"Silent" work / gaming system

[drp]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

My goal is for a computer that is as silent as possible (within budget, and hopefully avoiding water cooling, since that scares me). The computer will be used for work and playing games. For work, it will need to be on 24/7 and need to be able to run some virtual machines when needed (test machines mainly using VMWare). For gaming, I play mostly Marvel Heroes and a few other games (not FPS), and run emulators. I want this machine to last, so trying to max performance, while keeping noise to a minimum. NOTE: Resolution I will be using is 2560x1440

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$2,500 MAX (total with taxes and everything but monitor). Will prefer to stay around the $2,000.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

California, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, CPU Cooler, RAM, Case, Fans, Video Card, SSD HD, Power Supply, DVD Drive

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

None

6) Will you be overclocking?

I would like to do some overclocking if possible. Will look for a balance of performance vs noise / heat. Not a priority now, but would be nice to have the option going forward as things require more speed.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

27" at 2560x1440

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Next few weeks. Debating if I should wait for Black Friday or not.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

SLI would be nice (for future use). USB 3.0 required.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Own full licenses to both Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8 Pro. Will most likely use Windows 8, but not oppose to using windows 7. Either way, will be using 64 bit.


As mention above, I'm looking for a "silent" system that can stay on 24/7 and, when I want to game, is able to handle games at the high resolution and at high quality levels. Noise is a factor for me, since there is a bedroom near the office that will have the computer.

I have selected the parts below as a starter for what I'm looking for. I'm more than willing to switch anything and everything, but will like to keep performace around the level of the parts listed. NOTE: I guessed on most of this build (especial case, # of fans, and cpu cooler).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($184.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($526.30 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($196.81 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1904.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-19 12:25 EST-0500)

Thank you for your help,


drp

 

[Dangman]

You don't need the thermal paste as the HSF already comes with it. Oh don't bother waiting for Black Friday. The last Black Fridays have been crap for worthwhile computer hardware.

As for the RAM, why limit yourself to only 16GB of RAM max? Not to mention that there might be clearance issues with your choice of HSF and that RAM. I highly recommend this RAM instead since 8GB of RAM has been hitting $70+ for the past month:
$61 - Corsair CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM

I would look at the MSI GTX 780 Twin Frozr cards instead since they're generally regarded as quiet video cards.

That case isn't a good choice at all according to SilentPCReview.com:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Nanoxia_Deep_Silence_1

If you're looking for low noise cases, I recommend checking these cases out:
$85 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$90 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$95 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$100 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$250 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case

As for the case fnas, I recommend looking at the Scythe Gental Typhoon 120mm fans instead:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001Q6X0S6/?tag=extension-kb-20

 

[ARCHiTEKK]

Also since you're going for a silent build I highly recommend, Asus's version of the 780.
Asus GTX 780.

I have two myself for my build, and they are dead silent and the fans on it are the amazing in terms of keeping them nice and cool.

 

[drp]

@Dangman : Thank you. Was considering the Define R4, so think I'll go ahead and replace my list with that. I've never heard of that fan, I'll have to look into them. How many fans do you think I will need in the R4?

RAM wise, can't say I know anything other than I want 16Gigs. I went with 1600 mainly because that's what I was seeing in other peoples builds. Is there any real world difference between the two speeds?

I haven't seen any reviews of MSI GTX 780 Twin Frozr, will read up. Thanks.

@ARCHiTEKK : Thanks. The two cards I'm considering are the EVGA 780 with ACX cooler and the ASUS 780 DC2OC that you recommended. Noise wise they both seem to be about the same (need to look at the reviews agains), I picked the EVGA version only because it seems to be the popular card right now.

 

[Quartz-1]

My system is totally silent apart from when gaming. Slap in a 780 or 290 and you're good for high-end 1440p gaming. It's not SLI-capable, though, at the moment. But Nofan are about to release a cooler, the CR-80EH, that frees up the prime PCIE3 x16 slot. Add in a ZM-1250 and you'll be good for SLI / XF while being silent outside gaming.

 

[Dangman]

@Dangman : Thank you. Was considering the Define R4, so think I'll go ahead and replace my list with that. I've never heard of that fan, I'll have to look into them. How many fans do you think I will need in the R4?

Since you're going with the Fractal Design R4, that case mostly mounts 140mm fans, not the 120mm I listed. So I recommend this fan instead:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEGRGNO/?tag=extension-kb-20

You'll need just four: One as a rear exhaust, one as a top exhaust, and the last two as front intakes. You don't need any more fans than that.

RAM wise, can't say I know anything other than I want 16Gigs. I went with 1600 mainly because that's what I was seeing in other peoples builds. Is there any real world difference between the two speeds?

Nope.

 

[drp]

Thanks, updated my part selection to include your recommendation. Memory is just a placeholder, since I couldn't find the memory you recommended on partpicker. I will need short memory to use the heatsink I selected.

I think I'm happy with this setup. Only real issue left is the fan controls. How will that work? Can I setup the fans at the lowest RPM and forget about them? Do I need some way of controller the speed (and can it be automatic)? Does the motherboard take care of this or will I need to buy something else? Are there any issues with using the fans I selected and the motherboard?

Last time I built a system (a lifetime ago), I didn't have to worry about fan control (not sure it existed). So any help in this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Benzino]

Any decent mobo will have at least 2, if not 3 onboard chassis fan connectors. Which you can control the fan speed through the motherboard software.

 

[drp]

Can you share these connectors? The setup I have now will have 4 fans, and I believe the board has only 3 connectors

 

[Dangman]

Thanks, updated my part selection to include your recommendation. Memory is just a placeholder, since I couldn't find the memory you recommended on partpicker. I will need short memory to use the heatsink I selected.

Ahh good thing that's a placeholder because I was about to say it's a bad idea to go with any 4 x 4GB set considering your requirements.

Can you share these connectors? The setup I have now will have 4 fans, and I believe the board has only 3 connectors

Actually the motherboard has a CPU OPT Fan connector that's for all intents and purposes just another regular chasis fan connector. So you'll be set in terms of fan connectors. With that said, motherboard fan controllers aren't always the best. So keep that in mind. Try it out first and then decide whether or not you need to buy a 3rd party fan controller.