Hey, I need some help building a quiet gaming and productivity computer that fits in my 1500 to 1700 euro budget.
Hey, I need some help building a quiet gaming and productivity computer that fits in my 1500 to 1700 euro budget.
Hi everyone, I'm planning to build a new gaming PC soon. My budget is about 1500 to 1700€. My main priorities are quiet operation, ideally even when it's under load and strong performance for both games and productivity work (like Adobe apps or video editing). I want something that looks good too. I need the best price-to-performance value since I can't stretch the budget much past 1700€.
I'm stuck on a few choices:
For CPUs, I see these options: Ryzen 5 9600X (~220€), Ryzen 7 9700X (~320€), and Ryzen 7 7800X3D (~440€). These are hard to find here and cost a lot more. Is the performance jump from the 9600X or 9700X worth paying 120€ extra?
For GPUs, I see an RTX 5070 (~650€), RX 9070 (~700€), and RX 9070 XT (~800€). They look like amazing deals in my area. The 9070 XT looks tempting because of the price-to-performance ratio, but I'm a little nervous switching from NVIDIA to AMD. Also, I'm not sure which CPU pairs best with this card.
I'm trying to figure out which CPU and GPU combo gives me the "sweet spot" for gaming and productivity within my budget. If you've built something like this before or have suggestions, please let me know!
Silence is really important to me. I don't know where to focus on spending money to get a quiet system. I think all three parts play a role, but which should I prioritize?
Case: Is it worth spending extra on a premium, quiet case? Or are there budget-friendly options that still keep noise down?
Cooling: I have no experience with better cooling solutions. Should I go for air or liquid cooling, and what price range fits a quiet system?
PSU: I'm aiming for Gold-rated 750W to 850W units, nothing Bronze. What's the difference in noise between a 90€ PSU and something like a Corsair RMx at 130–150€?
In my past builds, I always went cheap on these parts (case, cooler, PSU) and had a Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4060 Ti. The system was super loud while gaming. I've never used premium cases, cooling, or high-quality PSUs before, so I don't know if investing in those would make a real difference in noise levels. And if so, which parts matter the most?
Bonus Info:
I mainly play AAA single-player games on high settings. I'm not into e-sports or competitive games. I'd love to play in 1440p but will stick with 1080p until I can afford a better monitor. I work with Adobe software daily, so productivity performance matters too.
Would really appreciate any input:
- Best CPU + GPU combos within my budget
- Components worth investing in for a quieter PC
- Parts to avoid
- Specific brands or models you've had good experiences with
Thanks a lot in advance!
You should follow the rules of this thread and look at what people ask for advice about new builds or upgrades. First things first, respect other people's space when it comes to asking questions here. This is just a copy of an old Animal forum post on how to get good build suggestions. I made this because there are so many posts lately asking for upgrade tips both here and in the CPU community. I think the forums will give good advice if you ask nicely. If your work is mixing gaming and office stuff, then the 7800X3D and an RTX5070 are a no-brainer choice. Adobe apps usually run better on Nvidia cards. And some people say noise sounds different to them than it does to others. Maybe someone recommends a quiet fan to you, but then you hear the motor ticking in the back of the PC.
Here is my take: You can mix and match parts however you like. The secret to silence? An AIO cooler that stays quiet, without any fans blowing air around it. I just built the system I usually describe as my signature setup, and nobody even notices it. Even though the AIO sits under the case and hangs from my standing desk stand, it works perfectly for me. Here are the links to all the parts of this build:
It's a cool trick for building things up. Basically, if you use an AIO cooler, your PC will be very quiet. Other parts like the case and power supply don't make much noise either.
Gaming chips like the Ryzen X3D are super popular because games need one main thread to work fast. The extra cache in these chips gives that single thread a big boost, but other apps with many threads don't get as much help. That makes the 7800X better than the 7800X3D all around. If you're choosing from here, I think the Intel 9700X fits your needs just fine. Intel's old 200 series chips got bad reviews back in the day, but Intel improved things and now the performance looks good: https://www.pcworld.com/article/256...rm...patch.html The main thing you get with these ultra chips is quiet operation. A regular air cooler works well and stays quieter than big special fans. You really need a case to make it quiet, because the CPU and GPU depend on good airflow to stay cool. If your case has two 140mm front intake fans, that's usually enough. Some cases have a bigger fan that is about the same size as those larger ones. Smaller 120mm intake fans need to spin faster to move enough air. Looks are only up to you to decide. Pick a few cases you like. For the power supply (PSU), buy one from a good brand. The easiest way to tell if it's good is how long the warranty lasts. You should get at least seven years, but ten or twelve is better. Then, always pick a PSU bigger than you think you need. The extra cost going from 750W to 850W or 950W is usually small. An extra strong PSU uses power only when needed, even if it has more capacity now. Current graphics cards sometimes use a lot of power for short moments, and a stronger PSU can handle those spikes. The main thing people upgrade is their graphics card, but having a strong PSU makes that upgrade possible too. A strong PSU runs quietly in the middle part of its range where it uses energy best. What makes your PC noisy are small fans spinning fast. Noise comes from fans on the CPU cooler, the GPU fan, and case fans. With a powerful and efficient PSU, those PSUs fans might never even turn on.
Lovely answer! I got a lot of new information. So the CPUs... to be honest, I didn't even think about Intel CPU until now. And if they were options, ULTRA CPUs would probably come last on my mind but at the same time, I barely know anything about them yet. Just looked at some benchmarks and that's all. I quickly read a few reviews and people say they are quiet and "cool" most of the time. Not going to throw Intel completely out of the window for now because you mentioned they have some benefits. For right now however, the best value seems to be the 7970X for me at least in my country. I personally find nice looking these cases: Montech King 95/65, ASUS A31 PLUS TG, basically all NZXT cases, Corsair 3500X ARGB. They all look kinda simple and they have clean design. I believe their design is "fish tank" if that's what they are called xd, I heard it somewhere. But honestly how good it looks is my lowest priority, i just dont want it to look cheap or bad. When it comes to cases, basically its better to aim for at least 140mm fans? 120mm fans gonna run louder and quicker - I dont know this will make enough sense but in my situation (budget wise) I really dont want to spend 200€ or even 150€ on case if im not gonna benefit from it significantly because I would rather spend that money elsewhere and get more performance. On the other hand, I want to spend a bit more than I used to because cheap case is "surprisingly" not ideal and especially for mid range - higher end builds. If there is a 100 or even 120€ case that will make the build quieter, I WANT IT! If you have any suggestions on this topic, I would appreciate that. If you have some suggestions for quiet components that will truly make the build quieter but will not break my bank I will appreciate that. Some CPU coolers, cases, PSUs. Also, when choosing GPU, I guess the brand of that GPU will matter if I want quieter build right? Some of the CASES I have been looking at I already mentioned at the beggining of my answer Some of the CPU Coolers I have been looking at: Arctic Liquid, MSI MAG CORELIQUID, DeepCool AK620, DeepCool AIO, Be Quiet Dark Rock 5. The quieter the better, i know I will probably have to check some benchmarks and testings to pick the right one, but if you have some suggestions I am listening Some of the PSUs I have been looking at: Corsair RM 750e-850e, Be Quiet PURE POWER 12M 750W, ADATA XPG CORE REACTOR II 750W, Seasonic Core GX-750 ATX
If you showed me your options, I'd probably check the 9700x first, and if money lets me, maybe even the 9070xt. The 9700x leans more towards working hard at productivity work while the 7800x3d is better for gaming but costs more to run. Your pick. Now, imagine a quiet fanboy setup with these light loop series AIO coolers and the Pure Base 500 case. That case has good noise muffling on its side panels and front panel, so it feels like a dream project to build here. The model I have doesn't have glass sides or any RGB lights, though. Tom's review link is at https:// And the Be Quiet Light Loop 360 review says it's the best AIO for Intel CPUs because of its amazing performance and low noise levels. With a 9900x running PBO, the light loop 360 is an older master cooler case that has power limits on the motherboard overclocking set to 200MHz with Curve optimiser negative 16. The processor hits its max speed at 82°C while I'm benchmarking it for gaming though. The Pure Base 500 gets up to 360 AIOs according to that review. My price was the two of them at £200 retail. When talking about Adobe, look at benchmarks that show how well the programs you use run; only you can decide what's okay for your stuff. Intel wins some games and AMD wins other ones, but what matters is what suits your needs.
Thanks so much for your help! Lots of people said this combo works too. I'm probably going with it. About the Be Quiet stuff you talked about - that AIO fan thing isn't in stock, but the case is. Just wondering if the 500DX version fits what I need. I use Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop sometimes. I'll check some benchmarks to see how good it runs. Thanks again!