Quiet Gaming Machine

[alemming]

This build is primarily going to be used for gaming along with some development work. I'm pretty annoyed by noise in my machine (especially since I hate wearing headphones), so I tried looking for quieter components. As this is my first build, any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Case: Silverstone FT02

Motherboard: Asus P67 Sabertooth

CPU: [strike]Intel core i7-2600K[/strike] Intel core i5-2500K

Heat Sink: Thermalright Silver Arrow

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 2x4GB

Graphics Card: Galaxy GTX 580

PSU: SeaSonic X-850

OS SSD: [strike]OCZ Vertex 3 120GB[/strike] Crucial M4 256GB

Storage HDD: Samsung F4 2TB

Disk Drive: LG Blu-ray drive

Wireless Card: Intel 450 MBps wireless card + mini PCI-e adapter (I can't reach my router by ethernet from my desk)

Currently I'm using a 1080p monitor. I'll probably get a 2560x1600 monitor in the future, along with a second GTX 580, but I'm fine for now.

Any tips or suggestions? Thanks.

 

[sarinaide]

Sabertooth and the I7 2600k seem like overkill when a simple P67 or Z68 build with a I5 2500k are more than sufficient.

 

[nukemaster]

Seems like a very good selection if quiet parts.

LG drives are actually good and quiet with DVD-Video/CD-Audio/BD-videos.

Check to see the Silverstone video recommendation. I know in the FT03(SFF case) they recommend a video card that does not push any heat into the case, but then again, it does not have 3 180mm fans....

 

[alemming]

Seems like a very good selection if quiet parts.

LG drives are actually good and quiet with DVD-Video/CD-Audio/BD-videos.

Check to see the Silverstone video recommendation. I know in the FT03(SFF case) they recommend a video card that does not push any heat into the case, but then again, it does not have 3 180mm fans....

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that the LG drives are quiet. That was the component I was most unsure about. As for the video card, based on what I've read from people that have used similar, 3 fan cards in the FT02, the card only runs 1-2 degrees warmer than in a traditional case.

 

[Outlander_04]

put the computer where the router is , and run a dvi cable and usb to where you , the monitor , keyboard and an external dvd drive are located .

I dont believe there is any such thing as a quiet GTX 580 , let alone TWO

 

[Martin9630]

Have you considered the fanless GPUs? I think there's a fanless GTX 580 by Gainward.

 

[need4speeds]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130659
$879.99 EVGA 03G-P3-1599-AR GeForce GTX 590 (Fermi) Classified Hydro Copper 3072MB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Get a cheaper single slot micro atx board, since the rad has to sit outside, a small micro-atx case would be better.

Waterblock the cpu too, a few quiet case fans to keep the power supply and drives, chipset cool.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

that videocard is awsome....

 

[nukemaster]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that the LG drives are quiet.

They are quiet since they auto adjust speed for different tasks(DVD-BD-CD = quiet, DATA = louder but faster). Many complain that they are slow at ripping dvd's but i was after something that did not rev up all the time while watching movies.
In the slim optical, so far Sony(strange...there desktop drives used to be loud) is the quietest(that i own, have not found a LG laptop drive), but still louder then any desktop.

 

[alemming]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130659
$879.99 EVGA 03G-P3-1599-AR GeForce GTX 590 (Fermi) Classified Hydro Copper 3072MB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Get a cheaper single slot micro atx board, since the rad has to sit outside, a small micro-atx case would be better.

Waterblock the cpu too, a few quiet case fans to keep the power supply and drives, chipset cool.

I have next to no knowledge of water-cooled builds. Could you point me toward a similar build to the one you described?

Also, wouldn't the radiator for such a small, powerful build generate quite of bit of noise?

 

[chillin15]

The quietest 580 I have seen reviewed:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500201

It has a zalman quiet cooler on it. Although that galaxy cooler is very quiet.

DO NOT get a OCZ vertex. Try a m4 crucial - much more reliable. Just check the newegg reviews on the vertex 3, around 30% negative reviews

 

[chillin15]

Make sure to keep the fans on the ft02 on low.

 

[alemming]

The quietest 580 I have seen reviewed:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500201

It has a zalman quiet cooler on it. Although that galaxy cooler is very quiet.

DO NOT get a OCZ vertex. Try a m4 crucial - much more reliable. Just check the newegg reviews on the vertex 3, around 30% negative reviews

Thanks for the tip on the SSD. Looking around, the OCZ drives seem to be less reliable overall, and I'd rather not have to send my OS disk in for replacement/repairs. I also decided to step down my CPU and put that money toward a larger SSD.

As for the video card you suggested, I haven't been able to find much about it online as opposed to the Galaxy card, so I think I'll stick with the Galaxy card.

Thanks.