Quote Originally Posted by Yamaneko
A close to silent PC with a 64-bit CPU and a "quality" graphics card doesn't exist. You're going to have to deal with a bit of noise pollution (might want to consider getting a fan control as well, so that when you aren't doing anything CPU or GPU intensive, the fans speed down).

For now, I'd probably go with the Radeon 9800 Pro (it'll set you back about $200-$230).

What exactly would you be doing on your new computer. Playing games, animation, encoding?
Games would be the most 'intense' thing I could think of. I'm not sure what else I'll be using it for over the next couple of years, though. I'm considering giving myself lessons in 3D art, as I'd like to start designing a 3D model of Aiyon.

As for the cooling thing, would it not be better to just get a really nice heatsink or something? Also, when you say "A close to silent PC with a 64-bit CPU and a "quality" graphics card doesn't exist" - which of the two causes more noise? Just out of curiosity. For the most part, I just want it to be quiet when I'm not doing much with it, because I leave my PC online 24/7. I don't mind all too much about the odd noise when I'm playing a game, but what annoys me is the noise it makes when I'm not doing anything, ie the constant fan noise and the occasional hard drive noise when I'm downloading a crapload of stuff at the same time.