You'll never get no pop-ups, if you want to control outgoing traffic, which is the whole point of a third-party firewall.
Here are my recommendations, in order of what I think will fit the bill.
ZA Free:
+ Few, intuitive pop-ups, user-friendly, works with avast! (Free version)
- Latest version drops internet connection after hibernation on my computer. Re-connection causes BSOD's. (May be working fine on other systems.)
http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/support/zasc/gettingStarted.jsp?anchor=alerts&lid=zasupp_uKerio:
+ Few, intuitive pop-ups, user-friendly, works with avast!
- Need to block some incoming connections to system processes to get a pass at Shields Up! (All ports stealthed), GUI locks up with multiple connections (eg P2P), doesn't seem to be being updated very often by Sunbelt, latest version seems to have turned into nag ware (frequent reminders that you're using the free version, and would you like to get the paid version?)
http://www.geocities.com/dontsurfinthenude/kerio_setup.htmComodo:
+ Nice GUI, seems stable, network shield and application control, customisable rules, more control over what an application can do on your computer.
- A bit less user friendly, for the novice at least. Requires a bit of research at the Comodo forum to understand what it is doing, more pop-ups, more occasions where you think 'I'm not sure what I just did by clicking 'accept' there', requires special rules for P2P programs.
PCTools:
Never tried this one, so can't really comment.
Sygate:
Now defunct and unsupported. Still works, but had the most incomprehensible pop-ups I've ever seen.
You can always try different firewalls until you find one you are comfortable with, but be sure to have only one installed at any time.