# Quiet PC Build - Any component recommendations?



## composerguy78 (Nov 9, 2018)

I'm looking to build a (Windows 10) full size ATX PC which is going to be in my studio (not a machine room/closet). 

I would like it to be as *quiet as possible. *

I am thinking that all drives will be SSD or M.2 to limit moving parts. 

I would appreciate any suggestions for components which will help achieve this. 

Here is my current parts list


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## Oguz Sehiralti (Nov 9, 2018)

If you use drives without mechanical parts, only fans will be making noise. Looking at your list,

You chose a fanless PSU, so no noise from there. 
Your choose of cpu cooler seems to have a big cooler block and a large fan, which will probably be quiet. I haven’t use that model but I have a Noctua nh-d14 which is super quiet. The larger the cooling block and the fan the slower the fan will run which will result in less noise. 
Fractal cases are generally good for cooling and silence but does this case have fan controllers? For getting very silent builds I feel like fan controllers are a must. My case fans are most of the time off and therefore completely silent. They only ramp up when they need to be. (And again some case fans are more silent then others. I’d recommend looking at some Noctua fans there as well.) 
Does this graphic card turn it’s fan completely off while not in use? During music production work most GPUs don’t do much work and should be able to turn off the fans completely off.


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## Pictus (Nov 9, 2018)

composerguy78 said:


> I'm looking to build a (Windows 10) full size ATX PC which is going to be in my studio (not a machine room/closet).
> I would like it to be as *quiet as possible. *
> I am thinking that all drives will be SSD or M.2 to limit moving parts.
> I would appreciate any suggestions for components which will help achieve this.
> Here is my current parts list



For $100 more I improved your build.





System Builder







pcpartpicker.com








-For cooler you want a NH-D15s.
The Thermalright Macho is good, but not for the i9-9900K.

-For motherboard the Gigabyte Z390 DESIGNARE have better VRM and built-in ThunderBolt.
It uses the latest Intel ThunderBolt chipset, the Titan Ridge.

-For SSD performance and endurance better stay with Samsung.
With the EVO 970 you will be able to use the Samsung Magician
and the Samsung custom NVMe driver for better performance.

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Oguz Sehiralti said:


> Does this graphic card turn it’s fan completely off while not in use? During music production work most GPUs don’t do much work and should be able to turn off the fans completely off.


Yes, it turns off the fans https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Graphics-Card/GV-RX570GAMING-4GD#kf


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## tack (Nov 9, 2018)

The main thing here is to get a CPU that doesn't place high demands on cooling. So I'd stick to at most a 95W TDP CPU and pay attention to reviews on power consumption. From this perspective I would probably tend toward something like an 8700k over the 9900k, as the 9900k reviews haven't been exceptional in this regard. 

Also make sure your motherboard supports fan hysteresis. Even low levels of fan noise are problematic when they are constantly changing. Because of this I would avoid ASRock motherboards whose BIOS doesn't have this capability. (Annoyed voice of experience here.)


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## composerguy78 (Nov 9, 2018)

Wow! Thank you all so much. This info is great. I did not know any of this! 

Greatly appreciated!


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## Kony (Nov 9, 2018)

Pictus said:


> For $100 more I improved your build.
> https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LzbVHh
> 
> 
> ...


Nice!


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Nov 9, 2018)

I'd replace the case fans with 3 Noctua fans using the ULN adapter. I'd also put the ULN adapters on the Noctua CPU cooler. Can't get any quieter than that (unless you go completely passive).


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## composerguy78 (Nov 13, 2018)

Thank you Gerhard - What is the ULN adaptor exactly? Is there a link you can provide?


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## Damarus (Nov 13, 2018)

composerguy78 said:


> Thank you Gerhard - What is the ULN adaptor exactly? Is there a link you can provide?



Some of the Noctua fans come with an "Ultra-low-noise adapter".

Couple things to note. Can you consolidate your drives? Why 4 SSD's?

520W PSU is a bit low. It will work, but you could probably larger capacity that might be a bit quieter.


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## composerguy78 (Nov 13, 2018)

I could consolidate drives - Just saving some cash as they get pricier per GB above 2TB but perhaps I don't need that many drives as the throughput of these drives is so high compared to rotational drives. I could probably stick the System, samples and project session folders all on one drive right? 

I will find a power supply which is quiet with more wattage capacity. 

Also, here is the page for the motherboard - does this have the fan control you recommend?


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## Damarus (Nov 13, 2018)

composerguy78 said:


> I could consolidate drives - Just saving some cash as they get pricier per GB above 2TB but perhaps I don't need that many drives as the throughput of these drives is so high compared to rotational drives. I could probably stick the System, samples and project session folders all on one drive right?
> 
> I will find a power supply which is quiet with more wattage capacity.
> 
> Also, here is the page for the motherboard - does this have the fan control you recommend?



Yeah I don't really see the need to separate everything. Drives and CPUS are so fast now, its just more of a hassle imo, but you know what you need more than I do.

Dont worry about the ULN adapter. Its basically just a little cable that you attach the fan header before plugging it into the motherboard header. Think extension cable that basically lowers the speed of your fan


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## composerguy78 (Nov 13, 2018)

Okay, in that case I will reduce to two drives! 

I will get that cable - seems like a simple and decent idea!


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## Damarus (Nov 13, 2018)

composerguy78 said:


> Okay, in that case I will reduce to two drives!
> 
> I will get that cable - seems like a simple and decent idea!



Yeah it comes with the noctua fan. https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-F12-PWM-Cooling-Fan/dp/B00650P2ZC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542141394&sr=8-4&keywords=noctua+120mm+fan (See pictures and read the details on the right)


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