Quiet mATX build

[EricDu]

I'm looking for a replacement for a dying Mac Mini and can't bring myself to spending a lot for 2 year-old technology that's not upgradable.

Requirements (in order of importance): stable, quiet, stylish, compact, fast, affordable.
Budget: $1500

I'm leaning towards a microATX build. The hardest thing is to find a case that's small, well built, quiet, and stylish (in a minimalist sense). This is what I came up with. I welcome feedback and suggestions. Thanks.

case -- BitFenix Pandora ATX Core Mid-Tower Case -- $105
motherboard -- GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-UD5 -- $200
precessor -- Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz -- $340
cooling -- CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 -- $60
gpu -- EVGA GeForce GTX 950 -- $175
RAM -- 32GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 SDRAM -- $120
power supply -- CORSAIR RM Series RM650 650W ATX12V -- $110
wifi -- TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless -- $40
drive -- SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 1TB SATA III -- $300
Total -- $1460

 

[joshuawas]

I've read that the corsiar fans aren't that quiet. You can replace the fans with quieter ones, specifically Noctua. I bought the Noctua NH-D14.

If you are going to spend around $200usd for the motherboard, you might as well get an ASUS VIII GENE mATX. There are several builds on this forum that are stable. Also, the motherboard you mentioned is an ATX board, if you want mATX, check the links in the buyers guide for GA-Z170MX or similiar.

Also, Check some reviews on the BitFenix Pandora case. Some people say the quality control for that case is pretty bad, even one youtube reviewer said it was difficult to take the case on and put the case back on and he even cut his finger because of the sharp edges of the case.

 

[EricDu]

Thanks. I must have mixed some of my notes. I'll continue my research with your suggestions in mind. Meanwhile, I would really appreciate suggestions for a good, compact, quiet case.

 

[Kazbah]

A good Noctua air cooler will be quieter than a H60.
I see your first criteria is Stable .. are you planning on overclocking, if not you can choose the motherboard variant with H170 chipset and the non-K CPU variant that can free some money to be returned into your pocket or re-invested in the build (for example upgrading to a bigger GPU)
Case suggestion : Fractal Design Define Mini

 

[EricDu]

Two votes in favor of Noctua swayed me. By stable, I mean unlikely to crash, but also unlikely to break with OS updates. So I'd rather build a tried-and-true configuration than some of the more experimental builds I've seen here.
I'm unlikely to overclock. I have not found any non-K CPU variant that run 4GHz, but I can save almost $100 on a H170-series motherboard (still trying to figure out what the letters mean).

 

[nobodynose]

I'm looking for a replacement for a dying Mac Mini and can't bring myself to spending a lot for 2 year-old technology that's not upgradable.

Requirements (in order of importance): stable, quiet, stylish, compact, fast, affordable.
Budget: $1500

I'm leaning towards a microATX build. The hardest thing is to find a case that's small, well built, quiet, and stylish (in a minimalist sense). This is what I came up with. I welcome feedback and suggestions. Thanks.

case -- BitFenix Pandora ATX Core Mid-Tower Case -- $105
...

I've had my eye on this case for quite a while - it's supposed to be well-built, very quiet, and I think it's quite stylish - it's even available in several colors -- Black, Black/White (my favorite), White, Red, Blue, and Green, and is available with and without a side window, if that's your thing: Aerocool DS-Cube.

 

[EricDu]

Thank you all. I had seen that case before but could not find it again. So thanks for the link. It also allows me to build in a cheap optical drive (for the few times it's needed) and SD card reader. So here's my revised list, based in great part on your suggestions.

case — Aerocool DS Cube Mini Tower Case — $90
motherboard — GIGABYTE GA-H170-D3HP — $110
processor — Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz — $340
cooling — Noctua NH-D14 — $80
gpu — EVGA GeForce GTX 950 — $175
RAM — 32GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 SDRAM — $120
power supply — be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER 10 600W ATX 12V — $75
wifi — TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless — $40
drive — SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 1TB SATA III — $300
optical drive — LG DVD/CD Writer $20
SD — SYBA SY-HUB50044 USB 3.0 Multi-Function Hub and Card Reader — $30

Total $1380

 

[trs96]

@Eric That H170 motherboard will not fit in the Aerocool mATX case. You need to get an H170M version.

Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012N6LM1Y/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[EricDu]

Good catch. I was looking at GA-H170M-D3H but copied the wrong number.

Since that board only runs memory at 2133, I thought I could save some $ there. But it looks like 2133 and 2400 prices are identical. Any issues with using the faster memory?

 

[trs96]

None that I know of. Just make sure it's on the QVL from Gigabyte. Check their website.