Noctua-Themed Build

[Aereldor]

Disclaimer: I do not currently intend to build this PC. The purpose of this thread is equal parts curiosity and recreation- I think it'll be fun, and am interested to see the results of such an unusual colour scheme.

 

Greetings, all.

 

I've always been intrigued by the prospect of a Noctua-themed build. While this appears to have been realized by several builders through custom-loop watercooling and heavy case-modding, I was wondering what users on the Linus Tech tips forum could come up with using off-the-shelf components found on PCPartPicker, or other parts that are not listed there. This does not include the aforementioned custom loops, although aftermarket power cables are permitted with links).

 

This is not just to create a challenge, but also in order to make such a build accessible to neophyte builders and people who are not interested in heavy customization. I'm also one of the odd few who really likes the Noctua colours of cream and brown, and given the opportunity, there's a possibility that I'll use the parts lists in this thread to put one together in the future.

 

Obviously, the primary focus of this challenge is the aesthetic, although needless to say the PC should be at least capable of running the latest triple-A titles at 1080p. Price to performance is not a criterion, and neither is the budget. However, I would like to emphasize that valid purchasing links should be provided for all listed parts. Third-party sellers on websites like Amazon are also acceptable.

 

I'd like to personally invite @deXxterlab97, @Energycore, @BingoFishy, @WoodenMarker, and @Starelementpoke to participate. I'm also going to try to put something together, but I don't have a lot of good ideas for this as of now.

 

I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with.

 

Regards,

Aereldor.

[Guest]

Can I sleep? Alright let me see what my phone can come up with

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, deXxterlab97 said:

Can I sleep? Alright let me see what my phone can come up with

There's no hurry; I reckon I'll be checking back on this thread for a couple of days anyway.

[Guest]

I have no idea what I was doing. Brown/cream/mustard orange theme

I am on a phone so there could be mistakes. Storage are just there as placeholder. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($79.95 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($105.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($629.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Gunmetal) ATX Full Tower Case  ($150.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1725.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 00:56 EST-0500

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, deXxterlab97 said:

I have no idea what I was doing. Brown/cream/mustard orange theme

I am on a phone so there could be mistakes. Storage are just there as placeholder. 

I see you went for a rusty colour scheme. It's great! I like how the RAM and GPU colours match up. The one thing you didn't do was smother it in Noctua fans.

[Guest]

Just now, Aereldor said:

I see you went for a rusty colour scheme. It's great! I like how the RAM and GPU colours match up. The one thing you didn't do was smother it in Noctua fans.

Right adding it now

[Energycore]

Aw yeah! Let's do something.

 

I realize the first thought would be to put an NH-D15 in there, but I think the Noctua fans would be better showcased on a big radiator. NF-S12As as case fans because you can run them at 100% constantly and you won't hear them. Included is a set of custom cables for the main connectors that match the color scheme, with the white light from the EVGA 1070s lighting it all up.

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler  ($159.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($128.55 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($409.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($409.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400C White ATX Mid Tower Case  ($91.72 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($124.79 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Cablemod Custom Noctua-Colored Cables ($107.90)
Total: $2289.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 01:19 EST-0500

 

Custom cables:

1x 24-pin ATX

1x 4+4-pin EPS

4x 8-pin PCI-E

Edit: I felt like throwing red and white LED RAM in there. Best way to do them is one white, one red.

Edit2: Alright fine these Dominator Platinum Heat spreaders look too good not to use. Not that I'd actually buy those if I made the build (GSkill has some good orange RAM that doesn't cost $240 for 16GB)

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

I see you went for a rusty colour scheme. It's great! I like how the RAM and GPU colours match up. The one thing you didn't do was smother it in Noctua fans.

Making noctua less ugly

 

Sound card has some gold brown. Same to kb, mouse and peripherals. 

 

Not entirely sure with ram clearance 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($79.95 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($105.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($629.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Gunmetal) ATX Full Tower Case  ($150.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card  ($226.76 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: D-Link DWA-140 USB 2.0 802.11g/n Wi-Fi Adapter  ($34.31 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($17.49 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Asus STRIX TACTIC PRO Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($154.99 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech MX Master Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse  ($68.93 @ Jet) 
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 598  Headphones  ($149.93 @ Amazon) 
Speakers: Audioengine A5+ Bamboo 100W 2ch Speakers  ($469.00 @ Amazon) 
External Storage: LaCie Rugged 1TB External Hard Drive  ($109.95 @ B&H) 
Total: $2957.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 01:13 EST-0500

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Aw yeah! Let's do something.

 

I realize the first thought would be to put an NH-D15 in there, but I think the Noctua fans would be better showcased on a big radiator. NF-S12As as case fans because you can run them at 100% constantly and you won't hear them. Included is a set of custom cables for the main connectors that match the color scheme, with the white light from the EVGA 1070s lighting it all up.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler  ($159.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($99.99 @ Jet)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($104.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($128.55 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($409.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($409.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400C White ATX Mid Tower Case  ($91.72 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($124.79 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan  ($17.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Cablemod Custom Noctua-Colored Cables ($107.90)
Total: $2254.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 01:15 EST-0500

 

Custom cables:

1x 24-pin ATX

1x 4+4-pin EPS

4x 8-pin PCI-E

Edit: I felt like throwing red and white LED RAM in there. Best way to do them is one white, one red.

Sorry for not sniping, on a phone

 

wait so was we suppose to make a noctua themed ugly cream colored build or just have noctua in there? 

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, deXxterlab97 said:

Sorry for bot sniping, on a phone

 

wait so was we suppose to make a noctua themed ugly cream colored build or just have noctua in there? 

I mean, I think it has to do the following:

 

- Look good

- Have noctua fans at least or a heatsink

- Have the entire color scheme be based around the Noctua's poop and tan

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, Energycore said:

I mean, I think it has to do the following:

 

- Look good

- Have noctua fans at least or a heatsink

- Have the entire color scheme be based around the Noctua's poop and tan

Showcase the Noctua colours as best as you can without case-modding or custom loops. Hell, I'm working on a black build with the only colour being Noctua's cream and brown.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

Showcase the Noctua colours as best as you can without case-modding or custom loops. Hell, I'm working on a black build with the only colour being Noctua's cream and brown.

 

2 minutes ago, Energycore said:

I mean, I think it has to do the following:

 

- Look good

- Have noctua fans at least or a heatsink

- Have the entire color scheme be based around the Noctua's poop and tan

Imagine noctua and coffee lake 

[Aereldor]

3 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

Imagine noctua and coffee lake 

Now I'm hungry.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

Now I'm hungry.

It's a future intel chipset. You can't eat it..  Though kids in Africa could

[Aereldor]

2 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

It's a future intel chipset. You can't eat it..  Though kids in Africa could

I know what Coffee Lake is. I just can't help but take it literally at midday.

[Aereldor]

My submission:

• I thought the top-facing fan on the NH-C14S showcased the Noctua colours better than the side-facing ones on the NH-D15. 
• I used a 65-watt CPU so the fan on the C14S can spin nice and slow, showing itself off.
• I chose to go with an all-black build besides the RAM slots on the Sabertooth X99 to make sure the Noctua colours were the only ones that stood out.
• Every fan mount is populated with a Noctua fan.
• The Sennheiser HD 598 headphones are an obvious choice.
• The Logitech G710 has a brown ring around the left-side macro keys.
• Something about the MX Master mouse's gold-and-black colour scheme seems right to me.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2650L V3 1.8GHz 12-Core OEM/Tray Processor  ($1149.95 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($78.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($296.20 @ B&H) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($108.18 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($306.18 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($306.18 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($633.89 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($633.89 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($17.49 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Plus Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($85.14 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech MX Master Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse  ($68.93 @ Jet) 
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 598  Headphones  ($153.99 @ Best Buy) 
Other: Custom Brown-and-White Cablemod ModMesh Cable Set ($150.00)
Total: $4238.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 01:49 EST-0500

 

[Energycore]

@Aereldor The NH-C14S is higher performance and sports an NF-A14 on top.

 

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, Energycore said:

@Aereldor The NH-C14S is higher performance and sports an NF-A14 on top.

Editing that in immediately.

[Aereldor]

@Energycore- Do you think that I'll be able to make the fan spin at a really slow RPM if I stick with the 85-watt CPU? I think that'll look a lot nicer rather than a brown blur.

[Energycore]

Just now, Aereldor said:

@Energycore- Do you think that I'll be able to make the fan spin at a really slow RPM if I stick with the 85-watt CPU? I think that'll look a lot nicer rather than a brown blur.

Yeah the C14S measured just below a D15 in performance actually. Should be able to run the fan at 400RPM through the low noise adapters and PWM signal

[Aereldor]

6 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Yeah the C14S measured just below a D15 in performance actually. Should be able to run the fan at 400RPM through the low noise adapters and PWM signal

I went with a 65-watt CPU, just to see how far I could push it. It's become pretty unreasonable at this point.

 

I wonder if we could persuade @LinusTech and @Slick to do a Noctua build with something like this, but with hardcore modding and painting, as well as a hardline tubing custom loop.

[Energycore]

3 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

I went with a 65-watt CPU, just to see how far I could push it. It's become pretty unreasonable at this point.

 

I wonder if we could persuade @LinusTech and @Slick to do a Noctua build with something like this, but with hardcore modding and painting, as well as a hardline tubing custom loop.

I mean you can probably run fanless with only 65W of load, but why? Just keep the fan running at 400RPM and it'll cool the 80W part (honestly, It would cool a 140W CPU at 600RPM)

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, Energycore said:

I mean you can probably run fanless with only 65W of load, but why? Just keep the fan running at 400RPM and it'll cool the 80W part (honestly, It would cool a 140W CPU at 600RPM)

At what point do you think the blades of a case fan start spinning fast enough to appear as a blur?

[Energycore]

8 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

At what point do you think the blades of a case fan start spinning fast enough to appear as a blur?

Actually lemme do actual tests of that (I'll be able to record soon when my camera arrives, be ready for that )

 

Well since 400RPM is as slow as my fans will go, I can tell you that 400RPM still looks like a blur, even though you can more or less make out the fan blades. At 500RPM, I couldn't make them out. - tested on 2 AF120 LEDs and 1 Hyper 212 EVO fan

[Aereldor]

15 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Actually lemme do actual tests of that (I'll be able to record soon when my camera arrives, be ready for that )

 

Well since 400RPM is as slow as my fans will go, I can tell you that 400RPM still looks like a blur, even though you can more or less make out the fan blades. At 500RPM, I couldn't make them out. - tested on 2 AF120 LEDs and 1 Hyper 212 EVO fan

I was thinking of going for 200 RPM with the 65-watt CPU. Like you said, I could probably go fanless at this point, so the fan is just a decoration. I might as well make it glamorous.

 

I look forward to seeing those videos!