I’ve ordered 4 case fans from Newegg, because ever since I’ve closed-up my case (a gift from an old friend), the noise level is actually higher as the CPU fan is spinning faster to keep it cool now that it’s closed. I figure adding a few larger fans will help keep the internal temperature lower and keep that (hopefully noisier) CPU fan running more quitely. We’ll just have to see. Until I get the camera I want, you’ll just have to imagine what all this looks like.
Currently, the CPU idles around 46°C with a case temperature of 46°C, likewise. This peaks at almost 60°C when running a fill CPU load (runs Prime95 for a short while…) 61°C CPU, 46°C case. The CPU fan also runs at 6250 RPM at this temperature. Once I’ve installed the new fans (I might do them one at a time to measure their individual contributions), I’ll report back.