I looked around and I couldn't find a thread covering loud components, so I thought I'd start one up. Feel free to post parts that you've found to be particularly loud, so that the rest of us can avoid them.

Personally I'd say to avoid most newer Seagate HDDs and the smaller Yate Loon Fans.

And ANY stock NB fan.

Seconded on the newer Seagate HDD's being (relatively) noisy, I've got a 500GB Barracuda 7200.11 and I wish I'd gone Samsung or WD instead. Seeks are terribly noisy if it is hard mounted, soft mounting is really the only option.

Even soft-mounted they're obscenely loud. I had a 320gb 7200.11 suspended in the lower chamber of a p180 and it was annoyingly audible from around 15' away. I won't even start on the seek noises. Horrible.

Avoid the Sapphire RadeonHD 4670. Its stock cooler sounds like a jet.[/i]

any motherboard that uses a Northbridge fan.

any new seagate/maxtor drive.

CPU cooler fan -> cooler and fan getting junked when the new stuff arrives. Currently the fan now is at lowest possible speed, still annoying.

OCZ 600W PSU -> got 2 80mm fans, I've removed the loudest one (was incredably loud). Kept the other one so there would be some air moving in there. This PSU is 5+ years old so it's done it's due.
Waiting for my brand new Seasonic X-750 psu.

Before that all my hard drives, now fabric rubber band mounted .