Hey P,
Yeah, this is a on-going thing with me. Performance vs. Heat & Noise. I have been using T.I. Dr. Thermal TI-V77L(3800 rpm Fan) HSF's. They offer decent performance/cooling & are not that loud. If you have more than 2 case fans you might try "Akasa Pax.Mate Acoustic Absorption Mat"(about $20 for a 1 computer pack). These kinds of products do a lot to reduce the high pitched whine of high speed HSF's. On the down side, they do little to reduce the loudness of slower fans like 80mm & PSU fans, they also hold more of the heat of the system in the case(thus the reference: "if you have more than 2 case fans"). I have taken a even cheaper route, I have used heavy carpet foam padding & glued it to the inside of cases with silcone adhesive. It works just as well as the Akasa foam & is much cheaper.
Now that you know that the noise of the various fans are going to bother you, you should look for reviews of HSF's & their performance vs. noise. Good Luck
Peace Out.............tile
I wish my imaginary friends could give me better advice
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram