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Fractal Arc Mini r2 Silent Build

I am planing on building a "mostly" silent machine in the Arc mini r2. The parts list follows:

- Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

- Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

- 2x Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

- Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

- 2x Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card

- Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case

- Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

- 5x Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan

- NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller

 

For the CPU cooler, I want to go with the Noctua NH-D15. It requires 165mm of clearance which is exactly what the Arc Mini r2 can support. Does anyone know if this fits? I know it works with the RAM cause theres 2mm in between the RAM and the D15.

 

I know the mechanical drive is going to make some noise but I dont have enough room in my budget for a large enough SSD such as the 1tb 840 evo. I went with the strix cards because the fans shut off when not under load. Same goes for the RM power supply but I also wanted to get the sleeved cables from Corsair. The Noctua fans were an obvious choiceand the NZXT fan controller is going to fit perfectly with just enough fans if I split the cpu cooler to the cpu fan header.

 

If anyone else have any other suggestions or comments, drop them below. If you have an Arc Mini r2 build, I would love to see it.

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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1. Don't get the Corsair RM as it uses cheap capacitors and I don't recommend it for the price. Get something from BeQuiet for silence or SeaSonic for best build quality. EVGA G2 is also good for the money.

2. The Caviar Black will be loud. I recommend getting a 2.5 in HDD instead as those much MUCH less noise.

3. Please use PCPartPicker.com for links in the future. Use the Export/Markup - BBCode feature to make everybody love you more.

5. If you're gonna have so many fans in a system, getting a giant CPU cooler is unnecessary. Get the Noctua U12S.

 

Thanks and @ArcticfoxHQ, don't forget to use the "quote" button to get back to me and don't forget to follow your own thread!

 

snip

This is how you quote.

|PSU Tier List /80 Plus Efficiency| PSU stuff if you need it. 

My system: PCPartPicker || For Corsair support tag @Corsair Josephor @Corsair Nick || My 5MT Legacy GT Wagon ||

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I am planing on building a "mostly" silent machine in the Arc mini r2. The parts list follows:

- Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

- Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

- 2x Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

- 2x Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card

Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case

- Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

- 5x Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller

 

For the CPU cooler, I want to go with the Noctua NH-D15. It requires 165mm of clearance which is exactly what the Arc Mini r2 can support. Does anyone know if this fits? I know it works with the RAM cause theres 2mm in between the RAM and the D15.

 

I know the mechanical drive is going to make some noise but I dont have enough room in my budget for a large enough SSD such as the 1tb 840 evo. I went with the strix cards because the fans shut off when not under load. Same goes for the RM power supply but I also wanted to get the sleeved cables from Corsair. The Noctua fans were an obvious choiceand the NZXT fan controller is going to fit perfectly with just enough fans if I split the cpu cooler to the cpu fan header.

 

If anyone else have any other suggestions or comments, drop them below. If you have an Arc Mini r2 build, I would love to see it.

 

If you want silent, you could get the Define R4 that has sound dampening in it, and it looks better imo, I like clean looks. I used one of these cases to build I silent PC for my mom using a passive GPU. 

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Here are some suggestions:

-get a higher quality PSU, something from 'be quiet!' or EVGA

-why not get a bigger case, like the 'silent base 800' which linus used for his most recent silence build or a Fractal Define R4/R5. Unless you aim small.

-why not some cheaper fans and only get a couple of Noctua's for CPU cooling

-fan controller isn't really needed, it's best to let it up completely to your mobo to decide the speeds

Asus B85M-G / Intel i5-4670 / Sapphire 290X Tri-X / 16GB RAM (Corsair Value 1x8GB + Crucial 2x4GB) @1333MHz / Coolermaster B600 (600W) / Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 / Adata SP900 128GB SSD & WD Green 2TB & SG Barracuda 1TB / Dell AT-101W / Logitech G502 / Acer G226HQL & X-Star DP2710LED

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1. Don't get the Corsair RM as it uses cheap capacitors and I don't recommend it for the price. Get something from BeQuiet for silence or SeaSonic for best build quality. EVGA G2 is also good for the money.

2. The Caviar Black will be loud. I recommend getting a 2.5 in HDD instead as those much MUCH less noise.

3. Please use PCPartPicker.com for links in the future. Use the Export/Markup - BBCode feature to make everybody love you more.

5. If you're gonna have so many fans in a system, getting a giant CPU cooler is unnecessary. Get the Noctua U12S.

 

Thanks and @ArcticfoxHQ, don't forget to use the "quote" button to get back to me and don't forget to follow your own thread!

1. I will check out some BeQuite PSUs in the future. I will probably either go with the EVGA G2 850w(EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply) or a BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 10 850w. I'm probably now gonna end up buying sleeved cable extensions because I was gonna buy the sleeved cables sold by EVGA or Corsair, but the BeQuiet CPU looks really enticing.

2. If I get a 2.5' hard drive, it probably will be a Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive because I have good experience with that drive. 

3. I want the build to be "somewhat" silent considering my build now is very loud. But I also want performance too so being able to over clock and other things long with that. That s why there are so many fans in the system with the large CPU cooler.  Basically anything is an upgrade.

4. I will use PCPartPicker for the links in the future. I actually did originally but I opted out. (sometimes I'm less intelligent)

5. Thank you for the suggestions on not only the build but being a member of the community.

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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If you want silent, you could get the Define R4 that has sound dampening in it, and it looks better imo, I like clean looks. I used one of these cases to build I silent PC for my mom using a passive GPU. 

I do like the look of the r4/r5 and it would be nice to do a build in. But I want to go for a smaller form factor only because I haven't built a mATX computer yet. I do love the r5 and when I do throw five or six thousand dollars on a final computer, that will be my case.

I have the NZXT h440 right now and It looks amazing. But for one its too big. And two it only came in white with black instead of completely black and I don't like white cases even though theres the h440 under my desk right now.

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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Here are some suggestions:

-get a higher quality PSU, something from 'be quiet!' or EVGA

-why not get a bigger case, like the 'silent base 800' which linus used for his most recent silence build or a Fractal Define R4/R5. Unless you aim small.

-why not some cheaper fans and only get a couple of Noctua's for CPU cooling

-fan controller isn't really needed, it's best to let it up completely to your mobo to decide the speeds

1. I'm going with BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 10 850w

2. I am aiming for the smaller form factor. Trust me that silent base 800 looks soooooo good.

3. I am trying to go for the best performance along with silence and I'm willing to pay the extra to go all Noctua.

4. I know its not necessary but I have a large amount of OCD for 5.25" bays. I hate them. If I was going to water cool then I would go with an XSPC bay res but I opted for air cooling so I went with the NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller. Also, the mother board I chose only has 3 fan headers and splitters look ugly as it is and as you can probably tell, my OCD gets the best of me during the building process. I might just mod the case and make a metal plate to cover the bays and buy a NZXT fan hub.  

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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1. I will check out some BeQuite PSUs in the future. I will probably either go with the EVGA G2 850w(EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply) or a BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 10 850w. I'm probably now gonna end up buying sleeved cable extensions because I was gonna buy the sleeved cables sold by EVGA or Corsair, but the BeQuiet CPU looks really enticing.

2. If I get a 2.5' hard drive, it probably will be a Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive because I have good experience with that drive. 

3. I want the build to be "somewhat" silent considering my build now is very loud. But I also want performance too so being able to over clock and other things long with that. That s why there are so many fans in the system with the large CPU cooler.  Basically anything is an upgrade.

4. I will use PCPartPicker for the links in the future. I actually did originally but I opted out. (sometimes I'm less intelligent)

5. Thank you for the suggestions on not only the build but being a member of the community.

That BeQuiet PSU is a bit much for what it is. I suggest the EVGA of those two unless you just HAVE to have that silence.

Are you gonna get an SSD as well as that will eliminate HDD noise entirely? A 5400 RPM hard drive on it's own is going to be quite a slow experience.

I think that you should get a Define Mini if you want small and quiet.

I don't know why but it appears your Z97 can't handle SLI so I swapped to a BROWN motherboard to match all of your fans xD

 

And here's a PCPartPicker BBCode of what I think you should do with your build.

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($61.98 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z97 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($162.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($23.52 @ Amazon) 
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry Mix 2 Fan Controller  ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Other: BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 10 850W ($190.00)
Total: $1833.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-22 13:00 EST-0500

|PSU Tier List /80 Plus Efficiency| PSU stuff if you need it. 

My system: PCPartPicker || For Corsair support tag @Corsair Josephor @Corsair Nick || My 5MT Legacy GT Wagon ||

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That BeQuiet PSU is a bit much for what it is. I suggest the EVGA of those two unless you just HAVE to have that silence.

Are you gonna get an SSD as well as that will eliminate HDD noise entirely? A 5400 RPM hard drive on it's own is going to be quite a slow experience.

I think that you should get a Define Mini if you want small and quiet.

I don't know why but it appears your Z97 can't handle SLI so I swapped to a BROWN motherboard to match all of your fans xD

 

And here's a PCPartPicker BBCode of what I think you should do with your build.

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($61.98 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z97 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($162.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($20.03 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($23.52 @ Amazon) 
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry Mix 2 Fan Controller  ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Other: BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 10 850W ($190.00)
Total: $1833.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-22 13:00 EST-0500

 

If I raise my budget for the build, do you think i could get away with a custom loop and lower the RPMs of the fans and pump to a good dB? Something like this:

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z97 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($162.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Other: Asus Gryphon Armor Kit ($39.99)
Other: Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Dual 120mm Radiator ($57.99)
Other: Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Dual 120mm Radiator ($57.99)
Other: EK GeForce GTX 970 Strix Full Coverage Water Block - Nickel (EK-FC970 GTX Strix - Nickel) ($126.99)
Other: EK GeForce GTX 970 Strix Full Coverage Water Block - Nickel (EK-FC970 GTX Strix - Nickel) ($126.99)
Other: XSPC X20 750 Pump Reservoir Combo V4 - Dual 5.25" Bay ($69.79)
Other: XSPC RayStorm High Performance Acetal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Intel (Sockets LGA 115x / 1366 / 2011) ($59.99)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Total: $2389.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-23 18:58 EST-0500

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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If I raise my budget for the build, do you think i could get away with a custom loop and lower the RPMs of the fans and pump to a good dB? Something like this:

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z97 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($162.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($21.25 @ Amazon) 
Other: Asus Gryphon Armor Kit ($39.99)
Other: Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Dual 120mm Radiator ($57.99)
Other: Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Dual 120mm Radiator ($57.99)
Other: EK GeForce GTX 970 Strix Full Coverage Water Block - Nickel (EK-FC970 GTX Strix - Nickel) ($126.99)
Other: EK GeForce GTX 970 Strix Full Coverage Water Block - Nickel (EK-FC970 GTX Strix - Nickel) ($126.99)
Other: XSPC X20 750 Pump Reservoir Combo V4 - Dual 5.25" Bay ($69.79)
Other: XSPC RayStorm High Performance Acetal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Intel (Sockets LGA 115x / 1366 / 2011) ($59.99)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Other: Primochill G1/4 Thread 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD Ghost Compression Fittings - Knurled Grip Silver (F-CK1234) ($6.95)
Total: $2389.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-23 18:58 EST-0500

 

Watercooling is not my forte sadly. I'd start a thread in the watercooling portion of the forum. http://linustechtips.com/main/forum/36-water-cooling/

 

Although from what little I know about custom watercooling and such, I would say that you should simply take out some fans from that system to quiet it down...

|PSU Tier List /80 Plus Efficiency| PSU stuff if you need it. 

My system: PCPartPicker || For Corsair support tag @Corsair Josephor @Corsair Nick || My 5MT Legacy GT Wagon ||

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Watercooling is not my forte sadly. I'd start a thread in the watercooling portion of the forum. http://linustechtips.com/main/forum/36-water-cooling/

 

Although from what little I know about custom watercooling and such, I would say that you should simply take out some fans from that system to quiet it down...

Thank You. You have really been a great help.

Is that a computer or a jet engine? Why not both?

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All decent psu in the capacity range you are looking have smart fan control. This means that to some degree they all offer fairly quiet operation.

 

Do not buy two 2x4GB kits. Buy a single 4x4GB kit. Better yet, get a 2x8GB kit. Two kits may lead to issues configuring BIOS settings to achieve the advertised speed and timings. XMP profiles are based on the kit capacity. Getting a single 4x kit would make configuration as simple as picking a profile. But a 2x8GB kit would be better because it puts marginally less stress on the memory controller and leaves two slots free for upgrades.

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

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