Silent, But Deadly: Build Your Own Gaming-Ready 0 dB PC

[Onus]

It seems to me the law of diminishing returns applies here. A $20 Xigmatek Gaia and a 500RPM fan will be inaudible in a closed case, and be a lot easier to handle. A similar low-speed case fan will keep some air moving over the mobo's VRMs and through the PSU as well.

 

[truprecht]

The only way this PSU selection makes sense is if the article is sponsored by Silverstone.

Silverstone Nightjar 400: Fanless, Bronze certified, non-modular, $160
Seasonic SL400FL2: Fanless, Platinum certified, modular, $120

 

[FormatC]

The prices in germany are different. About the "why" you can read my answer at the first page

You can put in this case what you want, I must put in this case what I have. Simple but understandable. Or not?

 

[truprecht]

Aaaaah - missed that comment. Understandable. Nice article BTW - didn't mean to sound trollish about the PSU. I've always wondered what would happen if you assembled various passively-cooled products into a single build.

 

[FormatC]

I have a fanless Seasonic 400 Watt here - it works in a long run in a closed system. But I hate to disassemble my running projects for one or two photos

The Nightjar is better as you think, it seems more stable under longer heavy load conditions and higher ambient temperatures. But it is not so efficient like the Seasonic.

 

[jonbach]

You guys should check out one of our Serenity Pro PCs (http://www.pugetsystems.com/serenity.php)! At this low of noise level, removal of fans is only one of the factors to address. We have found electrical noise (from voltage regulators) to be an even bigger source of noise than fans are, at this extremely quiet level. Many of the passively cooled video cards have a really bad choke noise at load. The motherboards and even power supplies can be a major source of electrical-induced sound as well. It also is a lot simpler to use a video card like the Asus DirectCU line, which already has near-silent cooling at idle, and a fan that kicks on at load. That's always going to be more responsive than trying to "catch up" to thermal conditions with a fan added later on a thermal switch. It is great to see interest in quiet computing here!

 

[knowom]

This feels like a SilverStone endorsement being pushed by Tom's Hardware SilverStone cooler, case, and PSU really now? sorry that's "not" coincidental at all

Thanks, but I'll stick with my Seasonic X 400w fanless PSU it's received better praise then the SilverStone PSU in testing.

I'm also context with my choice of a Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer w/o the fan that I picked base on it's temperature results on FrostyTech for at low fan rpm speeds because at the time I bought it at least it tested better in that regard then any other cooler on the site meaning it was exceptional passive cooler because it handled low case airflow better then the other coolers.

My case could be better, but the one I would recommend for a compact case as the best would be a COOLER MASTER HAF XB RC-902XB-KKN1 because it provides the best unobtrusive airflow for heat to escape through to provide optimal natural convection for case in that form factor in a slightly bigger form factor the Xion XON-570 case is a strong recommendation as well.

For a case you want one that can "breathe" well for hot air to escape since heat rises you don't want your case to be like a hot air balloon with heat trapped inside in a passive cooled PC it's that simple it's basic logic.

You can call me crazy if you like, but I've actually built a 0db passive PC that I've had for 2-3 years now and encountered no problems with it thus far in usage and don't have a quite obvious unethical ulterior motive Brand product placement like this Tom's Hardware article clearly does here which irritates me a bit as the site use to be more about benchmarking then product placements.

 

[royalcrown]

[citation][nom]FormatC[/nom]I've always tested the Asus GTX 680 DirectCU II and I have it in the archive But I can hear the card. Another DirectCUII problem: the temperature of the VRMs. Under longer heavy load conditions the low fan speed of this card is really dangerous. In this small case this can be problematic.And finally: the question was not to build a quiet system. I wish to hear nothing and it works.[/citation]

Well my particular 680 makes so little noise that I cannot hear it at all even on BF3 on ultra settings at 1920 x 1080 even at 80 FPS. I must have gotten super lucky or maybe asus updated their fan profiles. When I say can't hear that is with my Define case fans at 5 volts as well. I also have ssds so no noise there and noiseblocker bionic eloop, and even that fan is about the same as my 680. The only time it made noise is when I first installed it and the fans spooled up to 100 percent.

Maybe it runs hot, maybe it's not, I just know it's quiet. Good choice on the power supply, I went with the platinum 750 and it's also quiet, I've never heard it turn on.

 

[vestibule]

I'd recommend a Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550-watt PSU instead. It retails for $10 more, but Newegg often has it on sale for $120-$130. It's not fanless, but I have a Silverstone case that's like the one in this article only with 2 120mm front fans, and the PSU's fan never turns on. The top vent really helps, the heat just kinda leaves that way.

It can also do 650 watts at gold efficiency, the fan would probably be more likely to turn on then. It's a great "inexpensive" option, it's actually made by Superflower. Definitely a contender for best PSU on the market performance-wise, and it works as a noiseless one at a reasonable cost while being enough for any high-end video card.

 

[royalcrown]

[citation][nom]fastfox[/nom]I have pursued the totally silent gaming computer for years. Now I have one.There are other benefits to this type as well.Watch on YouTube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JL [...] e=youtu.be[/citation]

Dude, nice ! Those radiators are really cool ! You should find a way to hide the optical drive too, and maybe put some fish in there j/k on the fish part !

 

[royalcrown]

[citation][nom]vestibule[/nom]I'd recommend a Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550-watt PSU instead. It retails for $10 more, but Newegg often has it on sale for $120-$130. It's not fanless, but I have a Silverstone case that's like the one in this article only with 2 120mm front fans, and the PSU's fan never turns on. The top vent really helps, the heat just kinda leaves that way. It can also do 650 watts at gold efficiency, the fan would probably be more likely to turn on then. It's a great "inexpensive" option, it's actually made by Superflower. Definitely a contender for best PSU on the market performance-wise, and it works as a noiseless one at a reasonable cost while being enough for any high-end video card.[/citation]

I too have found Kingwin power supplies to be good without costing a lot.

 

[FormatC]

This feels like a SilverStone endorsement being pushed by Tom's Hardware...

It is usually not the way it looks

If you are looking for an appropriate case for this project and if you get in the same an offer for an absolute brandnew passive cooler then it does not matter which company offers this parts. If everything fits, then you take it - 100%. None of us gets from Silverstone money or sexual services

 

[rahulkadukar]

Can we have an article where price can go up a bit but we use fancy water coolers and a real GAMING machine

 

[fx4m]

Zero dB does not mean completely silent. Negative dB noise levels are possible. It is a logarithmic scale. You can not represent total silence in dB (unless you think negative infinity dB is valid).

 

[FormatC]

Journalism is, if you can't satisfy everybody. Nitpicking is only a variant if someone have not found anything else. Such is life

 

[travish82]

Holy crap. When I saw the picture of the first page, I thought: "Haha! Nice shop job to add a bit of hyperbole regarding the size of that sink." Then I saw it again on the cooler page. Unreal. Mind blown.

 

[ikissfutebol]

I'm just curious. Given the increased heat from having a discrete card, why not just use the A10 without a discrete card? It was stated that the A10 was getting pretty hot when passively cooled. Given that the ambient temp in the case with the additional heat of a graphics card isn't decreasing (compared with the cooler A6), I would be very interested to see how that configuration plays out. Perhaps you come back to the same numbers as an A6+video card that's covering part of the cooler?

 

[FormatC]

I've tested also the A10 - it is too hot for a stable passive cooling. Sorry, but this not possible. Ok, if you have an ambient of 22°C or less it works. But the next summer will be the hangman for this construction without air conditioner in your rooms. 100%

The 7750 is faster than an A10 APU. And a combination with a small Intel and this passive 7750 is also not a bad idea. You can modify the settings for free

 

[Calculatron]

Why not use a Sapphire Ultimate Radeon HD 6670? The cost is slightly more, but it utilizes GDDR5. The difference in performance might be enough to warrant a "rematch." It may take up more space, but there is room for accommodation. Just a thought.

Overall, a very interesting article.

 

[FormatC]

Both cards in this project, the HIS 7750 iSilence5 and the 6670 iSilence5, are using GDDR5.

 

[Calculatron]

Bah, silly me. Now I have egg all over my face. I was fairly certain that the 6670 ISilence5 only came in a DDR3 variant, since that is all several vendors list, and since that is the only variant HIS lists on their website. That's what I get for believing the internet.

Kudos for being thorough.

 

[FormatC]

You are absolutely right, the 6670 iSilence5 on the market (and homepage) is GDDR3. I got the HIS cards directly from manufacturer and in the past time we got often some early models with non-final specs. I've checked the crossfire for you with a GDDR3 and GDDR5 card - no difference because the APU part is in each case slower.

 

[maxinexus]

However the need for silent PC is very limited.

No. I'm using this in my bedroom. ;D

So when you use your PC you are sleeping?

 

[FormatC]

No. I'm not alone in this room

 

[06yfz450ridr]

pretty neat but one thing that sucks is that heatsink is was to heavy and isnt even made of copper. also those temps are to high for comfort