Help building a quiet but powerful gaming pc with a budget of 1k-2k

ImplicitWeevil

Honorable
Feb 9, 2014
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10,530
I'm looking to build a higher end silent gaming pc. I want it to be powerful, but also very quiet. I'd like to stick to air cooling on this one.

-GPU preference of nvidia card
-CPU preference is Intel
-Usually prefer Seasonic PSU
-Case preference is Carbide 300

Budget up to $2000.

These are just preferences, they can be changed. After all, I've never built a quiet rig. Nothing against AMD, I have a 6300 in my current pc. Just want quiet, compatible parts. Don't need a dedicated sound card. Any questions feel free to ask. Thank you!
 
I'm thinking a gtx 1080. Haven't gotten a chance to compare to the ti. And on resolution I'm not sure yet. I haven't done much gaming past 1080. I'm hoping to go try out some 4k gaming at a buddy's.

Probably 144hz.
 
Decided to do an i7 7800x build. You would probably be better off waiting for the 8700k or getting a 7700k, because that'll save about $100-150, but this system should be pretty silent

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7800X 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($361.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.95 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - X299 RAIDER ATX LGA2066 Motherboard ($207.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card ($748.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Pressure RGB 35.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Pressure RGB 35.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Pressure RGB 35.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1994.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-16 21:28 EDT-0400
 
optimised for quietness :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Memory: Team - T-Force / Night Hawk 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - BPX 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GAMING X Video Card ($754.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: BitFenix - Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.59 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: LEPA - LP-BOL12P-BL 81.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: LEPA - LP-BOL12P-BL 81.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1397.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-17 04:49 EDT-0400

375 for 8700k and 200 for gigabyte gaming 5 z370 releasing next month.
 
Solution
For a high end yet silent PC, you might want to look at underclocking, as well as a overpowered cooler to do the job.
Underclocking does wonders to reduce required voltage since Power is generally proportional to V^2 times F. Assuming a linear decrease in voltage you get half heat output for 20% speed loss.

The main heat producers are the GPU and CPU. So you want a GPU that functions really fast. Get an aftermarket GTX 1080 Ti and underclock it to 80% speed, which is usually the reference speed, and now you have a near silent GPU.

For the CPU, get yourself a Ryzen 1700 rated at 65W. Then get some 240/280/360mm AIOs for the radiator area to cool that CPU. (these AIOs can handle a heavily OCed FX 9590 at 220+W) which makes the fans unnecessary. The sheer heatsink area can cool it.

There you go, a build totally silent in normal usage, and really quiet in gaming.

But prepare to invest on the higher end of about $2000.

EDIT: A i7 8700K would be better too, but you need to extend your budget a little. :)