[SOLVED] Quiet PC Build Help for Mom

DerTyp2

Honorable
Feb 15, 2017
11
1
10,515
Hello there kind people of Tomshardware Forum!

I would like to ask you for some help, I'm trying to build a very quiet and functional PC for my mom. At the moment moment she is using a very old one with Windows XP, and it's so slow that she has to wait for it to load for every task.
She will mainly use it for low resources intensiv tasks like browsing the Web and opening PDF's, for her work she needs a Software with which she can grade papers, she will do some picture and data managment, and maybe she will play some old Video Games. I will probably get her City Skylines too, because I think she will like it.

Here is a PC Part Picker List of PC Parts of which I believe will give her a quiet and functional PC, which will hopefully last for the next 10 years.
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/6mTmDq

I would like to ask for your general recommendations and have 3 questions about specific parts.
• I wanted to take some extra Noctua Fan for the CPU to be really quiet, but I'm not sure which one to get, so I just added some cheaper one.
• I'm not sure if the Power Supply I choose is good enough, and will have all the safety equipment, a quiet fan, and a good enough power rating.
• PC Part Picker says that upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU. How will I be able to do that? I read that there might be a Boot Kit available from AMD, but I'm not sure if they have it in Austria

Also I choose the German PC Part Picker website because it shows more aviable parts than on the Austrian website, but I will need to buy the parts in Austria.
 
Solution
Single channel ram is a bad idea, especially for Ryzen. You want quiet operation, you need a case with good airflow too. I changed the board to one that has bios flashback capability.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€217.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 V2 64.5 CFM CPU Cooler (€33.47 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€99.90 @ Alza)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€64.90 @ Alza)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN570 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€55.95 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Deepcool...

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Might I suggest looking into a Fractal Design matx case? If you don't like the sound profile of the included fans in the case, then you can look into buying Noctua fans. You can look into airflow fans which have high CFM but lower static pressure., If you want to add the fans to a radiator or a cooling heatsink, then look at high static pressure fans.

Fractal cases are known for being good platforms for silent builds;
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#m=106&sort=price&t=5,7,6,8
that and Be Quiet! ;
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#m=337&sort=price

The PSU is good for the build. If you don't want to add a discrete GPU to the build, you can do away with a higher rated PSU with a lower wattage, like Fractal-Design(Ion+) or Seasonic.

You can either have the motherboard BIOS flashed with a compatible processor/APU prior to the 5000 series at your local shop(after speaking to them) or you can contact AMD for the BIOS flash kit, which you'll need to return as well).
 
browsing the Web and opening PDF's, for her work she needs a Software with which she can grade papers, she will do some picture and data managment, and maybe she will play some old Video Games
i wouldn't bother with a desktop for this type of scenario.

a nicer laptop giving her the option to take it wherever is comfortable around the house or elsewhere would be a huge benefit in this case.

just use/get a nice larger 1080p monitor for a desk setup and the rest of the time she can have it with her on the couch, in bed, or on the go.
if an in person teacher even having this system at work with her can be another huge benefit.
 
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logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Single channel ram is a bad idea, especially for Ryzen. You want quiet operation, you need a case with good airflow too. I changed the board to one that has bios flashback capability.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€217.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 V2 64.5 CFM CPU Cooler (€33.47 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€99.90 @ Alza)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€64.90 @ Alza)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN570 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€55.95 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 40 3FS MicroATX Mid Tower Case (€54.94 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM (2021) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (€79.90 @ Alza)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Total: €607.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-02 16:51 CEST+0200
 
Solution

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Hello there kind people of Tomshardware Forum!

I would like to ask you for some help, I'm trying to build a very quiet and functional PC for my mom. At the moment moment she is using a very old one with Windows XP, and it's so slow that she has to wait for it to load for every task.
She will mainly use it for low resources intensiv tasks like browsing the Web and opening PDF's, for her work she needs a Software with which she can grade papers, she will do some picture and data managment, and maybe she will play some old Video Games. I will probably get her City Skylines too, because I think she will like it.

Here is a PC Part Picker List of PC Parts of which I believe will give her a quiet and functional PC, which will hopefully last for the next 10 years.
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/6mTmDq

I would like to ask for your general recommendations and have 3 questions about specific parts.
• I wanted to take some extra Noctua Fan for the CPU to be really quiet, but I'm not sure which one to get, so I just added some cheaper one.
• I'm not sure if the Power Supply I choose is good enough, and will have all the safety equipment, a quiet fan, and a good enough power rating.
• PC Part Picker says that upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU. How will I be able to do that? I read that there might be a Boot Kit available from AMD, but I'm not sure if they have it in Austria

Also I choose the German PC Part Picker website because it shows more aviable parts than on the Austrian website, but I will need to buy the parts in Austria.
What about a NUC or similar fanless device ?
For the requirements listed, a laptop and docking station would be my recommendation.
 
Hello there kind people of Tomshardware Forum!

I would like to ask you for some help, I'm trying to build a very quiet and functional PC for my mom. At the moment moment she is using a very old one with Windows XP, and it's so slow that she has to wait for it to load for every task.
She will mainly use it for low resources intensiv tasks like browsing the Web and opening PDF's, for her work she needs a Software with which she can grade papers, she will do some picture and data managment, and maybe she will play some old Video Games. I will probably get her City Skylines too, because I think she will like it.

Here is a PC Part Picker List of PC Parts of which I believe will give her a quiet and functional PC, which will hopefully last for the next 10 years.
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/6mTmDq

I would like to ask for your general recommendations and have 3 questions about specific parts.
• I wanted to take some extra Noctua Fan for the CPU to be really quiet, but I'm not sure which one to get, so I just added some cheaper one.
• I'm not sure if the Power Supply I choose is good enough, and will have all the safety equipment, a quiet fan, and a good enough power rating.
• PC Part Picker says that upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU. How will I be able to do that? I read that there might be a Boot Kit available from AMD, but I'm not sure if they have it in Austria

Also I choose the German PC Part Picker website because it shows more aviable parts than on the Austrian website, but I will need to buy the parts in Austria.
I have made a few changes that are will help make it quieter.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€217.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2 62 CFM CPU Cooler (€34.90 @ Alza)
Motherboard: MSI MAG A520M VECTOR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€63.90 @ Alza)
Storage: Samsung 980 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€59.90 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case (€99.70 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€85.30 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 52.3 CFM 120 mm Fan (€14.07 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €575.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-02 16:45 CEST+0200


The PSU you choose is a good PSU, however, 650W is excessive for a system that doesn't have a dedicated PSU. Even the 550W I used is way more than enough, it just ends up being a bit quieter than the MSI.

The minimum RAM now of days should be 16GB in a 2x 8GB configuration. This will also make sure that her iGPU gets more bandwidth. For a few extra Euros you can run DDR4-3600 for a little more iGPU performance.

I went with the Fractal Design case since most of their cases without windows build in sound dampening materials. I have used these cases in multiple builds and they work very well to keep things quiet.

While the Noctua cooler is a good cooler, the 212 EVO V2 is better. It has a higher TDP allowance and a 120MM fan which will spin slower so keeping things quieter.

The case comes with 2x 120mm fans and I added an extra for the intake. Using positive airflow design helps reduce dust buildup inside the case. Then all you have to do is clean the filters to keep the fresh air moving in efficiently.
 
I looked at the spec sheet for your MACube 110 case.

https://global.deepcool.com/products/Cases/fulltowercases/Macube-110-Micro-ATX-Case/2021/4670.shtml

It can accept coolers up to 165 mm in height.

The Noctua L9i that you chose is a "low profile" unit that would normally be used in narrow cases where the height limit is much lower, usually under 100 mm.

It's a good cooler in its class, but you instead use any ordinary Noctua tower cooler up to 165 mm tall, without going overboard on cost....such as the U9S or even the U12S. Temps would be noticeably lower and it would still be quiet.

Just a suggestion; I don't know what they cost in your area. The L9i will certainly do the job.

You need to decide if portability is a factor. If yes, consider a laptop. If no, go with a desktop.

8 GB of RAM should easily suffice, but make sure it is a kit of two 4 GB sticks.

You might be able to save a bit by going with some other Samsung NVMe drive of the same capacity...and never notice the difference.
 
What are the specs of what MOM uses now?
I might suspect that simply replacing the HDD c drive with a ssd would do wonders.
A ssd is the key to quick desktop performance.

But for a new build, I would look at the intel I3-12100.
It is half the price, comes with a decent cooler and will perform a bit better than the 5600G.
Here is a review:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i3-12100-12100f-review

Most any B660 motherboard will do.
MATX size are not expensive. Most will come with wifi if you need that.

Buy a 2 x 8gb DDR4 ram kit.
Speed is not important.
Dual channel is.

Love the samsung 980.
There are cheaper units, but none are as good in the long run.

On the case, does MOM need a dvd drive slot?

Otherwise, nothing wrong with the case you picked.
Using integrated graphics there will be very little heat generated so there will be virtually no noise from cooling fans.

But, since there will be very little inside, why not look at a smaller ITX build?

Your psu requirements are minimal.
300w would be sufficient.
I think the psu you picked comes with a 10 year warranty which bodes well for quality.
No harm in overprovisioning a psu, it will only use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability.