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I've run a little experiment to try to reduce the number of fans in my
computer in preparation for converting it to a DAW and would like some
opinions or comments on my findings. I bought a 'Fry's Special' case
a while back that has 4 intake fans in front, a outlet fan on the
side, and another outlet fan in back. Of course the PSU also has an
outlet fan. Having read

http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont...tech_docs/2379
4.pdf I was intrigued about whether I can turn off my 4 front fans.
This would certainly reduce noise, although I am concerned about the
heat build-up inside the case. So I ran the following test using the
hardware alarm software that came with my Soyo mobo (temperatures are
degrees C):

CPU Chassis front side
temp temp fans fan
56 32 On On
56 32 Off On
56 34 On Off
56 34 Off Off

Note: my CPU cooler is the Zalman fan HS and fan running in silent
mode. It appears the 4 front fans aren't really doing anything at
all! The side fan helps a little. These results agree with what AMD
says in the link given above. Does this match your experience?

Yes. Items like hard drives and operating CD drives can drive these numbers
up and make chassis cooling more important.

56 degrees C seems kind of high to me. Do I dare try to get quieter
(and slower) fans? Any comments?

Look at the specs for the CPU chip. Last time I checked, the limit was 90
degrees Centigrade. Chip temperatures can be somewhat dynamic based on what
you are actually doing at the moment, so steady-state idling temperatures
can be misleading. Anything under 70 degrees should be fine.