Introduction and goal of this build
I would like to introduce you to my first retro build, which I affectionately call "The Black Owl.". It earned its name due to its dark aesthetics and the use of Noctua components in the crafting process, resulting in a modernized approach to retro PC gaming with a strong emphasis on silent cooling. The Owl's main purpose is to cover almost two decades worth of gaming, from the earliest DOS days to the late Windows 98 era, while providing a more updated look.

Throughout this journey, I had doubts about whether it would work at all. Would the motherboard fit into a newer case? Could I use modern fans with old components? Would a modern PSU be compatible? It took me 3 months to build this until it was in working order and another 3 months to fine-tune it. I conducted extensive research during the process, and that's the main point of this post—to potentially help others facing similar challenges.

I must clarify that my initial intention was not to create a beige and noisy box that some users here are passionate about; the Owl turned out to be an unconventional build that may only appeal to a minority. So, please keep that in mind while appreciating the effort put into this project.

Although I haven't tested the oldest DOS games yet, I believe the build was a success, and now I can actively enjoy using it, which is what matters most. So here we go:

Main features of the Black Owl
Let me highlight the main features of the Black Owl that set it apart from other "standard" retro builds: The absolute main feature of this build is complete lack of noise: I equipped every component needing cooling with Noctua fans, and to take fan control even further, I added a PWM-based fan controller. The case also incorporates dampening material to further reduce noise. The owl features a passively-cooled 1000W PSU, ensuring efficient and silent power delivery for the system. Other notable features include a Gotek Floppy Emulator, the WP 32 McCake to emulate MT-32 Midi sound and a 3d printed fan holder for the Geforce 4 Ti GPU.

Photos and overview of the setup
Photos of the build have been attached to this post.
On Imgur there are a few more pictures in higher quality:

Front opened:
https://i.imgur.com/GXOACWv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/YU742tU.jpg

Stickers:
https://i.imgur.com/zRJiD1D.jpg

Side panel:
https://i.imgur.com/UegtTU8.jpg

Side panel opened:
https://i.imgur.com/o2vKho8.jpg

A look at the insides:
https://i.imgur.com/YWP46ho.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oipTsrp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bQkmQGj.jpg

Connectivity at the back:
https://i.imgur.com/Oc2Eyws.jpg

The rig in its natural environment
https://i.imgur.com/cknADrF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/IvbQdFo.jpg

Modern addons placement view:
https://i.imgur.com/xJCffSJ.jpg

Components used and building process
1. The case
The case selection was a challenging process. Initially, I was uncertain about the number of 5.25 bays required. Fortunately, I made a reasonable decision to go with a case featuring 4 bays, which proved to be essential in the end. Among the limited options available with 4 bays, I chose the Fractal Define R2 XL, despite it being a decade old, as it perfectly met my needs. This case not only provided the necessary number of bays but also included dampening material to minimize noise levels. Although it featured a fan controller, I ultimately didn't utilize it. One drawback is its weight, and the PSU cables must be long enough to reach the motherboard. Nevertheless, the extra spacing in the case is highly beneficial in managing cable clutter, especially in a retro build.

2. CPU, motherboard and RAM
The motherboard I used is the Asus P3B-F, paired with an Intel Pentium III Tualatin 1 GHz processor and up to 768MB of RAM. I was fortunate to find a preconfigured combo on eBay, which included all the components in one auction, along with an Abit Slotket. The board and Slotket were preconfigured to work with the 1 GHz processor, eliminating the need for voltage adjustments. It was a seamless plug-and-play experience, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked immediately. To address noise issues, I replaced the standard fan with a 60cm Noctua fan (Noctua NF-A6x25), resulting in remarkable cooling performance. The CPU's temperature stays at a maximum of 45 °C on the heatsink. The P3B-F motherboard is impressive for its time, offering maximum retro compatibility, thanks to the ISA slots. Its ability to support fast PIII processors makes it a no-brainer choice, often recommended by the community. However, for some DOS games, the PIII processor might be too fast, as it can't be slowed down as much as some previous CPUs like the Pentium MMX. Nevertheless, it handles the latest Windows 98 games without any struggle.

3. The PSU:
The PSU I'm using is the Seasonic Focus GX 1000W PSU. I spent a considerable amount of time on research before choosing it because it's one of the few newer PSUs that offers sufficient power on the lower rails to be retro compatible (125W/25A on 3.3/5V). Although the 1000W capacity is overkill, other newer PSUs don't provide enough power on the lower rails for my needs. I wanted to avoid soldering any capacitors on an old PSU and was also concerned about the noisy fans commonly found in older PSUs, which led me to opt for the Seasonic PSU. Since the total consumption of my system is less than 125W, the fan in the Seasonic PSU never turns on, making it a perfect fit for what I wanted. The price seemed fair considering the features and the hassle-free performance, saving me from wasting any time on tinkering.

4. Graphics cards
I opted for a Siluro Geforce 4 Ti 4200 64MB, an excellent late-stage graphics accelerator for Windows 98 that is also supposed to work well with DOS-based games. Installing the 3x.xx drivers was successful, except for the DVI port under Windows, which might have some unresolved driver issues. Nevertheless, since the DVI port's resolution options are limited, I plan to exclusively use the VGA port. Initially, the G4 Ti came with the heatsink detached, so I secured it with zip ties and added a tiny 40mm Noctua fan. While not aesthetically pleasing, it wasn't functioning well either, as the heatsink barely touched the chip and led to overheating. I dealt with this by removing the heat transmitting pad with the Nvidia logo and scratched off the scratched underlying heatspreader. A little sanding and the application of good thermal paste resolved the issue. Later, I collaborated with a friend to 3D print a custom fan holder, allowing me to attach a Noctua 92mm (Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM) fan, resulting in a silent GPU that stays cool at 35-40°C according to the attached heat sensor. However, the fan addition blocked one PCI slot, making it one of the more time-consuming and challenging aspects of the build, but it was a fun process despite some of the other issues I encountered. Subsequently, I added a Creative Voodoo 2 12MB and later a second one. As Voodoo 2 cards produce a noisy signal, I decided to connect the Geforce 4 to the OSSC and the Voodoo cards to a cheap VGA-HDMI scaler, and then both to an HDMI switcher. This setup allows me to switch between the G4 and the V2 effortlessly with the press of a button, ensuring that the noisy V2 signal only bothers me during Glide games.

5. Sound cards, WP32 McCake & audio output switcher
For soundcards, I decided on a dual solution to cover both Windows 98 and DOS use. I chose the Creative Soundblaster Live! 5.1 for Windows 98 and the SM718 Yamaha YMF719B-S for DOS. I equipped the Yamaha card with a WP32 McCake and connected the CD-ROM to it as well. Both the Yamaha and Creative cards work seamlessly under Windows without any IRQ conflicts. Initially, I ordered a Yamaha YMF719E-S, but the McCake produced a midi cacophony with it. So, I switched to the previously mentioned Yamaha soundcard, which worked fine and had less noise than the first one. In my experience, both the Creative and Yamaha cards seem to be noiseless. Though I haven't tested DOS yet, I haven't encountered any issues so far. To facilitate easy switching between the two sound outputs (and a third one from my main PC), I purchased a 4 Way 3.5mm Stereo Audio Switcher from a Chinese seller on eBay. The switcher appears to be of high quality and functions flawlessly.

6. Storage and SSD adapter
I kept things simple and opted for a budget-friendly Verbatim Vi550 128GB SSD, along with a Startech IDE to SATA adapter. Setting up the SSD was effortless, and I haven't encountered any issues so far. In fact, I'm already thinking about adding a secondary SSD, possibly a larger one, to expand the game storage capacity.

7. NEC USB card and Belkin Network card
To facilitate data copying on my computer, I purchased a NEC USB 2.0 card with the 720100 chip since the motherboard's two USB 1.1 ports were already in use by my wireless mouse and keyboard. The NEC card worked smoothly, providing a speedy data transfer rate of 17MB/sec from my USB sticks. Unfortunately, I accidentally damaged the card and had to order a new one. However, the replacement they delivered had a 720101 chip and they no longer seem to have 720100s in stock. This other chip unfortunately didn't seem to work with USB storage. Consequently, I decided to abandon USB 2.0 altogether and opted for a Belkin F5D5000 Rev. 2 10/100MB PCI networking card instead. Despite Windows 98 networking being a bit challenging, it worked well in conjunction with my Synology NAS. I can now access all my games' ISO files from the NAS. Now I just need to figure out how to make SMB1 accessible on the NAS without it begin too much of a security risk…

8. USB peripherals
It's interesting to note that all USB ports on the mainboard and the NEC card work perfectly fine with an Aten US434 USB switcher. With a simple press of a button on the Aten, I can seamlessly switch my Logitech MX Keys and wireless Glorious mouse between my modern main computer and my retro PC without the latter even needing to reboot. This convenience was unexpected but greatly appreciated. However, I encountered different results when attempting the same under DOS. Despite spending some time experimenting with DOS USB drivers, I had no success whatsoever. That's when I discovered the USB4VC adapter, which provides a brilliant solution for using retro USB components like mice and keyboards on retro computers. This adapter works perfectly, allowing me to use my modern Logitech keyboard and Glorious mouse under DOS. Furthermore, with a simple press of a button on the Aten USB switcher, I can hot swap these devices between a modern Windows 11 system and a computer that's over 20 years old running DOS. This seamless compatibility is truly mind-blowing.

9. Noctua fans & fan controller
I'm a devoted Noctua fan (pun intended) and replaced all the fans with Noctuas in my build. I installed 4x 140mm Noctua fans (NF-A14 PWM) as case fans—one in the back, one on the side panel, one at the front, and one at the bottom—to ensure a steady airflow throughout the case. The side panel fan is particularly useful for cooling all the PCI/AGP cards, especially the Voodoo 2s, which don't come with active cooling. Initially, I tried running the fans using the case's fan controller, but even at the lowest setting (3 Volts), the noise level was still too loud for my taste. So, I switched to PWM-based fan control to achieve lower speeds. Since PWM controlling isn't possible through Windows 98 or the BIOS, I conducted thorough research and opted for the aquaero 6 Pro USB-Fan Controller with the front side panel. The latter is essential for retro systems, as the fan controlling software provided doesn't work under Windows 98. The temperature sensors on the aquaero reliably measure hardware temperatures, enabling adjustments to the fan speed curves accordingly. Setting up the fan control on the small display of the aquaero was time-consuming, but now I can run the fans as low as 250RPM and they adjust automatically according to the heat sensors placed on the V2, the G4 and the Intel CPU. Additionally, I'm able to avoid certain RPM "frequencies" that would cause vibration in my particular case. While the aquaero is the only PWM-based fan controller I found online and is somewhat expensive, it ended up working as intended.

10. OSSC and Dell G3223D, G3223Q
My goal was to run this setup on a single monitor, as I didn't have the space or desire for a second screen, especially a bulky CRT. My first screen, an AOC 27-inch 1440p display, was not suitable for displaying retro resolutions. It couldn't properly stretch resolutions like 1024x768 or 1280x1024 vertically, resulting in tiny images on the screen. I tried using some cheap scalers, but they didn't solve the problem. Hoping for a solution, I got the OSSC, but even with that, none of the DOS resolutions worked as their "doubled" equivalents wouldn't display on the screen either. This led to extreme frustration, and I almost considered giving up on the entire project. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to try out Dell monitors at a friend's place and found that they provided the retro compatibility I needed. Their firmware seemed unchanged over the years, which is why DOS resolutions were still supported (as mentioned in the respective monitor manuals). I ordered a G3223D and later a G3223Q (due to accidentally damaging the first one), and I was pleased to find that they worked perfectly. All resolutions stretched to their maximum height on the screen, and DOS resolutions worked on both monitors even at 70Hz without frame skipping. With the combination of the OSSC, I can now display all resolutions from the lowest DOS resolutions up to 1920x1080. The VGA image quality degrades a bit beyond 1280x1024, but that's acceptable for my needs.

Cost
All in all I spent USD 3053 on components I’m actually using in this build (prices exclude shipping):
-Fractal XL R2: 150 USD
-Motherboard/CPU/RAM: 169 USD
-Aquaero Fan controller 227 USD
-Seasonic PSU: 179 USD
-Geforce 4: 76 USD
-Voodoo 2 card 1: 215 USD
-Voodoo 2 card 2: 197 USD
-Voodoo passthrough cable: 14 USD
-Creative SB live 5.1 21 USD
-SM718 Yamaha YMF719B-S Sound card: 30 USD
-Wp32 McCake: 180 USD
-Belkin F5D5000 Network card: 15 USD
-Startec IDE2SATA: 32 USD
-Verbatim 128GB SSD: 19 CHF
-LG GSA-4082b-HL Hitachi DVD Drive 13 USD
-GOTEK Floppy: 54 USD
-Floppy 34 pin Power Cable: 7 USD
-Front panel stickers: 10 USD
-4 Way Stereo Audio Switch 22 USD
-2x audio cables: 25 CHF
-IO Shield cover 11 USD
-OSSC (on Geforce 4): 204 USD
-Vention VGA to HDMI adapter (on Voodoo 2): 20 CHF
-Dell Q3223Q: 620 USD
-USB4VC with cables: 122 USD
-Raspberry PI (for USB4C): 75 USD
-Delock 5 Port HDMI Switch: 60 USD
-Logilink VGA Cable: 16 USD
-Noctua NF A9x14: 24 USD (GPU)
-Noctua NF-A14 4x: 134 USD (Case)
-Noctua NF-A6x25: 26 CHF (CPU)
-Silverstone SST-FF143B fan filter 11 CHF
-Aten 434 USB Switch: 75 CHF

And an additional USD 206 on components not used since they didn’t work as intended or were otherwise useless to me and thus replaced or dismissed:
-Extron RGB-HDMI 300 VGA-HDMI converter: 57 USD
-Yamaha YMF719-S: 30 USD
-NEC 720100 USB card: 15 USD
-NEC 720101 USB card: 16 USD
-Microsoft Wireless Desktop Keyboard R05-00001 X08-25059 PS/2: 10 USD
-Delock DVI-D to HDMI adapter: 10 USD
-Roline DVI-HDMI adapter 13 USD
-Noctua NF-A4x10: 25 USD
-Akyga VGA cable: 10 USD
-Startech USB-PS2 adapters: 20 USD

Issues I encountered along the way & workarounds
I encountered a few issues along the way which I briefly wanted to mention:
-mcCake: as mentioned above, the mcCake didn’t work with my first soundcard. While it does work now, I still need to get the hang out of it. Sometimes, MT-32 isn’t quite MT-32 but... something else. I then usually shut down the mcCake via command line and get it started again. That usually solves things.
-Fuzzy VGA output: I got some really fuzzy video output from my first “new” VGA cable and didn’t really know that it was the cable until I replaced it. In fact, I suspected every other component to be responsible for that issue since the cable was new. I was wrong. Make sure to buy good quality VGA cables (i.e. thick ones are maybe better it seems?).
-DVI doesn’t properly work under Windows, i.e. there is no output whatsoever. I’m not sure yet if I want to approach this at all, probably not.
-As mentioned above, Voodoo 2 cards introduce quite some noise. It’s less pronounced with the OSSC’s low pass filter and barely noticeable while gaming. I have, however, stopped using the VGA looping cable and am now switching between outputs as mentioned above.
-Modern monitors, as mentioned above, can be a tricky beast. Dell monitors seem to work surprisingly well if you don’t expect pixel-perfect scaling etc.

Pros/Cons of this build
Pros:
- The build has a modern and stylish appearance, especially if you like black boxes.
- Thanks to Noctua and the fan controller, the PC remains inaudible during normal load and gaming, and the components stay cool.
- The SSD significantly improves Windows boot time and reduces loading times for games and applications compared to conventional IDE HDD or SD card.
- Modern implementations like McCake and Gotek are a joy to use.
- 3D printing allows for “easy” noise reduction of GPUs.
- The Dell monitor provides retro-compatibility and eliminates the need for a second screen on the desk.

Cons:
- The build lacks a classic appearance important to many here.
- The cost of the build was significantly higher than anticipated due to expensive components used (such as OSSC, fan controller), replacement of non-functioning hardware (soundcard), and an unnecessary monitor replacement going from the AOC to the Dell screens.
- Internal cabling looks untidy, and optimizing it is challenging, mainly due to IDE and power cables.
- USB works flawlessly but not under DOS, requiring the acquisition of PS2 components or the USB4VC as mentioned.
- The front panel of the case doesn't work, even after attempting to connect the USB 2.0 ports internally to the NEC card.
- The Noctua fan on the GPU blocks one PCI slot, only a short USB/networking card should go in the next slot to allow proper airflow.
- The McCake blocks the second ISA slot entirely.
- The PIII processor cannot be properly slowed down or at least not enough, making it too fast for some old DOS games, requiring emulation or a second DOS build.

My impression of this journey and verdict
In the last 6 months, I received a total of 30 parcels from all over the world to complete my build. Some items turned out to be redundant or didn't work as intended, which I couldn't have known beforehand. After 6 months, I gained valuable experience with retro systems, and I hope others can benefit from it too.
Building this project while working 50 hours a week and taking care of a child at home was challenging, which is why it took longer. However, I couldn't have done it differently. Some of the more advanced tricks used by members of Vogons such as soldering items etc. would have been too much for me, and I wouldn't have completed it that way.
Despite the obstacles I mentioned, I feel proud of this project. Of course, the deeper I went down the rabbit hole, the more expensive it got. It’s ok, there are worse ways to spend money I recon, at least for me. Overall, I enjoyed the building process, even though I wish I could have finished it faster. Currently, I'm considering building a second, DOS-only rig down the line. But for now, I'm thoroughly enjoying the Owl.