Demos

Hey there all, this is my first build log! So please forgive any nooby mistakes along the way Current Parts List Intel i5 3570k Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Corsair Vengeance 8gb DDR3 1600mhz Sapphire Radeon 7870 OC Ghz edition Antec HCG-M 620w PSU Samsung 830 1208b (Boot drive) Samsung 840 120gb (Games drive) Seagate Barracuda 1TB Removed due to noise Fractal Arc Midi. Gone. Fractal Define R4 Antec Kuhler 620, Corsair H100i. Gone. RMA'd the Corsair H100i, could not fix pump grinding issue Origin In December last year I built my first gaming rig, with graphic design capabilities. It performs just as I'd like, works great in games at mid-high settings and handled Photoshop and Illustrator like a champ. My only issue with it was that it was loud when it was idle, and insanely loud at load. In an effort to curb this, I bought a PWM Fan for my Antec Kuhler 620, which minimised my noise levels by a small amount, but the pump on the Antec was still the loudest part of my system. I put up with this for a few months until I could afford new parts, having just spent $1600NZD on my build. Idea My idea for this build log is to toy with my system and try and get the quietest possible system, while idle. I don't care a whole lot about noise-levels during gaming, as I generally wear headphones. I'd also like to attempt some minor modding in my system. Maybe a window mod in the case, or something along those lines. Suggestions are welcomed, and encouraged :) Current status, as of 7th March 2013. I've transplanted my system from the Arc Midi into my brand-new Fractal Define R4, I've taken out the Seagate Barracuda and placed in a second SSD, and removed the drive cages. Pictures coming soon, getting a new camera in the next few days. I tried the Corsair H100i, unfortunately the unit I received has the un-fixable grinding pump-noise. I've tried all the firmware updates, software updates and even playing around in my BIOS. The noise was too grating on my ears and had to go. I've sent it back for a refund which should be coming in next month as well as my tax return. This should give me about $300-$400 New Zealand Dollar's to play around with. Future Plans My plans are: Install three 140mm Noctua PLX fan's in the case, replacing the stock fans Installing a Noctua NH-D14 on the CPU. I'm a bit hesitant on this, can anyone recommend a near silent CPU cooler? Install more sound dampening material around the case. Potentially work on modifications to Chassis. Window-mod, etc. Any ideas? If anyone has any suggestions, please do post, I'd love some encouragement and some good ideas, as well as something I may have overlooked :) Thanks for reading! Demos

The R4 can have 2 SSD's on the back/

Would switching from the Fractal Arc Midi to a Fractal R4, bring a significant noise reduction? I'm happy with the look and quality of the Arc Midi, but it's quite loud, even with the fan controller. It's my Antec Kuhler that's making a lot of noise. Would the R4's sound dampening material help to diffuse the sound? Or just muffle it a little bit? For reference, I'm using a PWM fan on my Kuhler, but am tempted and have the funds to put in an H100i.

Awesome, thanks for the responses guys! By no sound card, I meant I have Motherboard audio, not a dedicated sound card. I've decided that I'll postpone my headphone search for the mo and invest the money in a new IPS display! Thanks everyone though :)

Hey guys! I've recently found after wearing my Logitech G35's for extended periods of time, on my head around the cups, I was getting an allergic reaction. Not pretty. So I'm looking into getting a new pair of headphones for my system, the earcups and headband have to have neoprene or a different type of material. The best I've found so far are the Razer Orca, and they are $70NZD here in New Zealand. So can you guys help me? Any advice would be appreciated :) Unfortunately I can't get a sound card due to Mini-ITX restrictions. Thanks! Demos.

So to do this you go with an Asus ROG board? What. I would throw out the GPU and downgrade the mobo to get a better GPU.

Planning to put that GPU into your loop? Seems like 3 rads for one cpu is a little overkill!

Why is that?

Awesome! Thanks for this. As someone looking to downgrade, this is a great reference!

I'm wanting to downgrade from my very spacious Arc Midi, to a Bitfenix Prodigy with an Asrock Z77E-ITX board. When I do this, will I have to do a fresh install of windows? Or just remove all the Motherboard drivers from my current SSD? Thanks! Here's my current set up, If you see any incompatibility, give me a yell! Intel Core i5 3570k Antec Kuhler 620 Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Corsair Vengeance 8GB Samsung 830 Series 128gb SSD Seagate Barracude 1tb HDD Sapphire Raedeon 7870 OC Ghz Edition Antec High Current Gamer 620W PSU Fractal Design Arc Midi

Thanks for all the comments guys! I'm thinking about downgrading to a BitFenix Prodigy at the moment. So when I do watercool, it'll be a lot trickier, but a lot cooler! Thanks for all the advice :)

I'll try put in another Rad in the loop. The kit is actually cheaper than buying all the parts separately in NZ! I can't really crossfire as my Mobo's second PCIE slot is a 4x slot. So that's kind of out of the question.

I'll try put in another Rad in the loop. The kit is actually cheaper than buying all the parts separately in NZ! I can't really crossfire as my Mobo's second PCIE slot is a 4x slot. So that's kind of out of the question.

I've heard from GaPC on Reddit that you only need 120mm of cooling rad per component, so a 240 would be fine no?

In my country it's actually cheaper to buy a kit, then buy the waterblock and the compressions fittings separately. Crazy huh? I'm in New Zealand btw. Computer Lounge is one of the only stockers of good components, and I can't buy much from FrozenCPU or overseas because customs charge you insane amounts of money.

I currently would like to upgrade my system, I currently have Intel Core i5 3570k Antec Kuhler 620 Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Corsair Vengeance 8GB Samsung 830 Series 128gb SSD Seagate Barracude 1tb HDD Sapphire Raedeon 7870 OC Ghz Edition Antec High Current Gamer 620W PSU Fractal Design Arc Midi Has anyone personally used or seen this kit? http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/comp...p?partid=18203| Also will put a waterblock on GPU as well. Many thanks, Demos EDIT: Thanks for all the comments guys! I'm thinking about downgrading to a BitFenix Prodigy at the moment. So when I do watercool, it'll be a lot trickier, but a lot cooler! Thanks for all the advice

Wow. I love this build log! in depth explanations and great pics. Keep it up!

New Zealand: www.computerlounge.co.nz Only good supplier of Water-cooling components in NZ. They typically can get other components shipped in as well.

Fantastic! I do hope you get Pinned as well. That'd be swell.

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H

Sapphire 7870 OC Ghz edition. Yeaaaah.

Antec High Current Gamer 620w, I can attest it is as silent as a whisper during gaming, even under 100% load its dead silent. The loudest component in my system is the pump in my Antec Kuhler 620. Plus it's semi modular, so cable management is a breeze.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. If you could make it into one big post and it get pinned, that'd be awesome!

Seems as though I can't edit my post, Yay VBulletin5. If this thought does get picked up by the higher ups, Other Mods, Admins or even the Legendary Slick and Linus, I would volunteer to maintain such section of the forum, as I am a work at home free-lance graphic designer. So plenty of free-time in between work and Battlefield 3.