I have the PC-Q08 running for a couple of weeks now. Sound and heat production is OKE at idle, but sounds like an airplane while gaming The problem I hope some of you guys can help me with is the aftermarket cooling question. The case is cool, but I detected the CPU and GPU fans (both stock) to be noisy. The casefans I will replace with Scythe fans, the powerunit is Be Quiet L8 and is close to silent idle and at load.
My setup is; Asus P8H77-I, Intel I5-3450, 128SSD and Asus HD7870 DirectCUII.
For the CPU, I understand that the normal choice (Shuriken big2) will interfere with the PCI-E slot which I use with a HD7870.
Now I am thinking of replacing the CPU cooler with the Noctua NH-L9i, which I think is pretty expensive, but receives a good review here on SPCR and a very good review here
http://www.rwlabs.com/article.php?cat=&id=744Am I missing good alternatives here?
The most noise comes from the HD7870. The directCUII cooler is silent at idle, but when you start gaming it will surprise you with vacuumcleaner like noises. The space from the bottom to the HD7870 is limited though, so I can imagine that not every cooler will fit, or will work optimal due to the small space between the "floor" and the fan.
[Edit] in the meantime I found this valueble topic:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=65338, dont know how it was even possible to overlook it

However, the VGA musashi cooler he mentions is not available anymore in the NL, and he has the P8Z mobo of asus which has a more smart CPU placement. [/Edit]
What are your experiences? Tips and advices are more than welcome