Silent, expandable & enough power for ~$2k?

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   Hello guys - help appreciated!

Budget: 

Around 2,000 just for the comp - no need for any accessories.

Expectations: 

A silent machine that is powerful enough to last a few years but with room to expand.

Usage:

Mid to mid high level gaming - don't need to go overboard, but figured I'd try to get the best CPU+GPU I can buy and expand on that. Some FPS, flight simulation and strategy games. Do plan to have dual monitors (although I'll probably just game in one).

Special Needs: Don't need the computer to be fancy at all - only want it to be as silent as possible with as much power as I can get for my budget. This will be a pure gaming computer, but want to avoid a rig that sounds like a plane is taking off!

Saved Ticket #: 1097668 vs 1097667

This is my first time "building" a computer for myself - I just don't have the patience or time to build a computer on my own so decided to purchase one through one of the builder companies, like DS. My only "gaming" rig was incredibly loud and full of lights, which made me think of how much I DONT want that, but the exact opposite. I took a look at the Slade and it looks like a nice option (I do wish DS carried more silent-focused cases, but this one is nice-ish, at least in pics).

Anyway, I have two tickets up there for the two options I have considered at this time, and would love your input. I'm spending a few extra bucks in some parts, trying to prepare for buying another graphics card in the future (so looking for SLI/crossfire support). As expected, AMD is cheaper although I like the Intel motherboard better. Going for 8G RAM although considering going for 16G. What are your thoughts?

Thank you!

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Eirikr Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Topic: Silent, expandable & enough power for ~$2k? Posted: 19 Nov 2014 at 4:31pm
	Hello guys - help appreciated! Budget: Around 2,000 just for the comp - no need for any accessories. Expectations: A silent machine that is powerful enough to last a few years but with room to expand. Usage: Mid to mid high level gaming - don't need to go overboard, but figured I'd try to get the best CPU+GPU I can buy and expand on that. Some FPS, flight simulation and strategy games. Do plan to have dual monitors (although I'll probably just game in one). Special Needs: Don't need the computer to be fancy at all - only want it to be as silent as possible with as much power as I can get for my budget. This will be a pure gaming computer, but want to avoid a rig that sounds like a plane is taking off! Saved Ticket #: 1097668 vs 1097667 This is my first time "building" a computer for myself - I just don't have the patience or time to build a computer on my own so decided to purchase one through one of the builder companies, like DS. My only "gaming" rig was incredibly loud and full of lights, which made me think of how much I DONT want that, but the exact opposite. I took a look at the Slade and it looks like a nice option (I do wish DS carried more silent-focused cases, but this one is nice-ish, at least in pics). Anyway, I have two tickets up there for the two options I have considered at this time, and would love your input. I'm spending a few extra bucks in some parts, trying to prepare for buying another graphics card in the future (so looking for SLI/crossfire support). As expected, AMD is cheaper although I like the Intel motherboard better. Going for 8G RAM although considering going for 16G. What are your thoughts? Thank you!

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391	Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2014 at 9:48am
	Hi Erikr....Welcome to the forums. I would definitely opt for the first build with the 4690k cpu. A better gaming chip all around. I would also , for another $41, get the gtx 980 instead of the 290x. It's a faster gaming card, using less juice, quieter and less heat. 8Gb is all you need in most case, right now, but 16gb is becoming the new standard as usage does go up in games. 8gb works fine. You can always add later. The 240mm cooler will mount under the top panel and require the top acoustic panel to stay off for the fans to exit the heat. The Slade is as quiet as it is because of the top and side acoustic panels staying on. The top off will increase the noise but will still be a quieter case than most. The default 120 mm rad mounts against the back wall, and the top stays on. On the plus side, .the 240mm rad on top will increase the closed up cases airflow. Something you might want if you go sli and use the ACX type dual fan cards. I would also get the stage 1 overclock. Not a huge increase in performance but it does help. Change the Seagate HDD to the Western Digital Black for another $19. A better drive, more dependable and longer warranty. These changes will increase the cost, so another thought, is the gtx 970. It beats the 290x in some games and lags with others. Here's a link to check out. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1056?vs=1355 If you plan on sli, the sli 970 will play great. Not sure your monitors resolution, but 1440p or 1080p will have no problems. Hope this helps and good luck. Edited by bprat22 - 20 Nov 2014 at 9:56am

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391	Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2014 at 10:04am
	Here's a build to consider. Config # 1098055 Cost $ 2002 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.50 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Military-Grade TUF Components) System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (120GB Samsung 840 EVO) Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition) Storage Set 3: - No Thanks RAID Config: - No Thanks RAID Card: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Includes PhysX) Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio HPC Processor: - No Thanks Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Airflow Control: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only) LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD) Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value) Office: - No Thanks Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks Portable Gaming: - No Thanks Branded Gear: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement) I also changed the mobo to the Sabertooth. A nice board with longer warranty than most.

Eirikr Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2014 at 12:07pm
	Thank you so much for your input! I agree with your points - I have missed the fact that the 240mm would go on the top. A bit unsure yet as to how much more noisy that'll be, or whether it is worth it at this time. Kudos also for the info on the mobo and the HDD - I can see how that warranty is a nice plus. The mobo i had was mostly due to the apparent good onboard sound. The main issue I have now is about the GFX card: I'm torn between my options. On one hand it seems like the 970 is a good, cheaper option, but it's not clear to me which version of the EVGA 970 is offered here at DS. ACX 1.0? Seems there's a ACX 2.0 out there? Plus the fact that an overclocked card should (in theory) be far noisier as it gets hotter than a stock card (the 980 or the 290). Based on what I read online it seems that the overclocked versions of 970 are almost on par to 980, but a fraction of the price. Just not sure about overclocking at all, since I wish to maximize my parts lifetime.

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391	Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2014 at 1:05pm
	Yeah, I'm not sure what version you'd get. Depends what they can get. I would ask DS for the reference card. Overclocking from benches I've seen only give you a few fps extra and the dual fan ACX does dump more heat into the case.

 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 28 Oct 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1674	Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2014 at 1:16pm
	Yes, they offer only the ACX 1.0 in the standard configuration. You would have to special order an ACX 2.0 card. What I did was spec the cheapest graphics card and purchased the GTX 970 FTW ACX 2.0 separately and installed it myself. While DS won't be able to help you with the graphics card then, graphics cards are fairly straight forward and I've found EVGA to be very responsive (although I haven't contacted them about any technical issues with the card, so I can't speak to that, only for things about registering...the card has been a peach so far!). As far as overclocking goes, if you get one overclocked from the factory, they will be practically the same: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the-geforce-gtx-970-review-feat-evga/15. The voltage levels are the same...if you decide to go in and further tweak the card, increasing the voltage levels, that will be when you start to see more of a difference in temperature and, therefore, noise. But you can see from that review, you won't be able to get much more out of the card than what it is already pushed to.
	Bolt II Review (and now some modifications!) Configuring a Computer

Eirikr Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Posted: 21 Nov 2014 at 3:55pm
	Thanks for the input! I'm not so sure yet about the 970 FTW, or rather, if and for how much I'm overpaying right now for a 980 instead. My take so far is that the Slade would benefit from having the top closed, which means going for just 120mm fan, which in turns means that I must be wary of heat if I'm having an overclocked 970 with those fans I see they use. I assume choosing the 970 overclocked (either ACX 1 here or FTW outside of DS) means a higher heat and noise output, which in turn means I might consider having a bigger fan, which in turn also means opening the top. On the other hand, based on the AnandTech review it seems (at least in that test) the 970 FTW handled temp fine, but was a lot noisier. I do wonder if in such an enclosed case like the Slade's if that card would really ramp up in temp - common sense would seem to indicate that those fans on the GPU are mostly moving hot air from the entire case which in turn is NOT being recycled as fast with this case's design. Mind you, at this point I wonder if I'm focusing TOO much on noise levels. I guess the trick here is to find the balance between noise dampening and case temperature. So far considering going for 980 with just 120mm. Thoughts? Anyone here has a Slade with the top off? I wonder how much of a difference it is, noise wise. Would it be comparable or better to buy another case with full dampening instead? Edited by Eirikr - 21 Nov 2014 at 5:03pm

Silent, expandable & enough power for ~$2k?

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