So I am probably selling my sig rig and downsizing/grading to something quieter and smaller. Budget: £300.00 Main uses of intended build: Internet browsing, light gaming and office stuff Parts required: Case, PSU, Motherboard, Processor Previous build information (list details of parts): As per sig rig Monitor resolution: 1920x1080 Storage requirements: I've got a SSD and HDD's Will you be overclocking: No Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers): Option to add graphics card at a later date. Extra information about desired system: Needs to be as small and quiet as the budget allows. Games will be Sins of a Solar Empire, LOTRO etc, but are not a priority over the size and quietness of the system. So any advice gratefully received, I am thinking an ITX build but have no ideas really.
Case http://www.scan.co.uk/products/frac...micro-atx-mini-tower-performance-case-w-o-psu Mobo http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-...a-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-micro-a Psu http://www.scan.co.uk/products/430w...rid-modular-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-eps-12v-atx Cpu http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-...e-39ghz-amd-radeon-hd-8570d-844mhz-100w-retai Total £265.11 perfect for the uses you list and comes in £30 under budget ( although the case is out of stock at scan atm :/ ) the £30 could be used to get some nice fans ( GT 1450s would be well suited )
Keep the 2500 and stick it in a cheap itx motherboard. Even stock it will run rings around anything you will get in your budget.
I have been thinking of doing the same as yourself and think only 3 things would be needed. Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Case MSI Z77IA-E53 Motherboard Cooler Master GeminII M4 Cooler
I downgraded from an Antec P182 to a Bitfenix Prodigy (because I needed the cooling to retain my oversized 7950). The following changes were the only ones required (other than the case) and the rest of the components in my sig were transplanted: MSI P67A-GD53 -> ASRock Z77E-ITX Thermaltake Frio -> Corsair H55 A mess of HDDs +SSD -> 2 HDDs + SSD That's it. I didn't even need to reinstall Windows. Had I been building without gaming as the main priority, and without the desire to potentially watercool in the future, I might have chosen a smaller case than the Prodigy, but I'm very happy with it - it runs identically to the P182. EDIT: Looking at your existing rig, the two main noise generators will be the H60 and 7950 (that Twin Frozr ain't quiet under load), plus any case fans. If you were to sell the 7950, stick the H60 on a fan controller (I used a Recon) and use quiet case fans also on the controller, you'd be almost silent. You could then look at adding a quiet discrete GPU again at a later date, depending on the case you went for.
That looks quite good to me, the Twin is a little on the noisy side tbf. Hasn't mattered in the past but its a bit annoying now.
I had a 560Ti 448 with the Twin Frozr 3 and it was the loudest card I've ever owned. I can't imagine the 7950 being much different. The Asus DirectCU II is much the same principle but apparently it's substantially quieter, although I have not experienced it in the flesh. I personally went for an uprated blower cooler in the HIS to avoid heat build up in the case, but this does limit how small you can go in terms of the case:
If one SSD and one 3.5" HDD is enough, see my sig for a cheap AMD system. It runs absolutely silently, it's very small and you can pick it up with one hand. The APU graphics are good enough for light gaming, and it takes a full length graphics card if you want to upgrade later (the PSU I've got is likely to limit to midrange cards).
I built one recently for someone with this case, really quiet and easy to work with. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/ther...-atx-mini-itx-with-usb-30-ideal-for-lanpartys
If size is more important than graphical horsepower, then the Sugo is definitely another logical choice for ITX. It's a tasty little case and dwarfed by the Prodigy in terms of size. But it will struggle if you put a really manly GPU in there. I built a rig in one recently for a friend with a 660 and it's perfectly serviceable, looks good too. Don't know much about the TT that Tel refers to above but for me it's fugly
Ten years ago I would have had that and thought it was boootiful, not sure now though. Probably avoid the Sugo as I may well want to add a graphics card at some point, like the Prodigy but I am also considering the Coolermaster Elite 120.
It's a good case and great value, but the CPU can get quite toasty in there since there's very little air flowing through the centre of the case and it's too cramped to fit a good cooler in.
The Sugo is fine for a graphics card. It has a vent directly next to where the card's fans are (assuming they exhaust into the case), and you can get PSUs for it that will easily take a GTX 660/7850. You do need a low profile cooler though. The one I got keeps the CPU cool, it's quiet, and it directs the airflow sideways rather than upwards, which is perfect for this case (having vents on either side and the PSU at the top).
