Want to Build a Quiet Computer

[grumpydoc]

I have CAT5e in my home which tops out at 1Gb/s and I assume the cabling will be similar for many people.

Cat5e should do 2.5Gb/s

[David Hess]

If you want to upgrade to higher network speeds then it could be worthwhile to think about going for optic fiber instead of CAT7 cable. Optic fiber can go to even higher speeds if you want. I have CAT5e in my home which tops out at 1Gb/s and I assume the cabling will be similar for many people.

My first choice now would be 10 Gb/s SFP+ switches and network cards with direct attach because 10GBASE-T interfaces are so much more expensive and that leaves open the capability to use SFP+ optical links.

[Marco]

Infiniband 40 Gb/s stuff can sometimes be found for bargain basement prices, but I have no idea how easy it is to use.

[nctnico]

If you want to upgrade to higher network speeds then it could be worthwhile to think about going for optic fiber instead of CAT7 cable. Optic fiber can go to even higher speeds if you want. I have CAT5e in my home which tops out at 1Gb/s and I assume the cabling will be similar for many people.

My first choice now would be 10 Gb/s SFP+ switches and network cards with direct attach because 10GBASE-T interfaces are so much more expensive and that leaves open the capability to use SFP+ optical links.

Yup. And with optical links you can use a multiplexer in between and use 1 fiber for multiple connections.

[NiHaoMike]

Yup. And with optical links you can use a multiplexer in between and use 1 fiber for multiple connections.

10G switches aren't exactly cheap at this point, let alone 10G managed switches.

[David Hess]

10G switches aren't exactly cheap at this point, let alone 10G managed switches.

https://mikrotik.com/product/crs305_1g_4s_in

[grumpydoc]

10G switches aren't exactly cheap at this point, let alone 10G managed switches.

https://mikrotik.com/product/crs305_1g_4s_in

Not too bad but don't forget you have to buy transceivers separately.

[Nominal Animal]

10G switches aren't exactly cheap at this point, let alone 10G managed switches.

https://mikrotik.com/product/crs305_1g_4s_in

Not too bad but don't forget you have to buy transceivers separately.

Mikrotik's own 10G copper and 850nm multi-mode fiber transceivers cost around USD $60 apiece as of 2020-06-28.  I'm too cheap/poor to know if one should consider them cheap or not, though.

[nctnico]

Here 10Gb SFP+ transceivers start at 16 euro:
https://www.fs.com/products/36433.html

[grumpydoc]

Here 10Gb SFP+ transceivers start at 16 euro:
https://www.fs.com/products/36433.html

They are, I agree, not expensive (I can't see if the 16€ is ex VAT or not) but it still pushes the price for a fully populated unit above £200 which is not cheap compared with a 10^th of that for an 8-port GbE switch.

[nctnico]

Yup. But at some point that was also true for 1Gbit/s switches a couple of years ago.

[David Hess]

10G switches aren't exactly cheap at this point, let alone 10G managed switches.

https://mikrotik.com/product/crs305_1g_4s_in

Not too bad but don't forget you have to buy transceivers separately.

Hence my earlier comment about using direct attachment cable:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sfp%2B+direct+attach+cable&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

And then SFP+ transceivers can be used for only long links or where galvanic isolation is a requirement.  I would probably look on the used market.

What really matters though and the reason I brought it up is that the SFP+ solution is currently much less expensive than the 10GBASE-T solution.

[Doctorandus_P]

Have you considered going another way?
If you've managed to use an 2006 vintage PC until now, then almost anything is going to vastly ouperform it (and be much quiter).

Improvements in PC performance have also been leveling of in the last 5+ years.
Your old PC probably has 100Mbit/s, so why worry much about 1Gb/s or 1.5GB/s Ethernet?

Have you thought about buying second hand?
Lots of offices still have their PC's swapped every few years, while that is an oudated habit.
You can get a quite decent second hand PC for around EUR300 to EUR300.

Back in the '80ies and '90ies I started saving for a new PC on the day I bought a new PC, because the hardware was hopelessly outdated. Now I'm typing this on an 11 year old dualcore. It is a bit slowish, but it is still capable (and stable) enough to not have much need for a more modern PC.

For GPIB, there are several open source projects floating around to attach GPIB to USB.

[bostonman]

This is the computer I have selected up to this point.

I know picking out computers is a loaded question, but the best questions should be: is anything I'm planning to buy in this list outdated and will this be relatively quiet?


https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sTqwWb

[gnavigator1007]

This seems like a bit overkill for your needs. I wouldn't ordinarily direct someone to reddit, but you may find r/buildapc and r/buildapcsales particularly useful before you pull the trigger. I just completed a build back in May and was lucky enough to save a few hundred from doing my part selection aided by sales posts. Unfortunately, I can't advise on building a quiet machine as I've always been a bit of a freak that finds the sound of fans comforting unless something is going wrong and then at least I know  I've got a few of the noctua industrial line and a fan controller so I do adjust according to need, but they're certainly not recommended for quiet systems

[grumpydoc]

This is the computer I have selected up to this point.

OK, not unreasonable - it will work, for sure.

1) Ryzen is a better choice at present
2) The m/b & processor arguably overkill if you do not want to overclock
3) The cooler underspecified if you do
4) Do you actually need an optical drive?
5) 16GB RAM almost certainly enough but I'd be tempted to go with 32 out of the gate
6) The GPU is already obsolete (and integrated might well be OK for you from what you have said)
7) I'd go with M.2, not SATA for primary storage
8) Do you need any extra case fans?

Just my $0.02

I've got a few of the noctua industrial line and a fan controller so I do adjust according to need, but they're certainly not recommended for quiet systems

Me too, they're actually pretty quiet up to about 2000rpm

[magic]

6) The GPU is already obsolete (and integrated might well be OK for you from what you have said)

And quieter for sure.

8) Do you need any extra case fans?

Haha, I'm sure OP has no idea
And me too. My strategy: make sure the case has space for extra fans, buy it, build it and see how it performs.

[bostonman]

1) Ryzen is a better choice at present
2) The m/b & processor arguably overkill if you do not want to overclock
3) The cooler underspecified if you do
4) Do you actually need an optical drive?
5) 16GB RAM almost certainly enough but I'd be tempted to go with 32 out of the gate
6) The GPU is already obsolete (and integrated might well be OK for you from what you have said)
7) I'd go with M.2, not SATA for primary storage
Do you need any extra case fans?

In order of the numbers:

1. I'm an Intel guy - not sure if that's an issue
2. Don't mind the "overkill" as I keep my computers for several years - unless the price difference is significant
3. What do you mean the cooler is under-specified? I need a better one?
4. Optical drive - yes - as I have many CDs with stuff on them
5. Glad you like the 32GB ram
6. Why is the GPU obsolete? What should I go with - and no sense going "ok" because I plan to use more 3D rendering and stuff while having many memory hog programs open
7. I actually prefer a 7200RPM because you can sometimes tell when a drive is going bad and/or technically you can recover data from a drive with a bad motor. If a single transistor goes in a SSD or M.2, the whole drive is junk (or at least I think). In any case, is an M.2 just some sort of phase or is it the new best thing that will be around for a long time?
9. Don't know about more fans. I assume no, but can always add a fan if need be

[rdl]

Just my opinions (no charge).

1- I always look at value. My last two computers used Intel. The two before that were AMD. Next one will use Ryzen.

2- I spend whatever it takes to get the features I want. My last two machines using Gigabyte boards are still in use (12 and 8 years).

3- I buy the most powerful processor that comes with a stock cooler included.

4- Can you migrate an existing optical drive? Mine will soon be in its third machine.

5- As much as you can afford in as few slots as possible.

6- GPU looks fine even for some gaming. I'd probably save some money and go with a 1650 Ti (single fan).

7- SATA seems fine to me and may be more reliable.

8- One 120mm case fan along with a 120mm in the power supply is what I prefer.

[bostonman]

My optical drive is junk, else I'd keep it, however, it's not a BluRay writer.

As for the GPU being obsolete, is it or just overkill? Lastly, is going with two 16GB RAM sticks faster than four 8's?

I thought I remember reading that going to big on one stick gets slower RAM speeds.

[rdl]

You don't want all your RAM on one stick, install it in pairs. If you have 4 slots don't fill them all at once because it limits future upgrades. Get 2 sticks as big as you can afford and leave 2 slots open in case you want to add more later. (so yeah, me saying "as few slots as possible" was a little misleading)

I think the time of Blu-ray is almost over, but they do still release movies on them.

I play games - mostly 3D FPS types, Fallout 4, Quake, Prey, stuff like that. I have a GTX 1050 Ti. I don't think it's worthwhile to upgrade it just yet. I bet you'd be fine with a 1650 TI 4GB, and those are only about $150. It's probably what I'll start with in my next build.

[bostonman]

I agree on Blu-ray being close to over.

The best way to explain this: I'd rather have the necessary hardware if cost isn't too much. While I may use it once a year, being limited on not having that ability may be an issue. If it were $500, then I'd skip it, however, for $60 or so, it's worth having.

Also, it's rare I ever "upgrade" a computer. From experience, by the time I need more RAM, or a GPU, etc... the cost to get obsoleted hardware that will physically fit in the computer is a high cost percentage of a new machine.

I look at it this way, I'd rather spend a bit more now and not worry about upgrades.

The statement about RAM makes more sense. Actually, I was going with 16GB, but, when I saw the price, I tossed in another 16GB. I highly doubt I'll need more than 32GB but one never knows.

As I expected, I got lots of great feedback, and, when it comes to opinions about computers, many will exist. I didn't expect a simple answer to my questions, but, I got some assurance that it's a solid pick.

I'm still uncertain why the GPU is "obsolete" as I'd like to avoid getting something that will cause incompatibility issues and/or not be able to use other hardware with it. Can someone point me to a GPU that isn't obsolete or name the reason(s) the one I selected is obsolete?

[rdl]

...
I'm still uncertain why the GPU is "obsolete" as I'd like to avoid getting something that will cause incompatibility issues and/or not be able to use other hardware with it. Can someone point me to a GPU that isn't obsolete or name the reason(s) the one I selected is obsolete?

That GPU isn't obsolete. It's just not the latest and greatest, which will cost you 3x to 4x as much as one that will probably be good enough.  However, the comment that the integrated graphics might be okay for you is valid. Maybe you can start off using the integrated graphics and if that's not acceptable, buy a cheap Nvidia card. But if you're not a serious game I wouldn't spend more than $150-$200, if that. There are cheaper cards that are still upgrades over the integrated graphics and some are fanless.

[grumpydoc]

...
I'm still uncertain why the GPU is "obsolete" as I'd like to avoid getting something that will cause incompatibility issues and/or not be able to use other hardware with it. Can someone point me to a GPU that isn't obsolete or name the reason(s) the one I selected is obsolete?

That GPU isn't obsolete.

However, as you say it's not the latest, or greatest. Personally I prefer AMD as the FOSS drivers are better - but they aren't the greatest either

Maybe you can start off using the integrated graphics and if that's not acceptable, buy a cheap Nvidia card.

I suspect that is the best advice for bostonman - but it is a reason to go with Ryzen as having PCIe 4 now - rather than by having to upgrade your CPU, you future-proof your future GPU options as much as is possible without a crystal ball.

In order of the numbers:

1. I'm an Intel guy - not sure if that's an issue
2. Don't mind the "overkill" as I keep my computers for several years - unless the price difference is significant
3. What do you mean the cooler is under-specified? I need a better one?
4. Optical drive - yes - as I have many CDs with stuff on them
5. Glad you like the 32GB ram
6. Why is the GPU obsolete? What should I go with - and no sense going "ok" because I plan to use more 3D rendering and stuff while having many memory hog programs open
7. I actually prefer a 7200RPM because you can sometimes tell when a drive is going bad and/or technically you can recover data from a drive with a bad motor. If a single transistor goes in a SSD or M.2, the whole drive is junk (or at least I think). In any case, is an M.2 just some sort of phase or is it the new best thing that will be around for a long time?
9. Don't know about more fans. I assume no, but can always add a fan if need be

1. That's OK but Ryzen is much better bang per buck and you get PCIe 4.0. The best the Intel platform can do is to buy a motherboard which is PCIe 4.0 "ready" - i.e it *might* offer PCIe 4.0 if you upgrade your CPU.

There are reasons to go with Intel - on chip HEVC swayed it for me but AMD is ahead overall at present.

2. But you're paying for features that you don't want to use - the whole raison d'être of the Z series chipset and the K suffix CPU is to overclock (which I think you said you were not bothered about).

3. The Hyper 212 is a fine heatsink and will be more than adequate if you do not want to overclock. If you *do* want to overclock it will not be beefy enough (if you can get it in the case the Noctua NH-D15 is superlative - or D14 if you want something a little less massive).

4. What's on the CD's - if music just get a Spotify (or Amazon Prime) subscription.

5. Good move

6. See above

7. Spinning rust?? <cough> Only if you want the density as flash is  a bit expensive for domestic use once you want multi-terabyte arrays (I confess I still have spinning rust in my file servers but 80TB of flash is a bit rich for me).

No, an SSD is not toast if one flash cell dies - they have ECC and wear levelling as well as bad block management. M.2 is way faster than SATA SSD for basically the same money - plus just bolts to the M/B with no faffing with cables. Drives will even report a %lifetime for you if you want to get a replacement in before it wears out.

8. Fair enough.

[bostonman]

Everyone has twisted my arm enough, I'm now looking, just looking, at AMD Ryzen.

Here are reasons I've gone Intel all these years, and correct me where I'm wrong as I'm sure my opinions are incorrect.

I always thought Intel was the leader in uProcessors

I thought Microsoft works better with Intel

AMD is less popular, therefore less support and more headaches.