Dear Guys and Dolls,

I want to make a new build, based on an a Antec P193 case. The stock fans are way to quiet:
Antec P193
Seasonic X-750
Mb MSI P67
Intel I5-2500K (to be overcloked)
Prolimatech Megahalems
16 gb DDR3
Radeon 5970 + Arctic Cooling Xtreme
1 SSD 120 GB
1 HDD WD 2 TB Green

My question is: what are the cooling needs for this build?
Options:
1. Replace back fan with an 800rpm one (all other case fans removed, plus the one on the cpu cooler)
2. a) Also put one 14cm - 500 rpm on top of the case
b) Put two 14cm - 500 rpm on top of the case
3. Use also the lateral 20cm fan? But it should be too loud at stock minimum speed. Can be further undervolted?

Now I have the following configuration, I am happy about the temperatures and very happy about the noise level. I would like to achive the same thing with the new build.

Antec P180
Enermax Modu-550
Mb Asus P35
Intel E8200
Xigmateck S1283
4gb DDR 2
Radeon 5970 + Arctic Cooling Xtreme
2x 500GB WD Green

All stock fans removed and replaced only by a Noctua 800 rpm fan at the back + another 800 rpm Noctua fan on the CPU heatsink. I arrived to this configuration by using the recommendations from the P180 review on silentpcreview.

So far I did not find some good and specific enough recommendations

Thank you in advance for your recommendations.
Gheorghe

1: I'd add a second fan to the cooler, push-pull configurations cool better than push alone.
2: I'd use both
3: You'll probably want it to serve air from the outside to those VGA cards. A molex fan controller with an adjustable resistor will tweak it for you.

Additionally, I'd use the Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler in push-pull. The stock fan is silent at 650 RPM and cools adequately, and in push-pull keeps my CPU at room temperature. Also it would be a good idea to use a fan in the power supply area, the drive cage will resist air flowing past it and the PSU fan won't have to spin as fast.

I would advice you to ask to the Antec Technical Support, as the Prolimatech (as most tower coolers) might not fit inside the P193.


For what I can understand, basically you need to exhaust the heat: each part seems already well cooled, so you should just avoid heat build up.


Does the side fan be an intake? If so, it shouldn't be such a necessary one.
Are the top fans on a straight path to your ears? If so, it could be too much loud. Also, two 120mm fans might work quieter than most current 140mm ones.
An 800rpm exhaust seems a bit on the low side, due to the 5970: maybe a downvoltable 1200rpm one may serve you better (I mean, in order to play safer).