Looks like Zalman has a 4-pin HSF. Newegg has it here.

You may want to overclock your e6300. Took me an hour or so of internet research to figure out how to do it. I did modest FSB 333MHz overclock with my undervolted XP-90 HSF and my temps are only 1C or 2C above non-overclock. I can easily reach 2.3 GHz with my DDR-2 667 memory.

Very nice build. You'll notice a difference in noise if you slow down your fans. All of my fans are less than 700rpm and the cooling is fine with a modest overclock on my e6300. You probably already know this, but you can slow your CPU fan by undervolting it with a Zalman fan controller. My other 2 ...

That is some serious cablegami

The P180B case may be a little difficult to work in as a first build. Cable managment can be tricky, but there's definitely enough room to work inside. I have the Antec Solo and would recommend it for a first time build. There's a lot of positive buzz on the tech forums about Intel's new e4300 CPU. ...

A lot of n00bs do this inadvertently, and then are baffled when their system won't OC very well. Yep, that was me a few nights ago until I figured out the relationship of the FSB to memory speed. Once I figured out how the math works and the rationale for the default divider setting, the rest was e...

Another thought... Good choice on the MB. I have the D975XBX and I'm very pleased with it. However I had to do a slight mod to get the overclock voltage options to appear in the BIOS. On the D975XBX2 that you're going to get, you won't have to do any mod. All of the overclock options will be availab...

I suggest you consider at least a conservative overclock on your new e4300. This new CPU is begging to be overclocked.

I'm a newcomer to the overclock world, and I wish I would have started years ago. The C2D's now make it ridiculously easy to OC on even the stock HSF.

The price is supposed to drop dramatically in February to something like USD $113. I think NewEgg's high prices are due to their initial limited supply (i.e. Intel's wholesale price per unit is higher for limited quantities). My experience with NewEgg is that their prices drop signficantly once they...

Obviously I'm not suggested using the stock HSF for a heavily overclocked system. I wouldn't even use my XP-90 for a heavily overclocked, overvolted system. But the stock HSF is fine for a modest overclock.

I think the other pleasant suprise you may notice is how good the stock Intel HSF is. I replaced it with a XP-90, and to be honest it's not much quieter than the stock HSF. The XP-90 is obviously cooler, but frankly for my modest OC, the temps of the stock HSF would probably have been fine. If you'r...

Unless you really need the extra speed, I too would go with a e6300. You can easily overclock it to 2.8 GHz with DDR2-800 RAM at stock voltage. And you'll save about USD $120. If you can wait, I would even consider Intel's 4300 that's coming out later this month. It's getting rave reviews and will i...

You will be very pleased with the overclock on the 6300. As a newbie to OCing, I did about an hour OC research and then easily overclocked my 6300 to 2.33 GHz on stock voltage with relatively inexpensive DDR2-667 memory. And it's as cool and quiet as it was at the original stock speed. At stock volt...

I'm happy with my set up. As a rookie to all of this, I went with a simple solution. First I bought a high quality, quiet case - Antec Solo. PSU fan: Seasonic S-12 and the fan noise is almost inaudible to me. It's fine for me, and since I don't have the skill/know-how to mod it, I left it alone. Exh...

I am very interested in this new case. I want to build a SFF PC and I love Antec cases, but I wasn't too thrilled with the 3300's PSU. I've been watching for a U.S. release, but haven't seen it yet.

I replaced my stock Intel HSF on my C2D with a XP-90. But in retrospect, I actually don't think the stock Intel HSF was that much louder. Could just be my environment and/or bad hearing, but it's not a huge difference in noise to me. However the XP-90 is a very nice HSF.

I would wait for the SOLO. I've had mine for about 3 months, and I love it. It's very well designed with nice quiet-centric features. This was my first build in about 5 years, and it was very easy to work in. My temps are excellent, but I don't stress it much.

It's available at Newegg.

Just recently I installed my 2 case fans and CPU fans backwards! I didn't realize it until I looked closely at a few pictures in the Gallery here. In my first build about 5 years ago (case fans were already installed) I decided that the MB standoff screws were not necessary. I turned on the computer...

IMO, I think the XP-90 is the best kept secret around here :D I have an XP-90 with a Nexus fan on my C2D E6300 and it dropped my temps 10C. It's plenty quiet for me, very light, and a manageable size in my SOLO case. I also like having a consistent airflow pushing down over my MB. I could be wrong, ...

Very nice systems. Great choice for the mid-tower case. I am very happy with my Solo.

I'm all thumbs when it comes to building anything from scratch. Any thoughts about selling the PSU duct separately since EPCN is going to be "mass" producing them?

Bill

I thought I could get away with the XP90, but your comments seem to indicate something larger may be in order. Carlos, I'm very happy with the XP-90. The only reason I said I may change it to a Ninja is to go totally passive. I keep changing my mind, since again I'm very pleased with the performanc...

Nice rig. I have a similar system: Solo with C2D 6300. You got a great price on the Solo. I bought mine at Fry's for $99. I replaced my Tri-Cool with a Nexus 120mm. The Tri-Cool was a little louder to my ears, but the Tri-Cool has much better air flow than the Nexus. My temps actually went up 2C whe...

Good decision to keep the case. The loose button is a design "feature" Anyway, the button doesn't appear to take that much stress when it's pushed so it should be fine.

It's a great case. I love mine. Here's a pic of mine: viewtopic.php?t=35485

As an update to my original post, I decided to just use the Intel utility software to adjust my fan speeds (front and rear case fans and CPU fan.) However last weekend I replaced the stock Intel HSF with a XP-90 and a Nexus fan on the heatsink. The Nexus has a 3-pin connector to the CPU. I can no lo...

Well after doing more research, I actually ended up with something different then either the Zalman or the Ninja...the Thermalright XP-90. I installed it this weekend. This was my first aftermarket HSF installation and it installed relatively easily. The backplate was a little bit of a pain to insta...

I've had my Solo for about 2 months. Before I bought mine, I read one negative review on Newegg about the power button. The poster said it broke off but he was able to easily glue it back on. The first thing I did when I got my Solo was look at the power button. It's basically a plastic spring-like ...

Excellent explanations. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply.

So if I want to adjust the voltage, then I will need to purchase a fan controller like the Zalman Multi Fan Controller (ZM-MFC1).

And I assume PWM is already integrated on my motherboard since I can adjust the fan speed using the Intel Desktop Utility application.

Correct?

Sorry for such a basic question, but I did a search and couldn't find an answer. What (if any) is the difference between undervolting a fan vs. reducing its fan speed? I have 92mm Nexus fan in the front of my case. I'm using a D975XBX MB and I can slow the fan down using the Intel Desktop Utilities ...

I'm actually leaning a little towards the Zalman. It will be quiet enough for my environment. I'll probably upgrade to the Ninja later.