PEACH my PC rig! :D

[Hanuman]

http://i.imgur.com/p7vgZFq.png

Hey guys! My design for this rig is called Calcifer, making use of a window panel to display the asus aura lighting rgb control, the default profile will be a white/blue for low temperature and a white/orange for high temperature, going off the theme of flame efficiency starting with a blue flame and turning orange. The simplicity of the case and parts colors allows me to re-design this identity if I want.

I am going to be using Calcifer for film processing and game streaming, it doesn't need out of this world video processing but I do want to focus more on single core power with at least 8 threads, ideally over 4ghz and 4-5ghz probably works perfect for this concept.

I chose to go with an NZXT H440 case because of it's focus on silent performance while having a window, the top sound dampener can be taken off to significantly increase the airflow to the system, if that happens it loses it's silent functionality but it doesn't suffer from the few degrees higher internal temp vs. other cases due to lower airflow despite having lots of fan space.

My other issue is that while the liqmax cooler has great stats (runs silent, works well) and apparently works better than usual for a push static fan, the newegg page for it doesn't list it being compatable with 1151 socket that the i7 7700k uses, however the manufacturer page for it says it does. I am quite confused about that.

I'm also wondering if this concept is a bad idea in general, is having a window and expecting quiet asking too much? will the graphics card never hit boost because the case will get too hot while the top panel is on? Let me know! :smallbiggrin:


https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/zzRGRG (Prices may be 25% larger due to canadian dollar conversion)


Parts that need scrutiny:

Enermax Liqmax II 240 96.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (Silent well performing aio loop)

NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($120USD, price on partspicker is wrong)

Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (Has rgb, controls all the rbg in the system, has great overclocking features)


Parts that seem well-chosen but may need a change:

Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (4.2-4.5 boost clock, able to run 4.5-5ghz stable overclocked with liquid aio)

Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card (Opted for a higher power card than the 6gig 1060, yet still has a good pricepoint for it's power, not as good as the 1060 though)

EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Cheap at the time, looking for color neutral cheap options, will eventually upgrade, ideally 3000 or 3200)


Parts that almost certainly don't need a change:

Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste

Samsung 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive

Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit

[Trekkin]

I'm also wondering if this concept is a bad idea in general, is having a window and expecting quiet asking too much?


In my experience, yes. Then again, I've never wanted a window on a computer in the first place, or any lights other than the power and reset buttons, so I can muffle everything.

I have, however, helped friends' builds. They like windows. They end up not liking having what is in effect a giant plastic (or, in one memorable case, glass) tympanum with an unobstructed view of all the noisy and well-lit fans. The only ways I know around it require custom-fabricating the relevant parts.

[factotum]

Sounds like he's using water cooling in this rig, though, at least for the CPU, so that should reduce the noise somewhat.

[Silfir]

The first 3 TB Seagate Barracuda that got rolled out had abysmal failure rates. That was several years ago, so one would assume the 3 TB drives sold today don't have that problem anymore. Still, worth looking into.

I can't comment on issues of either silence (I'm hard of hearing, and have no idea if others would hear my PC) or aesthetics (my PC uses a $40 simple compact black case and I love it). I think LGA 1151 is so similar in design to LGA 1150 that any cooler compatible with one ought to be compatible with another, so I wouldn't worry about what's listed on Newegg over the manufacturer's site (and anyway, this review (http://www.eteknix.com/enermax-liqmax-ii-240mm-aio-cpu-cooler-review/) also lists it as compatible with 1151).

For film processing and game streaming, I would actually strongly consider going with a Ryzen build, either Ryzen 5 1600 or even a Ryzen 7 1700. The extra cores and threads come in handy for both streaming and film encoding.

[Trekkin]

Sounds like he's using water cooling in this rig, though, at least for the CPU, so that should reduce the noise somewhat.

I don't know if it will help enough, though. Liquid cooling tends to just shift the noise problem to the case fans mounted on the radiator; even if the pump itself is quiet (and, to their credit, they tend to be), those fans won't be.

Then, too, the restriction in airflow from the radiator means those fans will be working harder than they otherwise would be. Personally, I like to maintain significant positive pressure so most of the dust passes through my intake filters, which can help take some of the load off the radiator fans too. Even with that, though, they need to move a lot of air.

[wumpus]

I don't know if it will help enough, though. Liquid cooling tends to just shift the noise problem to the case fans mounted on the radiator; even if the pump itself is quiet (and, to their credit, they tend to be), those fans won't be.

Then, too, the restriction in airflow from the radiator means those fans will be working harder than they otherwise would be. Personally, I like to maintain significant positive pressure so most of the dust passes through my intake filters, which can help take some of the load off the radiator fans too. Even with that, though, they need to move a lot of air.

There really isn't much point in having a heatsink that makes much less than 3dB more noise than the GPU fan (unless the GPU is only used occasionally). Once you can't hear the heatsink over something else, you move to the next source of noise.

I'm also wondering about the comment about the RAM. It seems like good stuff (I think I've read a comment claiming the chips used in GSkill DDR4 3000 and up are the preferred right now, but really couldn't confirm it) and I doubt any "upgrade" will be noticable (unless 32GB becomes useful and you double it).