I finally upgraded!
Old system (many years service): e6600 @ stock 2.4GHz, scythe ninja, never bothered with an overclock, just upgraded the gfx card once or twice. Ended with a lovely 460 GTX.
It's almost entirely silent. Desktop, productivity etc - hard disk seek noise is the only thing I really hear. On a really hot day, running something hefty in 3d, the CPU fan might bother to wake up and go for 100RPM or something.
Unfortunately, for modern AAA stuff, the CPU and probably the gfx too just isn't enough.
Upgrade system: i5 3.4GHz @ 4.4, with 670 GTX. It's stupendously fast. And I can't hear myself think.
Ok: it was a budget/value system. Cooler is an H70, which I should probably have thought about more before I bought it. Case is full of holes too (well, fan mounts). Noctuas are on the way, which might help, and maybe even some foam stuff etc, but seriously... I thought intrusive system noise was a thing of the past.
Can you do such a significant o/c without deafening yourself?
Is just dumb to go for a cheap liquid cool thing? I'm never gonna be bothered to do liquid cooling properly... I just bought into the H70 at the time. Seemed like it'd be ok. The fans are cheap though, I suspect - Corsair stuff.
Hope the Noctuas help a lot (though I've a sneaky suspicion it's some pump noise as well) but really... I don't get why anyone sells noisy fans any more.
My current ones are Corsairs and only suitable if you're in the next room, or you've been gigging with hefty Marshalls for the last 20 years. THE WHINE. The WHIR. Ouch!
One final, cautionary and slightly booklicky note. I've always loved system building, but I no longer have the time. I bought a system from someone other than OCUK. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW. Now I've thought about it, a few more quid on their spec would have made much more sense.
On the plus side, OCUK has had more than enough of my hard-earned over the years - since 1993 or so, IIRC - to forgive a momentary lapse of reason :]
~abc
Old system (many years service): e6600 @ stock 2.4GHz, scythe ninja, never bothered with an overclock, just upgraded the gfx card once or twice. Ended with a lovely 460 GTX.
It's almost entirely silent. Desktop, productivity etc - hard disk seek noise is the only thing I really hear. On a really hot day, running something hefty in 3d, the CPU fan might bother to wake up and go for 100RPM or something.
Unfortunately, for modern AAA stuff, the CPU and probably the gfx too just isn't enough.
Upgrade system: i5 3.4GHz @ 4.4, with 670 GTX. It's stupendously fast. And I can't hear myself think.
Ok: it was a budget/value system. Cooler is an H70, which I should probably have thought about more before I bought it. Case is full of holes too (well, fan mounts). Noctuas are on the way, which might help, and maybe even some foam stuff etc, but seriously... I thought intrusive system noise was a thing of the past.
Can you do such a significant o/c without deafening yourself?
Is just dumb to go for a cheap liquid cool thing? I'm never gonna be bothered to do liquid cooling properly... I just bought into the H70 at the time. Seemed like it'd be ok. The fans are cheap though, I suspect - Corsair stuff.
Hope the Noctuas help a lot (though I've a sneaky suspicion it's some pump noise as well) but really... I don't get why anyone sells noisy fans any more.
My current ones are Corsairs and only suitable if you're in the next room, or you've been gigging with hefty Marshalls for the last 20 years. THE WHINE. The WHIR. Ouch!
One final, cautionary and slightly booklicky note. I've always loved system building, but I no longer have the time. I bought a system from someone other than OCUK. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW. Now I've thought about it, a few more quid on their spec would have made much more sense.
On the plus side, OCUK has had more than enough of my hard-earned over the years - since 1993 or so, IIRC - to forgive a momentary lapse of reason :]
~abc
