While playing Portal 2 last night, I noticed my PC was fairly loud. Listening to it closely I think it's the CPU fan. My current specs:
CPU: Phenom II X4 840 + stock fan, not overclocked
GPU: Radeon 4850
Case and PSU: Antec Sonata III, One rear 120mm exhaust fan
I ran HWMonitor while playing Portal 2 and League of Legends:
http://pastebin.com/NtatTWcK
http://pastebin.com/WY9pwgPD
Note these results are shortly after exiting the games. It appears that the max stats aren't saved.
My GPU got up to 72 degrees. My CPU got up to 41 degrees. My CPU fan spun up to over 6000 RPM!
I would like to quiet the system. Should I
1) Get an after market CPU cooler? If so, how do I get one that's focused on staying quiet and not just staying cool for overclocking? I know people are crazy for the Hyper 212 on these forums. Would it fit in the Sonata III?
2) Get a new case and power supply for better airflow? Everything's pretty tightly together inside the case. I have a pretty hard time telling the difference between a $60 case and a $180 case on Newegg. What should I be looking for if I want a quiet system? Fewer fans?