Ultimate Music Studio/Live Performance Machine: Fastest possible CPU in a silent mini-ITX build?

[trs96]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think this looks like a good config?

Why don't you start a new thread in buying advice and list all of your hardware choices in it ? That would be the best approach for you.

 

[SlentThndr]

If you want a mini-itx system you can forget about X99 and Xeon CPUs. I wouldn't think of that all AL case by Streacom as something I'd want to use on the road. You can find some nice and light Aluminum cases by Lian Li that would be perfect for mobile use and look good too. Then you can use an I7-7700K, overclock it and use a small liquid cooler to keep it from overheating. You really can't come close to the speed of an overclocked I7-7700K with any of the current Broadwell EP Xeons (E5 V4) anyway. The more cores you have the slower the clock speed has to be.

Here's a mini-ITX case from Lian Li that could hold all the storage you'll ever need and stay cool as well.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112458&cm_re=Lian_Li_Mini-ITX-_-11-112-458-_-Product

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...106337&cm_re=water_3.0-_-35-106-337-_-Product
a quiet Liquid Cooler by Thermaltake.

If you wanted to go completely silent, no cpu overclock or mechanical HDDs then you could use this one with a Noctua CPU cooler /fan combo and a silent Seasonic PSU (fanless). That's about as close to silent as you could get when using an I7-7700K.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112536

This is an ITX motherboard you could easily overclock with and use 32 GB of fast DDR4 ram.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128969&cm_re=Z270n-_-13-128-969-_-Product

If you won't be overclocking then get the Z270N-Wifi. It still gives you the option but is not as good at it as the gaming version.

Alright, I'm officially forgetting about the x99 idea. I'm gonna stick with my trusty 6700k. So now the issue is mainly selecting a case. Trs96, why wouldn't you want to use the Streacom case on the road? What's the advantage of the Liam Li?

I'd still like to have a fully silent and small machine and only compromise on speed.

 

[trs96]

The Streacom cases are very small and expensive and tend to have very limited cooling capacity. They are primarily designed to sit in one place like a HT rack in your living room. The Lian Li cases have AL that is not as thick, therefore they are lighter, cool better and also have room for more fans that can move more air. Liquid cooling is also a possibility. If you overclock an I7 K cpu in a Streacom case and use it for intensive audio work I'm not sure how you would keep it cool enough.

 

[tycoonbob]

I have a Streacom F7C Alpha, along with a i7-7700 (non-K), 32GB RAM, and a Quadro P1000 GPU. I do have a case fan, but the build is virtually silent. The F7C is only $100. If you want to see more of my build (benchmarks, power draw, and photos), check out this thread:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ofile-gpu-for-a-kaby-lake-sierra-build.217105

 

[SlentThndr]

The Streacom cases are very small and expensive and tend to have very limited cooling capacity. They are primarily designed to sit in one place like a HT rack in your living room. The Lian Li cases have AL that is not as thick, therefore they are lighter, cool better and also have room for more fans that can move more air. Liquid cooling is also a possibility. If you overclock an I7 K cpu in a Streacom case and use it for intensive audio work I'm not sure how you would keep it cool enough.

I saw these guys benchmark an x99 build in a Streacom db4. Their test seems to have been successful, which has led me to believe that it's certainly possible to cool an i7 at heavy load.

Check it out and please let me know if I'm missing something here!

Part 1:

Part 2:

I have a Streacom F7C Alpha, along with a i7-7700 (non-K), 32GB RAM, and a Quadro P1000 GPU. I do have a case fan, but the build is virtually silent. The F7C is only $100. If you want to see more of my build (benchmarks, power draw, and photos), check out this thread:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ofile-gpu-for-a-kaby-lake-sierra-build.217105

That looks awesome! Thanks 4 sharing.

 

[trs96]

The DB4 is their one of their largest cases and sells for $320. If you've got that large a budget to spend on a system give it a try. I was referring to their smaller F7C case and others in that vein. I would still put the money to better use elsewhere. Just my personal bias I guess.