Im about to tackle my first build (hold the applause for after the project log ) However, Im on a tight budget which means no liquid cooling unless someone knows something I don't and has a cheap solution. i.e >$80 What would be the cheapest, yet most reliable solution for cooling a pc? My biggest concern is the 8800GT and my 2 HDDs. If I do go with fans, I will try to squeeze 2 120mm fans on the front of the case and one in the back. Pretty simple. Is there anyway to have to much air movement? and at what point do you sacrifice DBs for CFMs? Scythe makes a 120mm fan that pushes 133.60 CFMs of air. Is this overkill? And at 46 dBA is it worth 10 bucks? What would be a preferable range, air movement wise? Ive been reading reviews and it seems like this APEVIA is a good deal, and more importantly, i can pick it up at Fry's and avoid the shipping cost. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!
Unless you're going insane with 9800GX2's and a massive overclock on a quadcore, a 120mm blowing in and a 120mm sucking at the back would be fine. While the 8800GT is a lot hotter than Nvidia would like to think, it still only puts out about 100W of heat. Make sure the fan(s) are well placed to remove that heat though. Are you trying to go for a quiet build, or performance? Is it going to be a traditional shaped case, or something completely different?
The case is probably going to be a standard mid tower. Performance is good, but the computer will probably be in my room so i don't want jet engine fans however i sleep with music so it doesn't have to be silent. What do you think about putting an exhaust fan directly on top of the PSU to suck heat up and out as well as thru the back?
TBH, just make sure you buy quality, quiet components. An Arctic Freezer Pro 7 is very cheap, very quiet and a very decent cooler. A couple of good Yate Loon/Noctua/Nexus fans on front and back and you are done. Total bill £35 - I reckon around $50 for you guys. A bigger factor is probably your case; some cases are easy to cool and some are very quiet, and some are both. The HDDs only need the gentlest breeze over them to cool them, and besides, the threat of warmer disks has been somewhat overstated. The 8800GT shouldn't be a problem if you properly manage your case airflow. Is it a dual or single slot? The duals will expel air out of the back; AFAIK the singles won't so again, overall airflow is the issue.
