Graphics and Case upgrade

[eddiebove]

Hey Everyone,

I need a bit of a hand deciding on some upgrades for my PC.

I've got really fed up of my tower being really, really noisy (Antec 300 with two extra fans installed - I know it's budget!) and I'd really like something considerably quieter. I have an after market cooler on my CPU that's really quiet.

My graphics card is also beginning to show its age as well (Radeon HD5770) and needs an upgrade - it is also a main culprit in the noise production!

Are there any suggestions for both upgrades? I'd like to keep the total spend under £250 if possible...

Cheers!


Full system spec for reference:

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3
CPU: Intel i5 750 (2.66GHz)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro 7 (Rev 2)
PSU: Corsair HX 750W modular
RAM: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
OS HDD: 120GB Agility 3
HDD(s) : WD Caviar Green/Blue - 4 of them in varying sizes

 

[knightdog56]

That sounds like you purchased some noisy fans that did not come with the case, my Antec 300 is nice and quiet the most noise I get is from my ASUS HD6850 video card running in manual fan speed control. I have a total of five fans in my 300, four of which are three speed Antec fans on the low setting, the other is a Gelid with PWM control.

 

[manofchalk]

Where are you buying from, I presume Scan.co.uk.
Also presume you want to keep the Antec case's aesthetic.

MSI HD7850 Twin Frozr. 150 pounds
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-radeon-hd-7850-twin-frozr-iii-oc-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-900mhz-hdmi-mdp

Antec Eleven Hundred. 89 pounds.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec-1100-eleven-hundred-black-super-mid-tower-performance-case-w-o-psu

And two of these, as the Antec Eleven Hundred doesnt have front intake fans at stock.
Enermax Everest blue LED fans. 10 pound each, 20 pounds.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120mm-enermax-ucev12-everest-twister-fan(mbt)-temp-control-blue-led-(on-off)-inc-rubber-a-v-plugs

Total: 259 pounds, little bit over.

 

[squirrelonfire]

Have you tried installing noise dampening foam? Those are proven to make your case quiet

 

[eddiebove]

On closer inspection - it sounds like it's just the graphics card that's really noisy as the noise of the system nearly doubles when I start a game up!

I really like the look of that HD7850. Do you find it to be quiet manofchalk?

The new fans I installed are really quiet ones - can't hear those at all but I might buy one last one to improve cooling. That with some noise dampening foam ( I'm hoping I can get that from scan.co.uk too) and a quieter graphics card looks like it should do the trick!

 

[manofchalk]

I dont own that MSI card personally, so I cant say from experience. But MSI make some very good cards and Twin Frozr is one of the better cooling designs on the market, wouldn't be surprised if its pretty quite even under load.

EDIT: For the noise damping foam, you may have to look at any local hardware (not computer hardware, nuts and bolts, hammer and drill type hardware) stores.
Though I did find some on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hama-Noise-Absorption-Tower-Housings/dp/B00006JBBC/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1352939419&sr=1-1-catcorr
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-PAX-2-Paxmate-PLUS-full/dp/B000OGX548/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1352939419&sr=1-1

 

[eddiebove]

Just thought I'd say thanks for all the help!

In the end I went for a Sapphire HD7850 2GB OC version, which is amazingly quiet and a massive upgrade! (and was on offer from Ebuyer at the time for £150) I can now play Hitman Absolution on maximum setting without even a stutter.

With regards to my case, it turns out my housemate had an Antec 900 lying around, so after a few hours of hoovering and cleaning my kit is all in it's shiny new case - which is incredibly quiet, thanks probably to the 5 massive fans!

Cheers again