My current setup is:

Antec P182 with 3x Tri-cool (stock) fans
Noctua NH-U12P cooler with 2x Noctua NF-P12 fans in Push-Pull configuration
1x Noctua NF-S12 case fan



I am looking for (possibly the same as most people) a good compromise between airflow and noise produced as my system is overclocked and requires a lot of cooling.
Similarly I'm trying to keep the price down.
I keep the computer in my room so I guess I'd like to keep the noise as quiet as possible.
Any suggestions/comments are most appreciated!

Welcome to SPCR!!!!

Im going to suggest you read SCPR Fan Roundup #6: Scythe, Noiseblocker, Antec, Nexus, Thermalright, in that review they compare some of the best 120s on the market today,

1) Noiseblockers M12-S1
Really good fan with a top end of 850 (not 750 like NB rates it), imo this has the best tonality of all 120s i have ever tested, but its expensive. If you need more cooling look into M12-S2 also reviewed on the above.

2) Scythe Gentle Typhoons AP12
I own AP15 and AP11, and both of the them undervolt very well, you can drop them around 300rpm, really good fans, middle price compared to the noiseblockers, but still not cheap. The problem is they are already discontinued by Scythe, so getting a hold of them is hard. Ap13 might be a good bet since they are rated 1150rpms, if they are like my AP15/11, they should also undervolt well.

3) Nexus Basic 120
This is a pretty solid fan in the review was beaten by the two above, still a very good fan for what it costs, and it undervolts well. Check the review for more info.

4) Scythe Slipstream or glidestream
Wonderful cheap fans, their tone is very good, the only downside of the fans is that they are low mftb, so they wont last as long as the above. There are mulitple RPM versions, from 500rpms to 1900rpms, so chose depending on how much cooling you need and how much noise you will be willing to accept, personally i would suggest not to go above 1200rpms as it will be loud, but will depend on how much you are overclocking and how much cooling you do need.

If you are in a budget and want to spend the least you can, i would go with Nexus Basic 120 or Scythe Glidestream. If you can increase you budget some, Scythe Gentle Typhoons would be my pick, and if you want to spend heavy on fans, i would go with Noiseblocker M12 S1/2.

Thank you very much!

I don't think I mentioned before but I'm in the UK so sometimes supply and prices vary compared to the states...

I had a browse through the review but wasn't sure if much had changed in the last 2 years?

I found the Noiseblocker Multiframe S-Series M12-S1 Fan - 120mm:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... =FG-012-NB

on Amazon UK a reviewer said that the fan causes a droning vibration :/

I couldn't find any Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP-12s - they appear to be discontinued... (except for a ridiculuously expensive one on Amazon)

I have read some good things about the 'be quiet!' brand but again have no experience with them.

I also have 2 Zalman fan controllers which I can use also.

Thanks Tbagtimmy

It's 6 years old now but still going strong! Finally getting round to doing a few upgrades - started by modifying the motherboard to support a Xeon CPU and have overclocked that to 3.9GHz but I think the RAM is holding me back so I'm hoping when I get my new RAM I'll be able to go higher.

With higher CPU speed comes more heat though which is why I'm looking for the best (without spending a fortune) cooling solution. Also, since turning the uppermost fan upside down, it has started to 'whine' a bit so if there's any suggestions for a fan that works well upside down I'm happy to take those too!