CPU and PSU
Quietening the CPU
The loudest component in your case will probably be the CPU fan. Be it an AMD or an Intel based processor, the thermal demands have gone literally through the roof in the last 6 months. According to Sisoft Sandra, my CPU is outputting a whopping 96W of thermal energy just while sitting in windows. I was recommended the Zalman 7000-Cu CPU cooler, and upon receiving it have decided that it was so-named just from its weight – in tonnes. This beast supports both AMD and Intel chips and can be fitted in no time despite its bulk. Note that to use it on an AMD system you must have the mounting holes around the ZIF socket. When it comes to fans, bigger is invariably better, and the Zalman 7000 supports a huge 92mm fan. This means I can get away with using it in the very quiet whisper mode using the supplied "fanmate". At 35cfm, despite its whisper quiet nature, it's still outputting more than a Delta 60mm screamer which will drown out even the loudest hair dryer into insignificance. However, I was using an 80mm delta and a swiftech, so I was expecting a big temperature increase. Sure enough my temps went from 37 degrees C to 44 degrees, but that is still well within Intel's tolerance. The difference in noise is astounding, with the zalman running at just 20dB.
Quietening the Power supply.
With my CPU sufficiently quietened. The next loudest offender was the power supply. Since I had an Enermax 431W already installed I could have just reduced the manual fan speed to minimum and had a quality quiet supply, but nothing could prepare me for the silence offered by the Zalman 400W unit. My collegue Nightmare has already reviewed it in detail here, so I won't dwell to long on it. Suffice to say that at 19dB it's inaudible from a distance of around 2 feet.
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