I was about to post this EXACT same question, and I thought I better search the forums instead, and I found this!
I have a 1 gigahertz superdrive emac that, to me, is too loud. I don't know which revision it is, but I bought it the day panther came out (October 24, 2003).
I was also wondering if an iMac would be quieter than this computer. I have in the past always used laptops, but as I seem to be too clumsy to care for one, I am now for the time being only purchasing desktops. And having gone from a laptop to this eMac, is quite annoying as far as the fan goes.
Most of the time it's fine, but I have an anxiety disorder, and I find that the fan noise can greatly exacerbate my anxiety and I will just have to put it to sleep regardless of what I am working on. Unlike the PCs that the rest of my family has, I can't just put the noisy CPU under the desk, since the CPU is my monitor.
I don't really NEED a new desktop for any other reason than this one is so loud.
So, how does the iMac G5 compare to THIS emac, and is there any way to make my emac quieter? I assume disabling the fan would make it too hot? How did those iMac G3s get away with no fan!!!!