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Optimizing for power & silence

Post Date: 2008-08-13
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bhashem View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote bhashem Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Optimizing for power & silence
    Posted: 13 Aug 2008 at 5:30am
Hi there, wanted to get some feedback about this killer rig that I'm thinking about ordering. I have some competing goals of needing the system to be powerful yet as deadly silent as possible. I'm upgrading from a Voodoo PC Rage F-50 which is basically a giant passive heatsink. So, I'm spoiled with silence. Wink

Here's what I picked out and would appreciate ideas for substitutions that would make the system as quiet as possible without sacrificing too much performance. I plan to use the system for high-def video editing as well as gaming running of dual 21" LCD monitors. (Gaming on multiple monitors is not as critical for me.)

- Big RAM setup and speedy disks for video editing - (already have 2TB NAS for storage for other files, archives, etc...)
- SSD for OS setup and fast booting (also low noise)
- Single video card for minimizing heat and noise
- No interest in SLI at the moment

Any advice on adjustments?

Chassis: Digital Storm 950Si
Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad QX9650 Extreme 3.00GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)
Motherboard: Asus P5Q3 Deluxe WiFi-AP (Intel P45 Chipset) (Supports CrossFire)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 Corsair at 1333MHz
Hard Drive 1: 128GB Solid State (By: OCZ) (Ultimate Lightning Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB
Sound Card: Asus Xonar D2X (PCI-Express Slot Based) (Recommended)
Extreme Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite Dual Loop System for CPU & Single Video Card Only
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor
Boost Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s)
Boost Memory: Yes, Overclock memory timings
Tweak Windows: Yes, Disable and tweak the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

Thanks in advance!
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TomD View Drop Down
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 Aug 2008 at 10:03am
The only thing I would do would be to drop the memory overclocking. It has very little performance benefit, and you will get an added fan which will increase noise. Overclocked RAM also makes more heat, and the need for more fans = noisy.
 
Otherwise that looks like a solid build. If completely silent is a big priority you may want to check this stuff out:
 
 
I used to use a similar sound-proofing kit on a PC in my recording studio. Its cheap and will block out most of any remaining noise. Should be plenty of room in the 950i for it.
 
You might also want to look at a case specifically setup for quiet operation instead. I used to have the previous version of this case and it made very little noise:
 
 
You may want to call DSO for their recommendations, not sure the above will handle your liquid cooling, but they will know the best case for the combo. You really should only need one big exhaust fan with your liquid cooling setup.
 
Good luck and enjoy!
 
Tom


Edited by TomD - 13 Aug 2008 at 10:10am
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 Aug 2008 at 11:31am

Increase the size of your PSU. PSU's running lower in their range produce less heat and spin up their own fan less. Ask DSO which PSU is the quietest. VelociRaptors are not quiet. If you need quiet, I'd go with a high performance 1TB HDD in tandem with the SSD drive.
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bhashem View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote bhashem Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 Aug 2008 at 11:39am
Wow - what quick feedback - thank you all - some good suggestions here. I'll see how I can adjust after talking with some DSO folks.
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 Aug 2008 at 4:39pm
bhashem, first let me say, love your tin tin avatar

having said that Nehalem is coming out soon so maybe you want to wait for that, it will blow penryn away.

with a single quad core processor, I'm not sure how 8GB is going to help you with anything, once you go pass 4GB on single processor, I don't see how you will see any gains.

do you have 4GB of ram now and its not enough?

Edited by DST4ME - 13 Aug 2008 at 4:39pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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