How to configure a quite computer

Budget:
[$5000 for PC only]

Expectations:
[fast, powerful, latest chips, run high resolution video, play high res music, be silent]

Usage:
[General computing, photo editing, video rendering (Adobe Suites), no gaming]

Special Needs:
[Silent. I don't want to hear it in my music room]

Saved Ticket #: [Please Type Here]

Specifications:
That is my question. How can I choose the case, motherboard, CPU, Chips, Video card, sound card, HDD, cooling options that produce the least of noise.

How silent can a computer running the fastest I7 extreme be?

Some other online custom builders brag about computers running with noise equivalent to 11 or 29 decibels. My current Dual Xeon computer noise is 54 dB (loud). I have to shut it off to listen to music.

Has Digital Storm published the sound level of their finished products?

I already own a powerful Digital Storm I7 Hailstorm and it is about 50 dB using a RadioShack sound meter.

So how should I start.

PS


130dBA Gun shot

120dBA Front row at a rock concert

85dBA Earplugs should be worn

60dBA Normal conversation

40dBA A whisper

30dBA A totally quiet night in the desert

20dBA competitor computer

15dBA The drop of a pin

13dBA A standard light bulb

11dBA competitor computer

10dBA Threshold of hearing

Most of the problems with noise are the fans. So you would most likely have to exclude OCing to reduce heat and the amount the fans run. Going with a custom liquid cooling setup on CPU & GPU might help eliminate the sound of small fans buzzing at high speeds. Staying away from mechanical HDDs will also reduce noise (seems every dB is important to you).

You stated that your current setup runs at 50dB - is that at idle or at full power? My setup (see below) runs at 40db idle & 50db full power and has custom liquid cooling with 15 fans using the Hydrolux controlling hardware/software.

One option is to go with Apple's new Mac Pro which should keep you under 20dB with it's custom cooling setup. Otherwise you are most likely looking at something in the 40db range.

Here's a configuration using the HAF-X which is considered to be the best/quietest air-cooled case (uses large 200mm fans). I geared the graphics toward your professional use (rather than gaming) and included the 4960X as requested. It also uses all SSD for storage. Don't know what the dB level would be on this but you could also option for the 550D case (as mentioned above). It has built in sound reducer but may create a hotter overall system temp.

920046 $4872

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 4960X 3.6GHz (Six-Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 32GB DDR3 2133MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM
Storage Set 1: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 Pro Series)
Storage Set 2: 1x (1TB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 EVO Series)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): NVIDIA Quadro K4000 3GB (Outputs: 1x DVI-I ; 2x DisplayPort 1.2)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Good Luck!!

Some considerations (much stolen from Geeks.com "Tech Tip 09 - 5 Simple Steps to a Quieter PC").

1) Fans make noise.  Fewer fans = less noise.
   a) Heat generating components have fans: Case fans, power supply, video card, and the CPU.
   b) Fans with sleeve or liquid bearings are quieter than fans with ball bearings. 
   c) Fan/temperature controllers will let you operate your fans at less than full speed.
   d) Higher rpm fans generate more noise than lower rpm fans.  Example:  The top fans on the HAF-X case, are larger and thus require a lower rpm to move a same volume of air.
   e) Some power supplies can vary its fan's rpm depending on the power draw.
   f) BEST SOLUTION are fanless heatsinks, i.e. Heat Pipes, which use liquid-vapor phase change properties to cool.  But these are Very Expensive. 

2) SSDs have no moving parts and will be quieter than spinning hard drives.

3) Cases with more openings (i.e. vents) will be louder, because openings let out noise. 

4) A case with few openings will be quieter.

5) Soundproofing material is effective on cases with few openings.

6) Internal gaskets between the case itself and either the power supply or case fans (or both) can help.
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Below links are for cases noted for being quiet. The first one is the Obsidian 550d, recommended by XpubuX above. The last case listed has no fans at all.

http://www.corsair.com/obsidian-series-550d-mid-tower-quiet-case.html
Obsidian Series 550D is carefully engineered for noise reduction and sound isolation. But, it’s not just about keeping things quiet — there’s amazing cooling potential, lots of expansion flexibility, and the durability that Obsidian Series is renowned for.

http://www.maximumpc.com/thermaltake_new_soprano_review2013
Finding a chassis that successfully combines practical noise dampening, useful features, and cooling can be a bit of a needle in the haystack sometimes—but in this case (pardon the pun), that’s Thermaltake’s New Soprano. This only has TWO case fans, which may not be enough cooling capacity (see next).

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/azza-silentium-920-case-review/5/
Review of the AZZA Silentium 920 Case explicitly says that TWO 120 mm fans is probably not enough cooling capacity.
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http://www.quietpc.com/tnn500af
IF you really are a true audiophile and REALLY want the best quiet case, you might ask Digital Storm to special order the Zalman TNN 500AF Totally No Noise Computer Case.  The aptly-named Totally No Noise 500AF (TNN 500AF) is the world's first absolutely noiseless and fanless computer case, from the number one quiet cooling manufacturer, Zalman. With a constant desire to have the ultimate PC comes faster and therefore noisier fans. As PC's become commonplace in a home environment, as well as in more specific fields such as audio and video production, so the benefit of a noiseless system is clear. When a high performance totally silent PC platform is required, this is the case of choice!

Thanks for all the responses so far. I am reading a lot and learning along the way.

No Apple Mac for me (hate anything Apple related. I want control)

The Corsair 550D seems a good case but it is Mid Tower and will not take E-ATX cases for future upgradability. SO I am looking at full tower cases. The Computer I got from Digital storm is in a Cool Master 942 HAF X but it is all fan cooled and liquid cooled.

So I need a Full Tower Case with liquid cooling for booth the CPU and the graphics card (or one with quite fans).

I guess I have to accept some very low noise vs. silent for the power I am looking at.

Great suggestions everyone!

The Fractal Define XL seems like a close fit, only issue is that it does not have enough radiator mounts for both GPU and GPU cooling unless you don't mind warmer fluid temps with the overclocked CPU.

To be honest, any system can be quiet to a certain degree, it's the fans that make the noise. If you pick our noise suppression package and select HydroLux to control chassis fans, you will get a fairly quiet computer.