*agrees with Rizla
I have a Zalman CNPS7000a-Cu cooler, and with the fan on the lowest setting it is practically inaudible, much quieter than the other fans and such on my system. If you are going for quiet, I definitely think something along these lines is more prudent than removing the fan. Water cooling is also quieter, Zalman makes a fanless water cooling setup that would make your computer very quiet indeed.