I dump that Silverstone NT01-E
I recommend you the Corsair Hydro Series but you have no room (1st My Favorite)
I recommend the thermal compound Prolimatech or Arctic Silver, I'm sure you have heard of Cool Laboratory Kick A$$ stuff but I would not recommend it becuases once its hardened on to your CPU Cooler, you will need to re-lap both surfaces to get them clean and smooth again.
Thermalright (2nd My Favorite)
Xigmatek (3rd My Favorite)
Nocta
Zalman

So what do ya need 8GB RAM for - that a virtualization platform or large scale Database server?

This is not even the least bit a retro build. Every part is modern.... At any rate, with no air circulating at all, and with no fans running heat out of the case, the odds are extremely slim of you getting decent temps out of the box, regardless of what cpu cooler you use. 140F is pretty up there for the cpu temp. What is the system temp?

fronzel wrote:

So what do ya need 8GB RAM for - that a virtualization platform or large scale Database server?

Because RAM is cheap. My laptop which has a midrange i3-350M processor has 8GB RAM just because it makes Windows a lot snappier.

yeah, because ddr3 is cheap I currently have 16GB in my 2600K box... just get all sticks at once so they are the same lot/specs/model and you are set.

Also to comment on the topic, even a small airflow will do wonders in temp control.
All these years, every "silent/fanless" gpu I bought for me or a friend has died at one point or another in time, even models with bulgy heatsinks. I never recommend anyone getting fanless stuff because of my experiences.

nemesis wrote:

Optical Drive: Blu-Ray burner/HD-DVD ROM LG

Gee, they make Blu-Ray / HD-DVD combo drives?

While there are drive-slowdown utilities out there (they've been posted about on this forum before), if you actually want to play a Blu-Ray disc, the high speed will probably be necessary in order to ensure smooth playback, I reckon.

Thank you guys for the input. I perfer to have at least 8GB of RAM to run Win Vista (might switch to Win 7 when I get some money again). I considered it somewhat retro because it took me several years to build this, trying to get the best prices for the parts I wanted, and because the CPU is only a dual core discontinued in 2009.

This is not even the least bit a retro build. Every part is modern.... At any rate, with no air circulating at all, and with no fans running heat out of the case, the odds are extremely slim of you getting decent temps out of the box, regardless of what cpu cooler you use. 140F is pretty up there for the cpu temp. What is the system temp?

I'm sorry that I offended you by saying that it's retro. I understand now that it is no wise a retro system.
In answer to your question of the system temperatures, it was ~105F (~40C) while the CPU was 140F (60C). I adjusted a few components and managed to make it much more stable temperature wise without fans, but when I run 2 very small fans in the back (both are blowing out) the CPU seems to max out somewhere around 40C and system is around 32C under load.
So for now I'm taking Keropi's and ProfessorProfessorson's advice and keeping the fans connected for now... but it's nice to know that I can run it without the fans now (well, for a while) if need be.

I might dump the Silverstone NT01-E soon, but I need a cooler that fits in the case still.. remember this is an HTPC system. Thank you for the suggestions, shspvr.

nemesis wrote: […]
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nemesis wrote:

Optical Drive: Blu-Ray burner/HD-DVD ROM LG
Gee, they make Blu-Ray / HD-DVD combo drives?

While there are drive-slowdown utilities out there (they've been posted about on this forum before), if you actually want to play a Blu-Ray disc, the high speed will probably be necessary in order to ensure smooth playback, I reckon.

Ok, I'll have to rely on some kind of noise dampening kit to reduce the sound of the Blu-Ray motor when I watch discs. Btw, last I checked they stopped making the HD-DVD/Blu-ray combo drives. It took a bit of searching to find this one. It's kinda sad that HD-DVD had to be kicked from the market completelly to make room for the ultraviolet drives. On the upside, I've found some HD-DVDs at decent prices.

Here's an update to the thermal issue:
I discovered that the skyrocketing temps were due to the CPU being under max load at startup... the reason for the CPU stress was, as I discovered, the virus scanner running at startup every time.

If I wait until after the Scanner stops, then I can run at a more comfortable temp of ~50C (~122F). Nevertheless, I will heed your wise warnings and keep the small fans running (temps hit about 35-40C with the tiny fans). Thank you.