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<blockquote data-quote="Tech Geek" data-source="post: 40951" data-attributes="member: 18181">I have a Thermaltake Silent 939 and I really like it.&nbsp; In a cramped install it's nice having a protective grill over the fan.&nbsp; The heatpipes seem to make the cooler more efficient even though it isn't large.&nbsp; And it's very quiet.&nbsp; I really don't see a need to use something huge like a Zalman.Thermaltake has another model you should consider.&nbsp; It doesn't have heat pipes or a protective grill but if you can deal with that it's even quieter.<a href="http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0296/cl-p0296.asp" target="_blank">http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0296/cl-p0296.asp</a>As for 80mm fans... the only way to really quiet them is throttle the speed though some are quieter than others.&nbsp; On quiet models you'll notice that most of the noise savings comes from running them slow.&nbsp; To throttle fans you can get a power supply that does it, can control them from the motherboard, buy a fan speed controller, buy a fan with a built in controller or just solder a resistor into the power feed line to the fan. Manually throttled fans or permanently throttled fans (resistor method) don't ever speed up the fan when the case gets hot.&nbsp; At least it's not automatic.&nbsp; But that may be the least expensive.&nbsp; If your case runs cool they are fine.If the fan is on an intake a fan with a built in thermal sensor won't be any better than a cheaper method since it will only sense the cool intake air.&nbsp; But as an exhaust fan they are great.&nbsp; If your power supply or motherboard has fan speed control you don't need it built in.In theory, controlling it from the motherboard would best because with the right software you could sense what application is running and increase cooling *before* things get too hot.&nbsp; If you had a high performance graphics card and were an avid gamer this could be an advantage.&nbsp; But I'm not sure if such an application exists and most HTPCs aren't built for high end gaming. Power supplies that control fan speed like my Antec work pretty well.&nbsp; Fans run slow unless things start to heat up and then it speeds them up.&nbsp; I also like the fact that if something goes wrong with a fan or it's wiring you aren't likely to ruin your motherboard.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tech Geek, post: 40951, member: 18181"] I have a Thermaltake Silent 939 and I really like it. In a cramped install it's nice having a protective grill over the fan. The heatpipes seem to make the cooler more efficient even though it isn't large. And it's very quiet. I really don't see a need to use something huge like a Zalman. Thermaltake has another model you should consider. It doesn't have heat pipes or a protective grill but if you can deal with that it's even quieter. [url]http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0296/cl-p0296.asp[/url] As for 80mm fans... the only way to really quiet them is throttle the speed though some are quieter than others. On quiet models you'll notice that most of the noise savings comes from running them slow. To throttle fans you can get a power supply that does it, can control them from the motherboard, buy a fan speed controller, buy a fan with a built in controller or just solder a resistor into the power feed line to the fan. Manually throttled fans or permanently throttled fans (resistor method) don't ever speed up the fan when the case gets hot. At least it's not automatic. But that may be the least expensive. If your case runs cool they are fine. If the fan is on an intake a fan with a built in thermal sensor won't be any better than a cheaper method since it will only sense the cool intake air. But as an exhaust fan they are great. If your power supply or motherboard has fan speed control you don't need it built in. In theory, controlling it from the motherboard would best because with the right software you could sense what application is running and increase cooling *before* things get too hot. If you had a high performance graphics card and were an avid gamer this could be an advantage. But I'm not sure if such an application exists and most HTPCs aren't built for high end gaming. Power supplies that control fan speed like my Antec work pretty well. Fans run slow unless things start to heat up and then it speeds them up. I also like the fact that if something goes wrong with a fan or it's wiring you aren't likely to ruin your motherboard. [/QUOTE]

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