Suggest for Ultra Quiet and Energy Efficient PC (mid-level gaming)

[Vance_joustar]

I am looking for an ultra quiet and energy efficient "mid-level" gaming system. The games I play are mostly 3-5 years old. Of course the more performance the better but need this PC to be very quiet even when gaming and energy saving as my area's electricity rates are very high. My budget is 1k.

 

[Isokolon]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.50 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-D3H ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 800 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($138.81 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $985.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-01 13:46 EDT-0400

this might be a bit over the top but should get you acceptable performance even with today's games

 

[Vance_joustar]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.50 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-D3H ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 800 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($138.81 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $985.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-01 13:46 EDT-0400

this might be a bit over the top but should get you acceptable performance even with today's games

Looks good, but would you really consider it energy efficient? Just wondering because 580w seems like a bit much or no?

 

[Isokolon]

the system draws as much as it needs to. so if the system only draws 200W, it'll only draw 200W
a bit room is good so the PSU will stay cool, at best efficiency and quiet

of course you can get lower the power consumption by using parts that use less energy (thus lowering the overall performance)
this build is generally supposed to be expandable and focusses on good performance, low noise while having a low power target
and honestly... the 1060 is ~120W, that's not too much
depending on the game you could use a 950Ti which has a TPD of 90W but is much much weaker

 

[geofelt]

A good source for quiet computing is www.silentpcreview.com

For quiet, you want few moving parts such as fans and hard drives.

If you can, use only a ssd for storage, it will be silent.
For a midrange build, the i3-6100 is hard to beat.
The 92mm stock cooler that comes with it can get noisy under load.
The noctua NH-U12s will be undetectable in a case.
It comes with low noise adapters.

As to the graphics cards, pick one of the new gen cards like the GTX10xx or FX4xx cards.
Pick a stock non overclocked card so the cooling fans are not pushed.
If your needs are less, the GTX750ti is good.

On the psu, overprovision a bit and favor gold rating.
Seasonic X750 units, for example warn you to not worry if the fan does not run at all.

Pick a case without direct front intakes.
A good example is the Silverstone PS-07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163186&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Cases+%28Computer+Cases+-+ATX+Form%29-_-N82E16811163186&gclid=CP-o8cP07s4CFYQkhgods78POQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Vance_joustar]

Isn't there something like a Asus ROG equivalent?

 

[GraySilencer]

I don't think you can make a gaming PC much more energy efficient than this build. The power supply is "overkill" but it is Titanium Certified which can be up to 94% efficient at 50% load and leaves room for future upgrades. The CPU is up to 35W TDP. Most i5's are 65W-91W. The Noctua NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler does a great job keeping the CPU cool and pushing the hot air out of the back of the case instead of re-circulating the air like the Intel stock coolers. With this cooler you probably don't need an exhaust fan in the rear of the case but if you do add one I suggest the Noctua NF-A9 PWM 92mm Case Fan. It's the same fan that comes with the cooler.

The ECO series motherboard helps save even more power. Going with one stick of RAM instead of two will save even more energy. The X400 SSD drive has slumber mode for greater low power efficiency. The GeForce GTX 1060 is not overclocked nor does it have any extra fans that would increase power consumption seen on higher end GTX 1060's. The case has a small footprint with no hard drive bays blocking air from the front fan of the case (it has a vertical bay) so it does not require much cooling. The NF-F12 PWM Noctua fan can be installed on the side of the case to keep the motherboard and GPU cool. Noctua fans are also quiet, energy efficient and consume less power than other brands.

Have a look:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400T 2.2GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($163.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.39 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H170M ECO Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk X400 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.99 @ Directron)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME 650W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $963.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-02 00:46 EDT-0400