You shouldnt need to cut grills and do hardcore modifications on the case to get it to be almost silent.
I find on most PCs I have built the noisiest thing is the stock GPU cooler fan. You could replace that with a fanless heatsink, accelero is should be good enough.
As for the PSU I have the same issues as you in that the hot air coming out the PSU is quite warm. Ive thought about turning the PSU upside down but have read it can lead to some problems so havent yet tried it.
Also make sure side panels arent vibrating causing noise. Sometimes my side panel can vibrate so vigorously that the noise it makes is louder and more annoying than all the fans in the PC put together!
I find on most PCs I have built the noisiest thing is the stock GPU cooler fan. You could replace that with a fanless heatsink, accelero is should be good enough.
As for the PSU I have the same issues as you in that the hot air coming out the PSU is quite warm. Ive thought about turning the PSU upside down but have read it can lead to some problems so havent yet tried it.
Also make sure side panels arent vibrating causing noise. Sometimes my side panel can vibrate so vigorously that the noise it makes is louder and more annoying than all the fans in the PC put together!
