Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, JustAnEngineer
bitcat70 wrote:Ryzen 3000 series is a quiet choice because it is fabricated using a 7 nm process that operates at lower voltages than chips fabricated using older 14 nm or 12 nm technology. Since all of the energy consumed by the CPU is turned into heat, a processor that uses less energy needs less cooling, so you aren't likely to need noisy high-speed fans running flat out.One of the considerations is making it quieter than the current one as wifey says it's too loud. I want to build it around Ryzen 7 3700X and a video card able to handle 1920x1200 gaming.
bitcat70 wrote:There are huge differences. Radeon RX 5700 and XT are more efficient than older GPUs because of their 7 nm fabrication technology. However, NVidia's GPUs are more efficient than previous-generation AMD GPUs due to superior design and because AMD has been prone to cranking up the voltage to squeeze a bit more performance out of their GPUs (like the stock settings for my Radeon RX Vega64). A $300 Radeon RX 5700 may be more GPU than you need for 1920x1200 but the smaller Radeon RX 5600XT is still a month away. Graphics cards with custom-designed coolers from the big ODMs like Asus tend to be quieter than the reference blower style coolers from AMD.Video card: Thinking about a Radeon RX but would there be a loudness difference between AMD and nVidia?
bitcat70 wrote:Big fans spinning slowly are quieter than smaller fans spinning fast.CPU heat sink: For the CPU, Noctua heat sinks look solid but which one is quietest? Or is there something else? Not sure if water cooling would help here.
bitcat70 wrote:80+ Platinum power supplies are more efficient than 80+ Bronze, so they don't generate as much waste heat. I recommend a good PSU from SeaSonic like the SSR-750PX. Their hybrid fan controller will actually shut off the PSU's fan if it isn't needed (at less than half load).Power supply: Is there a difference between power supplies in the noise department?
bitcat70 wrote:You'll want a case that will accept the radiator that you've selected. I agree completely that micro-ATX is the best all-around motherboard form factor for gaming PCs, but the selection of micro-ATX cases is much smaller than ATX. Take a look at the Fractal Design Define Mini-C that I'm using. Equipping your case and radiator with Noctua fans will be quieter (and much more expensive) than other brands of fans.Case: All of this has to go into a case, so are there ones that help with reducing the noise? Of course the case has to accommodate the motherboard. I don't need a full blown tower. Optical drive bay is optional.
bitcat70 wrote:The big differentiator is PCIe 4.0 vs. PCIe 3.0. However, old-timey PCIe 3.0 is still more than fast enough for your graphics card, Firewire and WiFi.Would going with B450 chipset vs. X570 be a good alternative? Or does it sacrifice something performance/feature wise?
bitcat70 wrote:Thank you for the great suggestions! So I'm pretty much set on:
- PSU: Seasonic Platinum 80+ but a question: is 750 W optimal for the above? I don't want to use a PS that's overspecced for the build. Also, I see the one you linked has a big fan: does it pull the air from within the case? I don't plan on any overclocking.
roncat wrote:Most power supplies highest efficiency occurs at ~40-50% of load,
just brew it! wrote:roncat wrote:Most power supplies highest efficiency occurs at ~40-50% of load,
This used to be the conventional wisdom a decade or so ago, but newer PSU designs purportedly have a much flatter efficiency curve.
It's still a good idea to not run a PSU right at its limit, but the "aim for double the wattage you actually need for best efficiency" rule of thumb is apparently becoming obsolete.
Waco wrote:just brew it! wrote:roncat wrote:Most power supplies highest efficiency occurs at ~40-50% of load,
This used to be the conventional wisdom a decade or so ago, but newer PSU designs purportedly have a much flatter efficiency curve.
It's still a good idea to not run a PSU right at its limit, but the "aim for double the wattage you actually need for best efficiency" rule of thumb is apparently becoming obsolete.
Yep. Highest efficiency in modern supplies is nearly 75-80% of full load capacity (though the 80 Plus spec still requires more efficiency at 50% than 80%). That said, efficiency from 10% to 90% doesn't vary greatly like it used to. If you've got an 80 Plus Gold or better supply, it's likely not much to worry about. Spec for 70% load or so at full tilt and you're generally in a great place on the efficiency curve most of the time with some room for safe upgrades down the road.
Captain Ned wrote:The 650 will power that build with no issues. The only reason for going with a 750 is to provide headroom for a beefier GPU down the road.
JustAnEngineer wrote:A 650 watt Focus Plus Platinum power supply from SeaSonic would be more than stout enough for your proposed build. I only mentioned the 750-watt version as I linked to a thread where that model had very recently been on sale for an excellent price.
SSR-550PX: $109 (was $101 on 10/7)
SSR-650PX: $139 (was $119 on 10/29)
SSR-750PX: $135 (was $100 on 12/1)
SSR-850PX: $155 (was $145 on 12/5)
Waco wrote:I don't think you'll hear any Seasonic running. I can't recall them ever making a noisy PSU.
bitcat70 wrote:Waco wrote:I don't think you'll hear any Seasonic running. I can't recall them ever making a noisy PSU.
Thanks! I took a look at the Cybenetics website and all the Seasonic models have pretty good numbers as far as noise is concerned. Am I right in assuming that the fan draws the air in and exhausts out the back?
Waco wrote:bitcat70 wrote:Waco wrote:I don't think you'll hear any Seasonic running. I can't recall them ever making a noisy PSU.
Thanks! I took a look at the Cybenetics website and all the Seasonic models have pretty good numbers as far as noise is concerned. Am I right in assuming that the fan draws the air in and exhausts out the back?
Unless it's specifically noted otherwise, all PSUs exhaust out the rear.
bitcat70 wrote:Would the two fans in front be overkill?
DrCR wrote:bitcat70 wrote:Would the two fans in front be overkill?
For a quiet build, it certainly would be.
Just one case fan, placed in the rear, should be fine,
DrCR wrote:For the CPU cooler, though I'm biased to Thermalright, Noctua should certainly be fine,
For your case, the Define Mini C looks like a good option for a quite build. (You may want to confirm your motherboard fits.)
DrCR wrote:P.s. You may also want to check the VRMs for whatever motherboard you go with.
DrCR wrote:Good luck.
bitcat70 wrote:Would a 120 mm rear fan be better than a 140 mm in the front?
bitcat70 wrote:DrCR wrote:For the CPU cooler, though I'm biased to Thermalright, Noctua should certainly be fine,
I've heard good things about the Noctua NH-U14S but would Thermalright be quieter?
bitcat70 wrote:For your case, the Define Mini C looks like a good option for a quite build. (You may want to confirm your motherboard fits.)
How would I confirm that? The mobo is ASRock B450M Pro4 which is microATX and specifications say the case is compatible with that form factor. Now, I haven't built computers in quiet a while so I may not be aware, but has anything changed? Is there anything specific I should look at?
bitcat70 wrote:DrCR wrote:P.s. You may also want to check the VRMs for whatever motherboard you go with.
Thanks for the links! While they may not be the best out there, at least according to the second link they appear to be mid-tier. I'm not planning on doing any overclocking so I think I should be fine? I'll see how it works.
just brew it! wrote:That's an interesting chart linked from the Reddit thread. To make some broad generalizations: Looks like ASRock and Gigabyte each have a single flagship model, with almost everything else focusing on the lower/budget end. MSI seems to have a lot of midrange and above choices. Asus has a broad selection across all levels, with only a few choices at each level.
TBH it probably explains why I've almost always been able to find something that suits my needs from Asus.
JustAnEngineer wrote:The 650-watt Focus Plus Platinum is on sale again at Newegg for $127 -10MIR. If you're efficiency-obsessed, the 650-watt Prime Ultra Titanium is $149 -20MIR.
DrCR wrote:bitcat70 wrote:Would a 120 mm rear fan be better than a 140 mm in the front?
Yes. For a quiet build, you don't want front fans. And actually for normal builds, I still wouldn't recommend front fans. (An exception, for example, would be going hard down the front fans path with a custom air filter to general a positive pressure case for high dust environments.)
DrCR wrote:bitcat70 wrote:DrCR wrote:For the CPU cooler, though I'm biased to Thermalright, Noctua should certainly be fine,
I've heard good things about the Noctua NH-U14S but would Thermalright be quieter?
Off the top of my head, the Thermalright's Macho (whatever most current variant) is champ for a quiet build.... OK, I hunted down some specific models for you. Thermalright Le Grand Macho and Scythe Fuma 2 would be alternatives to consider.
DrCR wrote:Cool. The Le Grand Macho should serve your needs nicely. Did you give the RT i.e. is your Le Grand Macho coming with a fan included, or is it just the heatsink and you going to need to buy a fan for the Le Grand Macho?
DrCR wrote:bitcat70, how did the build turn out?