Fast quiet desktop wanted

[alastc]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a second go at this after getting it wrong previously.

My use for this will be: Mostly work (including running webinars with heavy video usage), quite a lot of Lightroom, some video editing, running multiple virtual machines, and ripping blu-rays. Occasionaly gaming, but that's less important.

Checking my privious usage it has mostly been CPU intensive which is why I've gone for high CPU.
I'd like the graphics to cover two 4K monitors for standard work use, but 1080p gaming is fine.

I'd also like it to be quiet when working, but stay cool when doing something intensive (like ripping blu-rays). I've selected the most expensive case that has lots of fans!

Things I might update later: adding more memory (to 64GB), and updating the graphics to something like the RTX 2060, which is why I've included the 550W power supply.

Does this spec do it?

Also, I'm not familiar with M.2 SSD Drives, would it be best to consider that an SSD replacement? I'll put in a large spinning drive for large-item storage anyway.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE (includes 2 front and 1 rear fan, space for 9 overall)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900 12 Core CPU (3.1GHz-4.3GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® CROSSHAIR VIII HERO (DDR4, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i PRO Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

 

[alastc]

Thanks Nursemorph,

So the answer to M.2 & SSD is yes, they can be used interchangably so go with the higher speed M.2.

Motherboard: Ok, looking through some detailed specs it saves ~£80 and seems like a similar spec. Is the benefit of the Hero mostly in overclocking? (Which I won't be doing)

Memory: It's a non-transparent case, I assume I can do without RGB memory. (They looks great in my current case with a clear panel, but hey, I'll go for the extra space and fans!)

Power: My current setup (Rysen 9 + GTX 1660) takes under 400W, will the new one really need 750? Or is the RMx version needed for some reason?

 

[alastc]

Great, thanks, I'm going to get in touch with support to see what I can use of my current setup, but I'll go with that overall.

 

[alastc]

It turns out it will be a case of completely starting again, so unrestricted by the previous build I've nudged a few things up so I won't have to upgrade any time soon:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900 12 Core CPU (3.1GHz-4.3GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]

I was wondering if there would be value in a better case, but I couldn't see a better one (for cooling) that still had a blu-ray drive bay :-/

 

[alastc]

It looks like the motherboard includes wifi (6!), but there's no option to remove the wifi card. (I'll be using ethernet anyway.)

Fans - yea, there were only two options and the other was for RGB (in a opaque case!). Ok, I'll see how it does without and order some separately if needed.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just to confirm, the strix doesn’t have WiFi.

 

[alastc]

Ah, good catch, thanks both. I was looking at board reviews, it must have been a variant.

 

[alastc]

Hi folks,

I've ordered a new build with a Fractal Define 7 case and Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM CPU Cooler and I'm wondering whether to request a particular fan setup?

My understanding is:
- The case has 9 possible fan locations.
- The case comes with 1 rear and 2 front fans.
- The H115i takes 2 locations, which could be front or top.
- I think the blu-ray drive will prevent 1 of the front fan positions, at the top.

I'm new at this, but trying to learn. A simple question that's hard to google: Does the H115i act as an intake or exhaust? Or could it be either, and does that matter?

As a simple graphic of the possible placements:

If it matters, the graphics card is the RTX 2060, which I think blows out the back, but my usage will be mostly CPU intensive rather than GPU.

My guess is that it would be best for the CPU cooler fans to be at the top-rear (exhausting) with the 2 standard front-intake fans, does that seem reasonable?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Normally the radiator would be placed on the roof with the fans blowing air out the case through the radiator, but sometimes if clearance is tight with the motherboard, it will be placed at the front with fans pulling into the build through the radiator, and then system fans at the top exhausting.

It all depends on space available with your chosen motherboard. But that's down to PCS when they're building it, depends on the components you've selected.