1st thing you want to do is get rid of the hard drive and replace it with a ssd.

A good 775 cooler that is quiet is one of those round zalman ones with the fan controler. However there are plenty of others that are just as good or better and just as quiet or more quiet.

A good rule of thumb to finding quiet cpu fans is size of the fan and rpm. Larger fans with lower RPMs are quiet.

You can get around that by using fan controllers.

Generally the Power supplys that have large fans facing in are quieter than older ones that are rear facing. They also usally have PWMs to control fan speed.

I usually don't replace psus just becasue of loud fans I replace the fans inside, but I think thats probably not a good option for you.
Any fan that is sleeve bearing should be ignored.

TLDR, look at RPM speeds, size of fans, and if or not they have fan controls.

Generally 4 pin fans can be controlled by bios settings for quieter operation, if your board supports 4 pin fans and if the bios supports that.

older boards with 3 pin headers usually don't have fan controls in the bios, and in that case you need external fan controllers.

Generally front fans should pull air in rear fans pull air out.

Thanks for the ideas!

Warlord wrote on 2021-02-25, 01:03:

1st thing you want to do is get rid of the hard drive and replace it with a ssd.

You mean with a pci sata controller? I had actually got a 128gb ssd for it 🤣! But I gave up and slipstreamed achi drivers into a new xp build in an old optiplex and used it for that, because I read that the ssd's life could be sharply reduced if its used in a retro system without the 'trim' command. Could the ssd be used as the boot drive in 98se?

The psu should be silent at the wattage I'm expecting it to draw- chose the cx-450 specifically for that purpose. I'll check out the zalman- so you don't think just because coolers don't list pentium 4's as opposed to i3/etc... if they work in socket 775, they should be fine?

I definitely have extra 5.25 bays for a fan controller...

LGA775 is LGA775 as far as coolers go. The Core I series (i3/i5/i7) are on completely different platforms. The coolers that list a bunch of different generations of sockets come with different mounting hardware for the different sockets.

Core 2 CPUs were what was on LGA775 besides the Pentium 4 and Pentium D series.

If looking at Zalman, the quietest and best cooling for your setup should be any of the CNPS9900 series. Then use the included fan controller to adjust the fan speed down as that cooler is probably plenty even at the lowest fan speed setting.

New they can be had for $35 right now on Amazon and Newegg. You will just need to make sure that your case is wide enough to fit one.

Those Zalman coolers are good but I run a Noctua Noctua NH-U12F on my 775 c2d and it's even better.
Afaik lack of TRIM support won't decrease SSD lifetime, but speed. I use a SSD on a Win98 machine and I've kept part of it empty to help mitigate that, and I don't worry about it that much because the SSD is much faster than the bus it's on.

Yeah, Noctua is going to be better if you are overclocking. Might be quieter as well.

Noctua coolers are generally more expensive though.... But I do love me some Noctua.

jfarms wrote on 2021-02-25, 00:55:

Hey, […]
Show full quote

Hey,

Building my first retro machine for the 98se powerhouse I never had but always wanted as a kid:

MB: MSI PM8M3-V H
cpu: pentium 4 506
gpu: ti 4200 8x agp
voodoo3 3000 pci
ram: 1x 512 ddr400
hdd: 80gb 7200rpm ata
fdd
dvd drive
psu: corsair cx-450
soundcard: sblive!

My questions are-

does anyone know of/would recommend a compatible cpu cooler? Right now I just have the stock intel cooler that came with the case. I've seen a bunch that list socket 775 compatibility (like this one https://www.newegg.com/rosewill-rocc-16003/p/ … 0-114-_-Product)... but only list the i3/i5/i7 for compatibility. I tried emailing Rosewill asking if theirs fit a pentium 4 and they never responded 🤣.

Also, does anyone have recommendations for fans (including opinions on necessity) for these plastic funnel areas on the side and front of the case? and whether they should be intake/exhaust? I've never built in a metal case like this- particularly with these plastic funnel things... my current desktop is built into a wooden cabinet I custom built for it with a custom water loop and a 360mm fan on 5v molex power- night and day different 🤣.

We are very noise sensitive so I like going for low rpm fans/cooler options.

Thanks in advance!

download/file.php?id=103816
download/file.php?id=103815
1 tip: You can use a jigsaw to cut out the metal out of the fan openings as this will significantly improve airflow while also somewhat reducing noise. Mind you, it will reduce the noise coming from the sound the fan will make as it tried to jam the air through all those tiny holes, but it will obviously slightly increase the amount of noise coming from inside your system as larger holes tend to block less noise coming from behind it 😜

Having used a jigsaw was very effective in several of my own retro rigs. Be sure to completely empty the case before working on it and afterwards file down the edges (can be very sharp!) and add a fan guard for safety measures, then clean out the case because you don't want tiny metal particles just sitting in there when you rebuild your rig.

I also went with Noctua, I went with the NH-U14S about 5 years ago can't remember why, think I wanted something with good cooling but could move to a future LGA2011 build)
This link tells you which are 775 compatible
https://noctua.at/en/nm-i3-mounting-kit

You'll probably have to send away for the free mounting kit but it really was as simple as sending in the form and pictures included in that link. No further questions asked.

Case airflow is a science in itself. Adding a fan (or increasing its speed) may take fresh air from another area causing higher temps then before the fan was fitted.
As a starting point check what temperature your getting as is, then add a fan 1 by one and see if it changes for the better or worse.

QuietPC has a nice table comparing airflow and noise allowing you to pick something that fits budget, looks, etc.
https://www.quietpc.com/casefans