A Podcast Build

kibbled · February 13, 2020

My sister is looking to do a podcast and she would like to get a computer that will fit her needs. She is probably going to go with a laptop but I wanted to come up with a system just for comparison. My goal for this system was for it be as quiet as possible. She will not be gaming on this at all so I just wanted to get something without any fans. It will be good enough as long as it can stream Neflix and You Tube at 1080p.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JQnxRk

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 UD ATX AM4 Motherboard ($144.00 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($66.81 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE4 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GT 1030 2 GB Video Card ($79.99 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $824.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-13 17:45 EST-0500

boggy77 · February 13, 2020

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$147.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$79.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard	$99.99 @ B&H
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$39.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Inland Premium 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$72.98 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$53.98 @ Newegg
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case	$77.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$82.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$674.80
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$654.80
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-13 18:44 EST-0500

dizmo · February 15, 2020

Your build is...monstrously overkill. You're better off spending significantly less and putting money into the more important things like the microphone, pop filter, etc.

You don't need that cooler.
Really, you don't need the 3600. The 1600AF is more than sufficient.
Definitely don't need that motherboard.
Going with an APU will rid the need for the video card.
If you actually want silence, you can't really have a windowed case.

If you want a quiet machine, try and find a fanless PSU. She won't be taxing the system at all when doing the podcast, so if that's what you're worried about it's an unnecessary worry. Put the tower on the floor, and it's highly unlikely you'll notice it at all.

Couple hundred cheaper, fanless PSU, twice the RAM, twice the NVME storage.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.57 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 275Q ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Mistel 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $669.41