Advice on smallish, quiet PC

Caber10

Caber10

Caber10

Associate
Joined
6 Sep 2013
Posts
16
Location
Scotland. The hairy bit.
Hi all, first post ;)

I've looked through some threads already but apologies if I've missed an obvious answer to my questions. I built and upgraded 20-30 systems in the past but not for around 10 years, so I'm looking forward to this.

I'm planning a build to be used for gaming. I'm looking at a 7990 or GTX 780 (prob 7990) and a 4770K i7 (I could get by with an i5 but will put the i7 in there for possible future needs). So far so simple.

I don't like flashy lights or a massive ugly box, so ideally the place I'd like to house the case means it would need to have a max height of 450mm. Also I would love to hear as little fan noise as possible so I've looked at water cooling and noise damped cases. The top of the case isn't covered at 450mm (there'll still be airflow), it's just that the edge of my TV is that height.

What I was hoping someone could help with is: In your opinion can the heat issues of that CPU / GPU be solved acceptably in a smallish case? 450mm isn't tiny but I'm so long out of this game I would love to have opinions. Will this size force me into microATX, and if so is that a problem?

Thanks a million for any help! I don't want to compromise on machine power so if you reckon it's not possible that is useful info.

For info, here's what I've been looking at:

CPU: Intel 4770K i7
Cooler: Corsair H100 or H80 depending on case
MB: Gigabyte UD5H or 4H if ATX, unsure if not.
RAM: 16Gb of (haven't decided - recommendations?)
CASE: ??
PSU: ?? (still reading up, happy for any hints)
FANS: Some big ones! depending on case. Need for a separate controller?
OPTICAL: generic cheapo. Never use them, current machine has none.
BOOT HD: a decent 240Gb SSD
STUFF HD: 3TB decent HD, possibly 2 in RAID-1 depending on budget.
OTHER: I'll sort peripherals after everything else is decided.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.


Would be easier to do you a spec if we had some idea of your budget.
In regards to the ram, 8GB is enough for gaming.
 
Ahh yeah, thanks for that. I could spend up to around £2.3k but I don't *need* to spend that much. Within that figure though I'll spend what's needed to make me happy, this is purely a present to myself, lol.

Thanks, Idleman.
 
Thanks for that - there's a lot on that list that fits exactly what I was looking for. I could swap out the case for one with additional noise dampening, too, but I like that the one in your build has plenty room for big radiators.

So a couple of q's:

1. Am I still ok for heat / fan noise issues going with microATX form factor?

2. Does noise dampening create heat problems? I wondered if the extra absorbent materials make the insides warmer in such a small case, which would make the fans go crazy, which would defeat the purpose ;) Been looking at this for example.

Thx
 
1. Am I still ok for heat / fan noise issues going with microATX form factor?
Click to expand...

As long as the case has good fans and ventilation, a mATX case is like any other.

2. Does noise dampening create heat problems? I wondered if the extra absorbent materials make the insides warmer in such a small case, which would make the fans go crazy, which would defeat the purpose Been looking at this for example.
Click to expand...

I have the Antec P280, which is noised dampened and to be honest, I have no problem with heat or fan noise. My case is sat 2 feet from me and all I hear is a gentle whir from the top fans. But with the fan controller now installed, I can turn the fans right down whilst watching videos or just general use. Don`t forget also, every bodies perception of noise levels are different. Besides, if you find the fans in whichever case you get, are noisy, you can always replace them. And if you decide on the H100i, then add a couple of Corsair SP120s to the cart.
 
Hmm good stuff. Been looking at noise-damped cases, some of them fit in the 450mm height and accept ATX but are too cramped for the 7990... heads a bit sore, going to the shop for more wine then will look at this again :)

Thanks a million
 
Caber10 said:
Hmm good stuff. Been looking at noise-damped cases, some of them fit in the 450mm height and accept ATX but are too cramped for the 7990... heads a bit sore, going to the shop for more wine then will look at this again :)

Thanks a million
Click to expand...

The 350D takes a Gpu up to 380mm, which is the length of the HIS 7990.
 
Lian Li PC-V600 (ATX & Noise damped) vs Corsair 350D (certainly the better-looking one of the two), what do you think? Is there much to say about ATX vs microATX?

I really appreciate you taking the time to help.
 
I do "themed rigs" and some what of a extraudinare at it, I like to show of the internals but a full sided ATX build does give you more options.

Performance wise mATX & ITX matches full ATX really, just limited room to upgrade really like SLI and Crossfire.
 
Ethermaster said:
Performance wise mATX & ITX matches full ATX really, just limited room to upgrade really like SLI and Crossfire.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was thinking about that too. I'm only planning on a single GPU right now, but obviously when a second 7990 is £2.99 it'd be tempting to add it ;)

But it's not going to be something I prioritise - I was wondering if (given I'm going for a small case) it matters whether I get one with an ATX board or a microATX?
 
I do things like this!

IMG_0520_zpsf3b92a73.jpg
 
Interesting stuff. I'm so far sitting at

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7990 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £479.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor & Corsair H100i CPU Cooler Bundle £367.98
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI GENE Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £169.99
1 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £145.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Blue 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY16GX3M2A1600C9B) £119.99
2 x Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST3000DM001) HDD £99.95 (£199.90)
1 x Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro ATX Case - Black £79.99
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £79.99
1 x Corsair Fan, SP120 PWM Low Noise High Pressure Fan 4 pin, Dual Pack (CO-9050012-WW) £25.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
Total : £1,701.80 (includes shipping : £12.50).



which is a handy £600 within budget - thanks guys.

I might even look at replacing my ancient (but beautifully reliable) Dell 2407WFP for something in 2560x1440 to make the most of the new GPU.

This has been a big help so far.

I see fancy 5.25-bay mounted cooler controllers - are they useful or is it like in the 90s when everyone had spectrum analyzers on their distorted-to-crap car stereo?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom