Hi all,

How fast are the standard Antec P182 case fanse on the low, mid and high settings?

Would replacing with a

120mm Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E Silent Fan 1200 RPM
or
120mm Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D Fan 800 RPM

Make much difference to the noise and coolness?

1200-1600-2000 rpm

I suggest you swap them if you want quiet fans

The Tri-cool aren't THAT bad on low. They won't be much louder than the 1200rpm S-FLEX.

Lower speed will definitely affect the noise and will definitely affect the airflow. Whether or not it will affect the temperatures in your case will depend on your hardware.

If you really decide you need better fans, go with the 800rpm version of the Scythe SlipStream (SY1225SL12L). Almost as much CFM as the 1200rpm S-Flex for much less rpm (and as a result noise).

I thought the tricools were terrible. Bearable only with a single fan on low.

They were 'loud' on low, but they did have a gentle whooshing sound to them making them overall not so bad.

well i have a 8800GTX and its seems to be getting rather toasty

I dont mind if the sound is a little less than what the tricools are now - it isnt too bad.........

So i guess the best bet for me is the 1200RPM?

Is it much better performing cooler than the tricool on low?

Two 800rpm fans for exhaust will do a good job too. While surely they will blow less air than fans at 1200rpm, with the dual exhaust fan placement at the rear/top end of the case they will generate ample airflow while producing very little noise. The Tricool fans spinning at 1200rpm on the "low" setting are really overperforming for most systems in a case like this one. The 2000rpm top speed for a 120mm fan is on the extreme side of the spectrum and doesn't quite fit with the rest of the product.

The 8800GTX standard cooler blows much of its generated heat out the case by itself and the powersupply easily takes care of lower bay harddrives since it doesn't have to cope with heat from the rest of the system.