As the OP, I just thought I'd update this thread. My old XP rig died a little over a year ago, and I got a Dell 420 through Costco. It is quiet as I hoped, especially compared to my old XP beast! I also ended up getting another Dell laptop. As long as Dell keeps working, I'll keep sticking with them.
PS. I visited my brother recently and his Dell keeps making that intermittent noise. I guess he just got a bad one.
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