Customize

[sketchy]

ok i want to customize my own computer. i want it to be fast but silent so i am able to leave it on over night without overheating, or making noise so i wont wake up. under 2000 if possible or under 3k the most

[TooNice]

First, I would suggest you spend some time on this website: SPCR.

Generally speaking you want:

- A good heatsink that works well under low airflow (e.g. Scythe Ninja, Thermalright 120 Ultra Extreme)

- Quiet 120mm fans (Nexus, Scythe Flex/Slipstream)

- Good VGA cooler (last time I checked, the Accelero S1 were one of the best without taking as much space as the Thermalright HR-03 but I have no idea whether those would fit the latest and upcoming GFX card.

- Good/quiet case (Antec P182, though by no mean the only option if you go for very quiet, especially if you are willing to swap out the fans).

- Quiet PSU (Seasonic and Seasonic made tend to be very quiet, although Enermax has recently been crowned the most quiet among actively cooled PSU wit the Modu 82+).

- Quiet hard drives. Quite a few options here. If I had your budget, I'd be tempted to fit a VelociRaptor as a main drive simply because it is fast and quiet compared to non SSD. For more mainstream options, the WD AAKS is the way to go (I am not sure about the Samsung F1, not used one and seen at least one review that shows that it's not as quiet as it's predecessor - the T166). The WD GP series is the most quiet (and slowest), worth a look for non disk intensive applications.

[Noxvayl]

Seriously spending that sort of money right now seems like a waste, in fact it seems like a waste just plain and simple... why not spread out your spending? I say get what TooNice recommended above with an Intel Q9450, Gigabyte P45, one of the new ATI cards(probably the HD4870) a coolermaster CM-690 case and some PC8500 Corsair modules. Then with £1500 left over(it shouldn't cost you more than £1500 to afford all that) buy component upgrades as you see fit in the future. That way you perfectly future proof by spending periodically

If you like my idea I can easily post some links for the hardware I recommended above.

[staffsMike]

What is this PC for? Getting it near silent isn't hard until we start throwing higher end graphics in.

It's still not too hard. TooNice has made the right suggestions, head over the SPCR though, you will pick up great tips on case quietening

[sketchy]

this pc is mostly for gaming but i want to download overnight and such. How do u find ur computer specs?

[NightshadowUK]

Mucho researcho and asking on forums like these. What games are you looking to play and does your budget include a display / peripherals etc?

[staffsMike]

Antec P182 with it's fans replaced with Nexus/yate loons undervolted and a corsair HX/enermax modu82+ is a solid foundation for a silent system.

It depends how quiet you really want it though. It doesn't help that I can sleep through anything but my antec P182 with stock fans, the corsair HX and a passive graphics card is plenty quiet enough for me. It's barely above a whisper and stays very cool as well.

Like I said before it the graphics you need to be careful of, everything else can be kept very quiet on a sensible budget. I wouldn't spend anything over £1000 on it, more like £800.

I think the arctic cooling accelero was already mention which is very good with a nexus fan strapped to it You need to make sure the cooler is compatible with the card you get though.

If you are after a basic spec there here goes.

Intel Q6600 + Scythe Ninja ~£150
4GB PC6400 DDR2 RAM ~£60
Abit IP-35pro or Asus P45 ~£90
640GB Western Digital AAKS ~£60
Samsung Optical Drive ~ ~£15

Antec P182 ~ £90
4 x yate loons ~ £20
Corsair 520W HX ~£65

ATi HD4850 ~£125 and wait for someone to make a cooler to fit it although at idle (which it would be over night) it's said to be very quiet

[sketchy]

how do u found out what is ur computers spec? and i dont need a screen. i just need the parts. tys for the parts staffsmike

[schmunk]

I rather suspect, purely from the liguistics of the first post, that the OP is a 'merkin, and therefore is quoting figures in USD.