Most silent build for M1 + 2080 + 9700k?

andresr

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
May 14, 2019
3
0
Hello,

I have watched a bunch of YouTube videos and threads here, but I haven't understood if there's a common understanding what might be the most silent build for M1 with 9700k + 2080?

From OptimumTech videos I see that Noctua is more silent than water AIO - due to pump noise?
Custom loop might be out of my league of skill, but is that way more silent that Noctua build considering pump noise?

I do not overclock as I prefer silence during gaming to absolute top notch performance (though I do 4k gaming).

Thanks!
 

andresr

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
May 14, 2019
3
0
Also - which RTX 2080 would you suggest and cooling options to make it silent (or is there an already silenced 2080)..?
 

Revenant

Christopher Moine - Senior Editor SFF.N
Revenant Tech
SFFn Staff
Apr 21, 2017
1,670
2,697
First question.... Are you going to overclock any part of the system? I know you said you weren't going to, but a lot of people still do it anyway, or buy GPUs that are pre-overclocked.

Second Question. Where is the system going to be in relation to where you sit?


Currently I have an 8086K at 5GHZ all cores with a 2080 Founders Edition in a M1. I'm using a NZXT Kracken X52 with Noctua fans, and I've added two Noctua 120x15mm PWM fans at the bottom. If I wasn't overclocking, I would use a Noctua 92mm tower or a Cryorig C1 with Noctua fans and call it a day. Probably the latter. I don't really hear the pump noise itself, but there is a general mechanical hum from my system, even when tuned for silence. This is caused by my Silverstone SFX PSU fan.

The bottom intake fans, which make a big difference for OCing the 2080 (mine's at 2050 mhz), are my big noise makers. I'm planning to replace them fairly soon.

If I can make a suggestion: The AIO will cost about $100 more to rig on your 9700K. A 9900K will cost $100 more than a 9700K. I personally think you would be far better off spending a little extra on the CPU to get 16 threads, and just using air cooling. With the PS5 and Xbox Who-care-just-give-me-the-next-halo coming out with 16 thread CPUs, it will probably be better for you to have the extra headroom. Plus you can still load up a pair of 3.5 inch HDs for bulk storage.

So here is what I suggest:

9900K TDP limited in BIOS to 95 Watts with either a Noctua U9S with 92mm exhaust, or Cryorig C1 with a Noctua A12 Sterrox fan on it and one above as intake.

A 3 slot 2080 if there is one that will fit, or a two slot unit with two Noctua Sterrox fans under it.

Corsair SFX PSU. The Silverstone unit isn't holding up well. I would expect 5 years of solid use, but it's got issues like a grinding fan and a lot of capacitor noise after just 3.
 
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andresr

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
May 14, 2019
3
0
Thanks for advice!!

But if I were to spend more than 100 extra? I can go for 9900K and still spend extra on more silent cooling if there's any solution for it. I'd actually pick also a 2080 that is not overclocked to make GPU more silent as well. Is it known which is the most silent 2080 that will fit NCASE M1? Or should I replace 2080 cooler with e.g. Accelero III?

Regarding specific parts, I'm thinking now:
  • i7-9900K per suggestions here
  • ASRock Motherboard Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX
  • CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB 2x16GB DDR4 4000MHz
  • CORSAIR PSU Corsair SF seeria SF750 750W
  • Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSD M.2
  • Some RTX 2080 - could someone recommend what's the most silent one that will fit with stock or with some other cooling solution (e.g. Accelero?)
Regarding cooling, I understand the recommendations are:
  • CPU cooling options:
    • Noctua 92mm tower
    • Cryorig C1 with Noctua fans - which fans?
    • NZXT Kracken X52 with Noctua fans - is it more silent than air option? From OptimumTech videos I understand that not..
  • GPU cooling options:
    • Stock cooling - in this case any clues what is the most silent 2080 that will fit NCASE M1? Or any clue how to determine that? (I could research online if I knew what to look for)
    • Alternative aircooling. I've seen mentioned only Accelero 3 (4 I understand might not fit due to backplate), or is there an alternative to it?
  • Case cooling - I understand I should place 2 Noctua fans in the bottom, but which models exactly?
Opinions?

I plan to place the M1 on my desk just next to monitor so noise is very much heard.
 
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rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,586
2,700
Check out this post for the quietest current GPUs. Not sure why it hasn't been mentioned but the Noctua NH-C14S is probably the quietest, most effective cooler used in the Ncase.
 

Revenant

Christopher Moine - Senior Editor SFF.N
Revenant Tech
SFFn Staff
Apr 21, 2017
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Check out this post for the quietest current GPUs. Not sure why it hasn't been mentioned but the Noctua NH-C14S is probably the quietest, most effective cooler used in the Ncase.


I have no experience with it so I didn't mention it because it didn't pop into my mind. Also, as I recall, it prevents 3.5 inch drive storage.But yes... Rrfarmer is absolutely correct that it's a great option.
 
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Revenant

Christopher Moine - Senior Editor SFF.N
Revenant Tech
SFFn Staff
Apr 21, 2017
1,670
2,697
Thanks for advice!!

But if I were to spend more than 100 extra? I can go for 9900K and still spend extra on more silent cooling if there's any solution for it. I'd actually pick also a 2080 that is not overclocked to make GPU more silent as well. Is it known which is the most silent 2080 that will fit NCASE M1? Or should I replace 2080 cooler with e.g. Accelero III?

Regarding specific parts, I'm thinking now:
  • i7-9900K per suggestions here
  • ASRock Motherboard Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX
  • CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB 2x16GB DDR4 4000MHz
  • CORSAIR PSU Corsair SF seeria SF750 750W
  • Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSD M.2
  • Some RTX 2080 - could someone recommend what's the most silent one that will fit with stock or with some other cooling solution (e.g. Accelero?)
Regarding cooling, I understand the recommendations are:
  • CPU cooling options:
    • Noctua 92mm tower
    • Cryorig C1 with Noctua fans - which fans?
    • NZXT Kracken X52 with Noctua fans - is it more silent than air option? From OptimumTech videos I understand that not..
  • GPU cooling options:
    • Stock cooling - in this case any clues what is the most silent 2080 that will fit NCASE M1? Or any clue how to determine that? (I could research online if I knew what to look for)
    • Alternative aircooling. I've seen mentioned only Accelero 3 (4 I understand might not fit due to backplate), or is there an alternative to it?
  • Case cooling - I understand I should place 2 Noctua fans in the bottom, but which models exactly?
Opinions?

I plan to place the M1 on my desk just next to monitor so noise is very much heard.


Ok... a couple tweeks on the system specs:

The DDR4-4000 is a pretty big waste of money vs performance. You're talking maybe 3% increase in performance in VERY FEW applications, almost none of which are gaming. The sweet spot is DDR4-3200. New Egg has the Corsair Vengence LP 32GB DDR4-3200 for $179 vs $400 for the DDR4-4000.

The Corsair 750 will work fine.Probably your best choice if you don't use an SFX-L option.

Are you planning to use 3.5 HDs? Ever? If not, the Noctua C14S would be a good cooler to also consider. The Noctua fan I mentioned are these:
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM

VIDEO CARDS: Going by case specs to card specs....

1.The MSI VENTUS will fit.
2. The EVGA XC black models with 2 slot will fit. The XC 2.75 models MIGHT fit as they're 111.5 mm tall and the case support 111mm. Close call. Search to see if someone made it work.
3.Founders Edition will fit.

1. The MSI Duke and Gaming X cards are too long.
2. The Gigabyte Gaming OC card is too thick.
3. The Asus Strix is too long.
4. The Inno units are too long.


Are you gaming with headphones on?

Samsung EVOs are fine drives. 1TB fills up fast though. You might want to consider adding an Intel 660P NVME SSD for bulk storage or as a STEAM drive.

A word on system placement: Currently my system is 2.5 feet away from me on my desk. However, in the past, I kept the system behind me about 7 feet away on a different desk. The sound of the fans coming from behind me was far less bothersome than from in front of me.
 
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Revenant

Christopher Moine - Senior Editor SFF.N
Revenant Tech
SFFn Staff
Apr 21, 2017
1,670
2,697
From this source, U9S seems quieter...



Good find. I like that guy's channel. I wish however he posted an idle benchmark. The C14s may be quieter at idle than the U9S and our systems spend most of their time there. That said, I'm guessing the C14s probably had some turbulance issues. I've noticed that the side intakes are louder due to air turbulance.
 

rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,586
2,700
From this source, U9S seems quieter...


Maybe that is correct, the 140mm fan from the NH-C14S is rated at 24.6 dBA and the U9S is rated at 22.8 dBA. Having a hard time getting my head around a 92mm fan being quieter than a 140mm fan.
 

Revenant

Christopher Moine - Senior Editor SFF.N
Revenant Tech
SFFn Staff
Apr 21, 2017
1,670
2,697
Maybe that is correct, the 140mm fan from the NH-C14S is rated at 24.6 dBA and the U9S is rated at 22.8 dBA. Having a hard time getting my head around a 92mm fan being quieter than a 140mm fan.


There is also tonal considerations. Larger fans may be louder, but their tone may be easier on the ear.
 
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sheepdog43

Caliper Novice
Feb 17, 2019
25
12
Here's my experience with a C14s

It you want to use the C14s and the stock fan you will need to use the Ncase ATX mounting bracket that turns the psu 90 degrees, and then a sfx adapter (not included). This gives pretty good cpu temps (full load was 73c or so on a non-delidded 8700k), but a really hot psu, especially my Silverstone 450 which was near meltdown and made the case look extremely full. Keep in mind this is with a 3/4 length RX 580, not a full length GPU which would limit air coming up from below even further. Switching to a Corsair SF 600 lowered psu temps to within reason but still left the case warm, quite full and difficult to work in. Note, the Corsair was quieter than the Silverstone, even when cool. Such a better psu.

If you plan to mount the psu flat against the side using the Ncase SFX mounting bracket with a C14s you will need to switch to a 120mm fan. This will raise temps on the cpu by about 10c but the PSU will run at pretty much room temp even under load, at least my 600 does and makes the case look a lot more roomy.

To fix the higher cpu temps I considered mounting a slim 120 over the c14s in the side panel sucking air out of the c14s and blowing out the side but I didn't have any on hand. Mounting a 120 on the forward spot on the side panel will work if it's slim but it blows air back into the cooler so it needs to be slid towards the front of the case by about an inch. Doing so eliminates the overlap with the cooler and even allows for a full height 120mm fan, I printed an adapter to make this work. It's still warmer than the stock Noctua 140mm fan, but I don't know if that's an air issue or because the cpu fan is just not as good as a Noctua, I suspect it's a combination of both. I may try rotating the psu again and putting a slim 92 or something in the side intead, it will be full but allow the cpu to run cooler and psu to run at low temps (I hope). I also kind of like the full look.

In the lower half I have dual thick 120mm fans in bottom blowing into the GPU (they barely clear) and 50% taller feet (18mm). I've never run it with the stock feet so I don't know if that matters but the GPU fans never come up to full speed due to the lower fans. I may cut out the lower grills, that will further reduce wind noise and eventually switch to Noctuas.

None of my current fans are Noctuas, I used what I had, but at idle with your head one and a half feet from the box you hear a very low whisper of air woosh but no real fan noise. Any other noise overpowers it, even my mouse sliding on the pad so I'd call it quiet. Under load you hear a hum from the box and a bit louder woosh but no actual fan noise (except for that one gpu fan that's dying).


Advice:
Ignore ram speed, just get good quality memory of reasonable speed. You just need to make sure it's not a bottleneck, after that it only matters in benchmarks.

I highly doubt a C1 is going to cut it with that cpu, it might, but only just (overkill is better). If you want simple, get a U9s with second fan. If you want better, get a C14s but be prepared to play with fans to find the right combination. Kraken works, but like the C14s, be prepared to play with fans and possibly even have to swap the GPU cooler and go down draft instead of updraft to keep everything cool and quiet, this requires an aftermarket cooler.

If you go aftermarket GPU cooler, make sure the Accelerro III fits, as you noted the 4 has some issues and will not work with a lot of CPU coolers due to the upper heatsink (such a bad design, no direct memory and vrm cooling) while the 3 is not listed to work with many newer GPUs. I've read the main heatsink on the 3 and 4 are identical, it's just the accessories that differ but I can't verify it. If true, and I suspect it is, you could buy a 4 and install aftermarket VRM and memory heatsinks like the 3 uses but that's assuming they are the same and you are willing to spend the money. For me it end up costing about as much as I spent on my GPU and not worth it.

While I'm sure the Kraken/Accelerro is going to be cooler under load, I'm not convinced it will be quieter, particularly at idle and close to you. It's also a heck of a lot more expensive. Then there is the system maintenance, you have to (carefully) work with the radiator hanging off and it's water cooled which comes with it's own risks. I'm not knocking watercooling, I considered that option and haven't ruled it out, it just comes with it's own issues. Not that it's a picnic working around a C14s, seriously, it's massive.

Everything in cases this size is a compromise, don't expect it to fall together and work like larger systems tend to do unless you follow exactly (and I do mean exact!) what someone else has achieved through trial and error. There's a lot of fudge room in a larger box compared to these and any deviation from what someone else has done can dramatically change how yours acts. I thought I had a pretty good plan based on research and yet here I am weeks later still toying with it and every little thing brings dramatic changes.
 

HansWursT619

Trash Compacter
Feb 22, 2016
45
20
A lot of combinations are discussed in this spreadsheet:

Having that list normalized for noise would be ideal I guess. But running the C14S with an 120mm A12x25 + Accelero looks pretty good.
As the important part with using the accelero is, that you can run the bottom fans as exhaust. I wonder how a 2.5 Slot GPU with fans removed, would compare.
 
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sheepdog43

Caliper Novice
Feb 17, 2019
25
12
Stock heatsinks aren't built with down draft in mind, a few may get away with it, but I'm pretty sure everyone I've seen using down draft has been on an aftermarket cooler.