Rate my build - silent idle / content creation

[ImRud]

• Case:  http://www.ncix.com/detail/be-quiet-silent-base-800-b3-100275-1360.htm
• CPU:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117402
• Cooler:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C9FLSLY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=linustechtips-20&ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C9FLSLY&linkCode=as2
• MoBo:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130796
• RAM:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148866
• GPU:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121899
• PSU:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438017
• SSD:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820721107
• HDD:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136874

Hello everyone.  If you don't mind, please rate my build here.  My goal is not only silence during idle and lightweight computing, but also enough juice to power through some video editing.  I'll break down my decisions for each component.

 

For the case, I went fairly high-end choosing the be quiet! Silent Base 800.  It seemed to perform fantastically for Linus in his silent computing build guide, and the black with silver accent matches my desk.  It's also large enough to where I don't envision having issues with cooling.

 

For the CPU, I opted for the Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz.  It's the most affordable 6-core haswell I could find, and it also supports quad channel memory, which I think is important for vidya-makin'.  If I'm wrong, and dual channel would be good enough, then I can save a butt load of cash by going with a different CPU (probably a quad-core i7 4.0GHz) that'll enable me to go meaningfully cheaper on the MoBo and RAM.

 

To keep it cool, I chose the Noctua NH-U14S.  Linus seems to swear by this brand, and the Amazon reviews say that it's darn quiet.  My concern is if it'll block memory channels necessary for the quad channel config...

 

...on this motherboard, the MSI X99S SLI Plus.  The cheapest 2011-v3 board I could find.  It's MSI which seems reputable enough, so I'm not concerned about the reliability even though it's "cheap."  If I'm wrong, then let me know.

 

For the memory I went with Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) 288-Pin SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4-19200).  I went with 16GB to keep cost down compared to 32GB.  If I'm an idiot for it, let me know.  Also, I'm a bit puzzled as to what the hell the "PC4-19200" means.  Please rid me of my ignorance.

 

For the GPU, I chose almost the same that Linus did in his silent build, the ASUS STRIX GTX970.  It'll only kick on during high performance tasks, so that's nice.  Again, opted for the 970, not the 980, for costs sake.  1600+ CUDA cores oughta keep the Adobe flowing smooth.

 

For the PSU, I chose the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 80plus GOLD certified fully modular power supply.  It's fans don't kick on until it breaks 45 degrees, so even more silence, but no sacrifice in high-end performance.  If I need more juice, again, let me know.

 

For storage,  I'll work within two 120GB Kingston SSD's in RAID 0, and then backup onto a 3TB WD Green drive as needed.  Is this an efficient storage solution for speed, silence, and reliability?

 

Where can I cut cost?  Is cheaping out where I did a lost cause?  Will this be as quiet as I want it to be (which is really, really quiet)?  I'm pretty sure this will blaze through Premiere and After Effects, but am I just an idiot blowing money, or overestimating performance?

 

Total cost: ~$1600 USD

[C0LL0SS0S]

Yeah if you could make a PCPartpicker link, that'd be great ^^

[IP man]

PC part picker please 

[stconquest]

$1644

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($389.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($79.91 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($161.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($265.39 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin ECO2 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1623.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-15 13:24 EDT-0400

[Imakuni]

You could get a 550w or 650w PSU and be totally fine. In fact, it's even advised, as that range is the optimal point for efficiency.

[ImRud]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vM94mG

 

I've swapped out the cooler for a compatible one.

[ImRud]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vM94mG

 

I've swapped out the cooler for a compatible one.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TZVxCJ

I've now put in a 650w PSU instead.  This one only revs the fan at higher temps, right?

[ImRud]

$1644

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($389.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($79.91 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($161.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Mushkin Blackline 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($265.39 @ Amazon)

Storage: Mushkin ECO2 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($159.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.29 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($329.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $1623.52

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-15 13:24 EDT-0400

 

Wow you are much better at this than I am...  I'd still like to use the be quiet! case even though that one looks really freakin nice.  It just doesn't look as quiet.  I'd also like to run 2 SSD's in raid 0 instead of the one.

[stconquest]

Wow you are much better at this than I am...  I'd still like to use the be quiet! case even though that one looks really freakin nice.  It just doesn't look as quiet.  I'd also like to run 2 SSD's in raid 0 instead of the one.

 

The Phanteks Enthoo comes with a fan header that controls up to 6 or 7 case fans.  It is quiet.  I would further recommend a proper fan controller, if you are kind OCD about it.  I always seem to buy one when I build a pc, I like to be able to turn fans off completely.

 

As to the raid 0 SSDs, the random write on the Mushkin is more than twice that on the Kingston.  Even in raid, the Mushkin would be snappier that regard.  Why do you need faster than 500+ MB/s sequential read/write?

 

Cheaper and better than the V300 SSD:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-internal-hard-drive-mknssdec120gb

 

@ImRud  Your part selection was really good.  The only real gripe I had was the storage solutions.  The Kingston "v-series" SSDs are frown upon here.  Apparently Kingston did some bait n' switch maneuver on the memory modules.  The advertized specs might not be what you are getting.

 

@ImRud Also, I put in a 750W PSU because I thought you were looking to SLI later on down the road.  A single 970 only draws around 280W.  As the man above me says, you can go with a much lower wattage for a more efficient setup... IF you don't plan on getting a second GPU.

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/geforce-gtx-970-sli-review,4.html

[brob]

Wow you are much better at this than I am...  I'd still like to use the be quiet! case even though that one looks really freakin nice.  It just doesn't look as quiet.  I'd also like to run 2 SSD's in raid 0 instead of the one.

 

RAID 0 ssd as a system drive is actually sub-optimal. Desktop volumes of 4KB random reads & writes are as fast or faster on a single larger ssd than a RAID 0 array. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485-13.html

[ImRud]

The Phanteks Enthoo comes with a fan header that controls up to 6 or 7 case fans.  It is quiet.  I would further recommend a proper fan controller, if you are kind OCD about it.  I always seem to buy one when I build a pc, I like to be able to turn fans off completely.

 

As to the raid 0 SSDs, the random write on the Mushkin is more than twice that on the Kingston.  Even in raid, the Mushkin would be snappier that regard.  Why do you need faster than 500+ MB/s sequential read/write?

 

Cheaper and better than the V300 SSD:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-internal-hard-drive-mknssdec120gb

 

@ImRud  Your part selection was really good.  The only real gripe I had was the storage solutions.  The Kingston "v-series" SSDs are frown upon here.  Apparently Kingston did some bait n' switch maneuver on the memory modules.  The advertized specs might not be what you are getting.

 

@ImRud Also, I put in a 750W PSU because I thought you were looking to SLI later on down the road.  A single 970 only draws around 280W.  As the man above me says, you can go with a much lower wattage for a more efficient setup... IF you don't plan on getting a second GPU.

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/geforce-gtx-970-sli-review,4.html

 

 

RAID 0 ssd as a system drive is actually sub-optimal. Desktop volumes of 4KB random reads & writes are as fast or faster on a single larger ssd than a RAID 0 array. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485-13.html

So after y'all's advice, I've modified the build:  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B886jX

I kinda said screw it and opted for the much loved, versatile, but not particularly unique Define R5.

I see now that RAID 0 SSDs wouldn't be practical, so I went for the 480GB Mushkin.

I'll probably never go with multiple GPUs, so I've downsized the PSU.

 

How can I improve without going dramatically higher up in price?  How can I bring the price down?  Is there a $1000(ish) machine that could come close to this?  If I could get 80% of the power for 60A% of the price, then that'd be greaaaaat.

[stconquest]

So after y'all's advice, I've modified the build:  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B886jX

I kinda said screw it and opted for the much loved, versatile, but not particularly unique Define R5.

I see now that RAID 0 SSDs wouldn't be practical, so I went for the 480GB Mushkin.

I'll probably never go with multiple GPUs, so I've downsized the PSU.

 

How can I improve without going dramatically higher up in price?  How can I bring the price down?  Is there a $1000(ish) machine that could come close to this?  If I could get 80% of the power for 60A% of the price, then that'd be greaaaaat.

 

So, 1150 is really the only way to bring this down.  Example:

 

$1324

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1241 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($264.95 @ SuperBiiz) <<<Like an i7, but has a locked multiplier

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler  ($47.99 @ Mwave)

Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($104.86 @ Amazon)<<<you can look into ECC memory, but it is more expensive, about $90 per 8GB

Storage: Mushkin ECO2 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.29 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($329.00 @ NCIX US)

Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Titanium) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) <<<do you need a window?

Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ NCIX US)  <<<Made by Seasonic, this PSU has a silent mode (passive)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-C2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($6.98 @ OutletPC) <<< Bottom intake (put on the fan controller)

Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-C2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($6.98 @ OutletPC) <<<Top exhaust (put on the fan controller)

Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-C2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($6.98 @ OutletPC) <<<Top exhaust (put on the fan controller)

Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-140-BK 66.0 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($13.95 @ OutletPC) <<<Front intake

Fan Controller: NZXT SENTRY 3 Fan Controller  ($29.88 @ OutletPC)  <<Control three fans, including turning them off

Total: $1318.80 

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-16 05:47 EDT-0400

[brob]

So after y'all's advice, I've modified the build:  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B886jX

I kinda said screw it and opted for the much loved, versatile, but not particularly unique Define R5.

I see now that RAID 0 SSDs wouldn't be practical, so I went for the 480GB Mushkin.

I'll probably never go with multiple GPUs, so I've downsized the PSU.

 

How can I improve without going dramatically higher up in price?  How can I bring the price down?  Is there a $1000(ish) machine that could come close to this?  If I could get 80% of the power for 60A% of the price, then that'd be greaaaaat.

 

The build is pretty good. It would be possible to cut a few dollars out of it, but nothing significant.

 

$1K is not really achievable. About the closest I could come and still be comfortable with performance is something like

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($97.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Mushkin ECO2 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($329.00 @ NCIX US)

Case: Corsair 330R Titanium Edition ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.99 @ NCIX US)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1161.79

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-16 16:54 EDT-0400