vatan007 --
1.
http://www.acoustiproducts.com/en/products.asp Looks like the company has shifted from its original role as a quiet components supplier to quiet rack case supplier. But that page shows the acoustipack product, which is sold by quietpc.com It is generally about the best of its class.
2. "
the mini boasts ‘composite sheets’… is this the same as the acoustipack? " No, this is the multilayer sides, front and top panels that the case is made of. Like the other cases in the P180 series.
3. There are bazillions of boards that support the Intel 2500k. Just look in any online store for socket 1155 boards.
4. "
I am thinking about the powercolor hd6850. What motherboard will fit this 3slot-high video card in tandum with the gelid tranquilo?" Just about any, as the HS extends downwards, not above into the CPU area.
5. "Could someone explain to me how the fans are made to run at 800rpm at 5v? How does one connect the fans and what steps does one undertake? " There are umpteen ways to do this, including a motherboards' internal fan controls, if they are good. Simplest way is to add a speed controller like the Zalman fanmate between the fan and the power source but there are many others, including a multi-fan controller. Read up under fans and fan control on the main site & the forums.
6.
The article states ‘Iinstead of relying on the default "Silent" QFAN profile, we have custom tuned the fan ramping curve to provide the lowest noise levels while maintaining good temperatures. We also tuned it to prevent cyclic patterns of the fan ramping up and down. We keep it nice and smooth, and in fact, our full load speed is only 30% higher than our idle speed. We have this VERY well dialed in.’ Does anyone know what they dialed in, and where? In the bios? Also, my system surely will be just a little bit different, so my ramping curve would be different. How would I go about setting up a very quiet curve? Yes, in the ASUS board BIOS. The phrase "
dialed in" is slang, meaning they set it just right. It's easy enough to use and set when the system is in front of you and you can tweak, try and tweak some more. It's too motherboard-dependent to detail such a process.