Help! Too many choices here!

I'm not a gamer (too addicting), but I do need a new computer.  My current computer is just too noisy, and looking around the net I found Avadirect as a supplier of "silent" computers.  Now, the fact is, I do not need silent, just "pretty quiet." 
 
I do mainly spreadsheets, word processing, surfing of course, watch some videos,  modest amounts of simple image editing. In the near future I may do some audio and video edits, but I can accept somewhat slow performance for that. I do want a lot of disk storage as I live in a remote wilderness area where Internet is quite slow, so I sort of need the opposite of a Chromebook. I prefer a system that consumes relatively little power and doesn't generate a lot of heat and, as I said, pretty quiet.   I try to avoid WIndows, currently run OpenSUSE, and would install it on whatever system I get from Avadirect. 
 
Like a previous poster, I am not closely in touch with hardware trends, but my usual practice has been to buy something that isn't the very latest, to save money and possibly also have a more reliable system.
 
The configuration I am looking at right now is below, and I have interspersed my numbered questions in italics: 
 
 
 
 Description: Athlon AM1 Slim Custom Computer Desktop (configuration # 9457923)

Core Components
MicroATX Cases: ROSEWILL R379-SM Black/Silver Slim Case, mATX, 300W PSU, Steel
 (1)  Seems to be nice-looking and inexpensive case. Will it serve me well if I have to occasionally open it? What might be the advantage of any of the more costly options?
Mini-ITX Motherboard: MSI COMPUTER AM1I, AM1, DDR3-1866 (O.C.) 32GB /2, PCIe x16, SATA 6 Gb/s /2, HDMI + DVI + VGA, USB 3.0 /2, HDA, GbLAN, mini-ITX, Retail
 (2)  I picked this one mainly because I once had a bad experience with ASUS so I'd prefer to avoid them, and had a good experience with MSI.  But what am I giving up by not choosing one of the other options?
 (3) Also, will 2 USB 3 ports be enough?  Am a correctly advised that I can by adding an inexpensive USB hub or two I'll be able to simultaneously connect my various USB(2)devices (scanner, printer, keyboard, external drive, mp3 player, camera, thumb drive, sometimes a couple others)? 
Socket AM1 Desktop Processor: AMD Athlon 5350 Quad-Core 2.05GHz, Radeon HD 8400, AM1, 2MB L2 cache, DDR3-1600, 25W, 28nm, Retail
(4)  It seems to be the most capable of the processors offered, and is only a little more expensive, so why not?
DDR3 Non-ECC DIMM Memory: MUSHKIN 16GB (2 x 8GB) Stealth® Stiletto PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
 (5) I am hard-pressed to understand the differences in memory, but I was advised to get "faster" memory (1600 mhz is faster, right?), and this is less expensive than some other brands. The significance of voltage isn't clear to me.  I chose 16gb because I have been using 8 with little problem but the swap does get used sometimes. 

Cooling
(6) No fan is offered.  Can I expect trouble-free performance from this unit without a fan?

Storage
Storage Drive: WESTERN DIGITAL 2TB WD Caviar® Green™ (WD20EZRX), SATA 6 Gb/s, IntelliPower™, 64MB Cache
(7) I was advised to get SSD storage and supplement with an external hard drive, but that would cost quite a bit more.  For the work I do, a modern spinning drive should be quite fast enough, and 2 TB will be adequate for quite some time.  But how much noise would this drive produce?
DVD Burner Drives: LITE-ON iHAS124-14 Black 24x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner, SATA, OEM
No questions here.  I've had a Lite-On drive for >11 years, about the only part of my current computer, other than the case, which hasn't had to be replaced. 
Floppy Drives and Card Readers: SABRENT CRW-UINB Black 65-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, Internal USB
(8) I'm not sure how to evaluate the 65-in-1 vs. 75-in-1 and 40-in-1 options. I am guessing that some time I will need to read some kind of memory card and having a lot "in-1" might be handy.

Graphics/Audio
Sound Cards: Integrated Audio Controller (Choose upgrade)
(9) I do like to listen to music sometimes, but I am advised that what comes standard on a modern motherboard is pretty good, and I'm no audiophile.   Similarly I do not spec a separate video card. 
Connectivity
Wireless Network Card: ASUS USB-N13 802.11n Network Adapter, 300Mbps, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, USB 2.0
No question here. Currently I am hardwired to the router, but perhaps in the future it will be more convenient to use a wireless connection. 
 
(10) And my final question is, how much noise will it make?  I don't mind a little "white noise" at a low level, and this seems to be less expensive and more compact than Avadirect's "silent" pc's. Am I going to regret it?


 
Thanks in advance for any guidance from forum members or Avadirect staff.