I'm very sensitive to white noise so I'd rather have a 5 to 10 year service quiet fan. But I see the appeal. Perhaps setting the machine in a cabinet somewhere and use a fanless thin client at the desk. But that's $$$$.
Yeah, it's not for everyone, I know. But it doesn't bother me and I can rest assured that all fans are working all the time, so it's a good deal for me.
You could get a fiber optic display/HDMI cable, a fiber optic USB cable, and the USB hub, then just move the desktop tower into another room and run the cables through the walls or ceilings to your display setup. Might only be $100 or so cheaper than then a used business thin client, but at least you could still do something 4K 120Hz HDR 12bit over some distance without compromise. E.g: