okay here is how it looks
my PC:
PSU:300w
system fans: 0
CPU fans: 1
power fans: 1

the test system:
PSU: 330W
system fans: 1 (inadequate, was not used)
CPU fans: 1 (my "whining" one)
PSU fans: 1

the difference:
in my PC my "whining" fan whines
in the test PC the same "whining" fan is silent

a 30 watt difference in power, and no allocated PCI express slots.

what does that say to you now i have that little nugget of info?
they are virtually the same only the PSU is different