Comments follow:

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Felix Miata 
> Daniela Engert wrote:
>  
> > Get a decent PSU, get a decent CPU cooler with a decent fan, decouple
> > rotating media devices from the case and you will end up in system
> > which is acceptably well cooled and emits barely noticable noise.
> 
> The system overall may be cooled well enough, but cases act has HD heat
> sinks when you couple the HD to a metal case with metal screws. Who
> dares trust modern HDs to poorer than expected cooling? Without a fan
> blowing directly on decoupled devices, I wouldn't decouple. I've been
> using fans blowing directly on coupled HDs for several years (and on any
> installed to removable bays), and so far they've been far and away the
> ones that most often get noisy and need replacing.
> -- 
> "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."        Psalm 33:12 NIV
> 
>  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409
> 
> Felix Miata  ***  http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/
> 

  My point exactly in asking why anyone would actually seek a fanless PSU. 
Although the earliest ATX PSU spec notwithstanding (foolishly blew in
instead of out) case manufacurers have certainly wised up a great deal.  I
not only own two Antec cases, Super Lanboy and Sonata, but have recently
seen some generic cases that wisely extend the 3.5 hdd cage all the way to
the floor of the case, spin it 90 degrees so you can load/unload drives on
decoupled rails without passing over the mobo, and allow 1 or 2 fans in the
front of the case sucking in coolest outside air directly over the drives
that because of the height of the cage actually have considerable clearance
above and below each drive.  My Super Lanboy has 4 x 7200 rpm IDE drives
and they stay perfectly cool with two very quiet fans.  Because those fans
are low-front on the case and the final exhaust fan of the PSU is high-back
an active continuous path is created which I verified with smoke and dummy
parts (and the clear acrylic si

de panel, of course). It is good to make certain of airflow and just as the
hot-rod field has created changes in every aspect of automobiles, pushing
the envelope, to trickle down to everyone's benefit, gaming and
overclocking has become a powerful driving force in improving performance
in every area.  In fact the recent boom in PSU awareness is largely a
result of such "pushing".  As always what is cutting edge or
luxury today becomes mundane in the future. So there is value in checking
out what performance mongers are doing.

 There are magazine and web articles on the easy construction of fan speed
controllers where the most expensive part is a potentiometer (although a
stepped resistance switch works too) and they can bring the noisiest fan
down to real silence.  This can be very handy for seasonal temp changes
since heat is the number one enemy of electronics and environment does
change.

  Incidentally there are some moderately pricey but now easy to install
water cooling kits available that are moderate to high performance.  Some
of these are fanless, albeit not motor-less (the pump), depending some on
convection and externally mounted radiators to dispense with heat.  The
more expensive units can actually keep a cpu and gpu within just a few
degrees C of ambient even under heavy loads.  Even if I had such a system I
would still want a fan cooled PSU since nobody yet makes a water block for
a PSU.  There is a reason why Crays, etc go to the expense and trouble of
using liquid Nitrogen for cooling.  It's important.
Jimmy


 
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