming cpu for 2021

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ZAdsAUN7s

 

[SHivan_Dr]

Here's another option to consider.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90848813
GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X DDR4 €189,07

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90849235
Intel Core i5 12600KF €260,03

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12600k-vs-amd-ryzen-5-5600x-ryzen-7-5800x-cpu-face-off

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,1.html

Intel Core i5-12600K Review - Winning Price/Performance

The Core i5-12600K is the price/performance king in the Intel Alder Lake lineup. With its competitive pricing of $300, it's a clear winner against AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X and faster than even the 5800X in many applications and games. This is the gaming CPU you want.

www.techpowerup.com

i5 12600K = best overall cpu & best gaming cpu for 2021

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ZAdsAUN7s

Z690: What would be the advantage over this board compared to the B550 Elite? The Z690 is twice as expensive.


12600K CPU is certainly great, but it is also currently quite expensive (especially if you want DDR5 RAM) and I think the x5600 will be powerful enough.

 

[SHivan_Dr]

Wifey's ear sensitivity points to a tallish air cooler with a large low speed fan.

Maybe even a dual tower cooler. Those are heavier, but may not be required since you aren't overclocking.

Fans at say 1000 rpm will start to get your attention. The fan curves in the BIOS can likely knock rpms down into the 500 to 800 max area and they should be all but silent at that speed.

Noctua case fans maybe. Noctua cooler possibly. U12S, U14S or something in the D series if you want a dual tower.

I'd probably try to avoid any mesh on the case as that can leak noise. But I don't know details of how sensitive wife is.

From the reviews I have seen, the Artic Liquid freeze actually gives better cooling to noise ratio than the Noctua coolers.
The 140 fans could run at 1175 RPM and still stay under 26 db

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPaSEGe6ML0

 

[SHivan_Dr]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Not all games are designed by developers the same way so mentioning the titles as opposed to the genres helps us two fold in understanding a little as to how your system will be taxed. That being said, your build looks fine but if silence is your utmost priority, then you should look into Noctua's cooling solution and their fans.

If you're yet up for it, you could look into Fractal's Nano S chassis and slap Noctua cooling all around(except the top fan mounts).

Current games being played:

• Pathfinder : Wrath of the Righteous
• Last Epoch
• Diablo 2 Reboot
• Gunfire Reborn
• Gloomhaven
• Crew 2 (not a typical game for me as I usually don't play racing games)

Games played before:

• WOW
• Tomb raider (all)
• Assasin's Creed
• Warframe
• Elite Dangerous
• Conan Exiles
• Genshin Impact

PS: If it should matter, I game on a Alienware 34 aw3418dw Monitor

 

[Lafong]

From the reviews I have seen, the Artic Liquid freeze actually gives better cooling to noise ratio than the Noctua coolers.
The 140 fans could run at 1175 RPM and still stay under 26 db

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPaSEGe6ML0

Could be; I have no knowledge.

But.......since you are not overclocking, I wouldn't assume cooling to be the highest priority in view of wife's ears.

Given a choice between 55 degrees and "I don't like that much noise" and 60 degrees and "that's fine, the noise doesn't bother me", which do you choose?

Ideally, you trial and error it, but that probably isn't going to happen.

 

[Zerk2012]

From the reviews I have seen, the Artic Liquid freeze actually gives better cooling to noise ratio than the Noctua coolers.
The 140 fans could run at 1175 RPM and still stay under 26 db

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPaSEGe6ML0

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15-chromax-black/specification
Much less noise.

 

[geofelt]

Noise comes from moving parts at high speed.
Fans running around 900 rpm will not be noticed. 1200rpm will be.

You did well with la quality seasonic platimum unit. Do not be alarmed if the fan never turns on.

Hard drives are another source of noise.
No longer, SSD devices are noiseless.

The graphics card will be a major source for noise.
Graphics cards, along with the cpu cooler need to be fed with fresh air to let them do their job. Modern motherboard vrm coolers need air
flow also. AIO mount is a catch 22 issue;
Cool the cpu best and you feed the graphic card and motherboard hot air.
That is why I would avoid them unless you need a custom loop or a 360 aio.
Noctua NH-D15 will cool as well as a240 aio.
It will be more reliable,cheaper, and will never leak.
AIO do not last forever. In tie, air intrudes and the unit will need yo be replaced.

Most likely, you want a case with two 140mm fan mounts.
Tune the speed to your balance of noise and cooling.
Looking around, Like the lian li O11 air mini.
It is reasonably compact . Lianli qualiy will be apparent.
https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-000Z-00080

On the cpu. buy the I5-12600K.
The single thread performance is superior, and that is what games want, particularly sims mmo and such.
Buy a DDR4 version motherboard. DDR4/5 performance difference is nil. I am working on a i9-12900K build using a MSI Z690-A PRO wifi DDR4 motherboard which sells for $220 in the US.
The Z690 chipset is going to manage turbo acceleration better.
Turbo works better than overclocking in games. You get max performance on a couple of threads when you need it.

 

[SHivan_Dr]

Noise comes from moving parts at high speed.
Fans running around 900 rpm will not be noticed. 1200rpm will be.

You did well with la quality seasonic platimum unit. Do not be alarmed if the fan never turns on.

Hard drives are another source of noise.
No longer, SSD devices are noiseless.

The graphics card will be a major source for noise.
Graphics cards, along with the cpu cooler need to be fed with fresh air to let them do their job. Modern motherboard vrm coolers need air
flow also. AIO mount is a catch 22 issue;
Cool the cpu best and you feed the graphic card and motherboard hot air.
That is why I would avoid them unless you need a custom loop or a 360 aio.
Noctua NH-D15 will cool as well as a240 aio.
It will be more reliable,cheaper, and will never leak.
AIO do not last forever. In tie, air intrudes and the unit will need yo be replaced.

Most likely, you want a case with two 140mm fan mounts.
Tune the speed to your balance of noise and cooling.
Looking around, Like the lian li O11 air mini.
It is reasonably compact . Lianli qualiy will be apparent.
https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-000Z-00080

On the cpu. buy the I5-12600K.
The single thread performance is superior, and that is what games want, particularly sims mmo and such.
Buy a DDR4 version motherboard. DDR4/5 performance difference is nil. I am working on a i9-12900K build using a MSI Z690-A PRO wifi DDR4 motherboard which sells for $220 in the US.
The Z690 chipset is going to manage turbo acceleration better.
Turbo works better than overclocking in games. You get max performance on a couple of threads when you need it.

Thank you for the feedback.
To switch CPU to I5-12600 would cost me $150-$200 between the CPU and the motherboard. So that would certainly be an option.

Since multiple people have suggested switching to Noctua NH-D15, I will make that switch as well.

The only thing that I keep getting mixed messages on is the case choices.
Half of the feedback says go for a sound damping case (Define 7 or Be Quite) the other half say go for an airflow case with low RPM fans.
I believe both could work, but find it very difficult to figure out which would be best.

As far as I can tell pro/cons look something like this:

Airflow case

• cooler components
• silent as long low RPM can handle the heat

- can get quite loud if the cooling isn't enough and you have to ramp the RPM's

Sound damped case

• Warmer components
• higher chance of having to ramp the fans

+ damped even if you have to ramp the fans

=> My conclusion would be that airflow is better if all goes well, Dampening is better in worst case scenarios.
So I am afraid of getting an airflow case, and the GPU producing to much heat for the silent cooling to handle.

If anyone has any experience with both please let me know what you think.

 

[Lafong]

I've never personally fiddled with sound damping..............but I've read a bit about it and its worth.

I've been lead to believe that you are likely to have more success by generating less noise to begin with rather than trying to suppress somewhat noisier components. Emphasize very quiet fans rather than try to quiet ordinary fans. Sound damping may well have less effect than you'd hoped.

I'd generally try to get a case with as few openings as possible. Vents and fan mounts that aren't needed are just going to leak noise for no benefit. Maybe no more than 3 case fans and 1 on the cooler. See if you can live with a single intake and a single exhaust and go to a third only as a last resort?

Maybe be willing to tolerate 65 C temps rather than 60 C, but some people are obsessive over temps. Docs have prescriptions for that condition, but they have little effect.

You'll have to take a leap of faith to some extent on the case as you can't know what you'd need to know until it is in hand and you've experimented with cooling it specifically in your own environment.

 

[Flayed]

I have 3 Noctua 140mm ULN fans in my system that are roughly 800 rpm and completely silent

 

[geofelt]

Silverstone makes sound dampening pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-21-Inch-Dampening-Acoustic-SF01/dp/B0040JHMH6
I bought them for a silverstone TJ-08E case that was next to my desk.
https://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Micro-ATX-Mini-DTX-Mini-ITX-Computer/dp/B005DDCDH2
The case is quiet with a single 180mm fan.
I would recommend it, but it is MATX in size and those motherboards are not common lga1700 units.
The sides of the case were thin.
Such additions could not hurt and are probably most effective if the case is near to the user.
From 10 feet away, most cases will not be noisy.
I might add that noctua fans come with optional low noise adapters that reduce the rpm.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Half of the feedback says go for a sound damping case (Define 7 or Be Quite) the other half say go for an airflow case with low RPM fans.

so go for both!
the case I mentioned in my first post gives you the opportunity for either configuration or a combination of both.

it's front & top being modular gives you the option to have either solid panels, vented panels, or a combination of both.

plus it offers some of the best fan/radiator mounting options available.
plus it already includes some sound dampening materials.

nce multiple people have suggested switching to Noctua NH-D15, I will make that switch as well.

the tower itself is a nice design but it is the fans that are included that actually contribute to the lower noise than others.

getting an AIO with a nice design and using better fans like those Noctua provides will offer the quietest/coolest option.

 

[geofelt]

You have to remember that aio cooling is really air cooling.
The difference is where the heat exchange takes place.
Either at the cpu with air cooling or at the radiator with liquid.
The ultimate effectiveness depends on the radiator number and sizes.
A 280 aio will have two 140mm radiators, perhaps of varying thickness and number of cooling fins.
The NH-D15 is similar with two towers of around 135mm size, and about 40mm thickness.
If the aio radiator is 35mm thick, you can expect equivalent cooling potential.
Unfortunately, aio radiators usually have fans running at higher rpm than noctua, resulting in higher noise.