G40 wrote on 2023-06-10, 08:59:

Been having some fun setting up this machine, I ended up installing XP as for some reason Windows 98 had trouble copying files o […]
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Been having some fun setting up this machine, I ended up installing XP as for some reason Windows 98 had trouble copying files over. I think it might be an issue with the 40gb Maxtor drive I put in it. Seems very happy with XP though...

Anyway, it's noisy, and the main reason is the stock CPU fan. The case is very well cooled with 3 fans which aren't too loud. PSU seems ok-ish, too. Also note that I'm not going to be running particularly CPU or GPU intensive stuff on this - my interest is not in gaming but in retro audio/music software, so I think it's ok to prioritise quietness over cooling efficiency.

I have no idea whether this would be an improvement - looks nice, and inexpensive, but possibly much the same as the AMD one?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354612255297

Or could I just replace the 60mm CPU fan itself with a quieter one?

Have read elsewhere that a modern copper heatsink and larger fan is the way to go but I have no idea what would fit.

Another possible option (after a good clean) might be this one - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325417313287 - a GlacialTech Igloo 2470 Light...the original 80mm fan has been replaced with a (better?) Titan one.

The specs for the one you linked are here https://web.archive.org/web/20060214151912/ht … spec_ak_786.htm

Titan Vanessa (L-Type)

i'm not suggesting this approach or that it would be applicable here, but its interesting (from necroware)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGr5_G7lWWg

quiet CPU cooler recommendations

My favorite for sA is the Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 3 (aka Copper Lite). It cools decently (don't try to overclock beyond 3200+ though, it probably won't get very far beyond that) and is relatively quiet.
Disadvantage is that when finding this HSF second hand, often the fan assembly is broken. It's quite fragile (can still screw a stock fan onto the heatsink though).
But it cools any sA CPU when run at stock speeds at lower temps than any sA stock HSF while being more quiet and while using standard mounting mechanism while not being not too heavy.

This is the reason why I went for Athlon 64 754 instead of Athlon XP. Those can have a modern cooler with a large copper heatsink and a fan that is almost inaudible because the heatsink is designed for 4 core CPUs. I use Thermaltake MaxOrb EX CL-P0467.

You may be able to buy a quiet fan and replace the original one on Athlon XP. You should also consider buying a copper heatsink.

Hi G40

Honestly, you can forget everything and remember a single model : Alpha PAL-8045

By far the best of the best.
Install that whith a Noctua fan on extraction.
Satisfaction 100% guaranteed - it's a maniac of silence who tells you that.

Never seen an Alpha PAL-8150, but if it’s anything like the PAL-8045 I have on my Athlon XP 3200+ then I agree with the selection wholeheartedly!

Edit: I didn’t think I’d seen the 8150 mentioned for socket A before, it’s an s754/939/940 cooler, not a Socket A/462 one. You want the 8045 for Athlon XP.

paradigital wrote on 2023-06-13, 20:38:

Never seen an Alpha PAL-8150, but if it’s anything like the PAL-8045 I have on my Athlon XP 3200+ then I agree with the selection wholeheartedly!

Hi paradigital, thanks, just fixed on my previous post 😀 I mean PAL-8045 indeed.

Alpha (and Swiftech also) are definitely the best brands on 80x80 format for Socket A, for the performance and the silence that can be obtained.

80386SX wrote on 2023-06-13, 20:35:

Hi G40 […]
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Hi G40

Honestly, you can forget everything and remember a single model : Alpha PAL-8045

By far the best of the best.
Install that whith a Noctua fan on extraction.
Satisfaction 100% guaranteed - it's a maniac of silence who tells you that.

That's for an Athlon 64. Alpha did make some good Socket A coolers, but they (and just about all of the rest of the high end Socket A coolers) are very hard to find now, and people want a premium for them if they have one for sale. The best Socket A cooler I ever had was a Thermalright SLK 900, but finding one for sale these days is little better than looking for a needle in a haystack.

I scored a Thermalright AX7 a couple of years ago for a reasonable price because the Ebay seller didn't realize what he had - OP may find something similar if he's patient.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-06-13, 20:48:

80386SX wrote on 2023-06-13, 20:35:

Hi G40 […]
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Hi G40

Honestly, you can forget everything and remember a single model : Alpha PAL-8045

By far the best of the best.
Install that whith a Noctua fan on extraction.
Satisfaction 100% guaranteed - it's a maniac of silence who tells you that.

That's for an Athlon 64. Alpha did make some good Socket A coolers, but they (and just about all of the rest of the high end Socket A coolers) are very hard to find now, and people want a premium for them if they have one for sale. The best Socket A cooler I ever had was a Thermalright SLK 900, but finding one for sale these days is little better than looking for a needle in a haystack.

I scored a Thermalright AX7 a couple of years ago for a reasonable price because the Ebay seller didn't realize what he had - OP may find something similar if he's patient.

I agree with you, prices are crazy today (and I still have my alpha block placed as a nice decoration on my shelve ^^) .

But Thermalright SLK 900 is so heavy and it gets stuffed with dust because of its rather close blades.
Thermalright AX7 is very good also, but the PAL-8045 is more elegant because of high level of quality made and need less air flow - silence - to extract heat (cage effect and air intake from below).

I tested almost everything, spent a lot of time and money in that crazy time when CPUs had a huge temperature and I was looking for silence at all costs..
For me the "Alpha PAL-8045" and the "Swiftech MCX462+" are definitely the best.
Really these two heatsink marked me.

For stock speeds in a relatively well cooled case the stock heatsink should be good enough. Many of the later stock AMD coolers had a copper slug in the center (and yours looks like one of those) - when combined with good quality thermal paste and the right Noctua fan you should be able to keep the CPU cool enough while also keeping the machine quiet.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-06-13, 22:50:

For stock speeds in a relatively well cooled case the stock heatsink should be good enough. Many of the later stock AMD coolers had a copper slug in the center (and yours looks like one of those) - when combined with good quality thermal paste and the right Noctua fan you should be able to keep the CPU cool enough while also keeping the machine quiet.

The later stock sA HSFs with copper slug in the center do tend to clog up with dust fairly quickly, because it also has the fins stacked very close to each other. The HSF on my Barton 3200+ came with a fan with a hologram sticker on it iirc.
However when cleaned they are sufficient to keep a Barton 3200+ cool enough, but the AC Copper Lite is simply better while not being heavier.

Also, I find it interesting that many people here tend to favor different CPU HSFs which imo is a good thing as good sA HSFs are hard to come by these days and it's good to have multiple options for the people who these days are looking for one.

I can also recommend this IceHammer cooler. They have multiple similar models with identical mounting frame.

Also this Gigabyte cooler.

Tetrium wrote on 2023-06-14, 10:58:

Also, I find it interesting that many people here tend to favor different CPU HSFs which imo is a good thing as good sA HSFs are hard to come by these days and it's good to have multiple options for the people who these days are looking for one.

It is not only a good thing that people tend to favor different solutions, but also that so many different ones existed!

I've just remembered that in addition to the Alpha PAL-8045, I've also got a Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Super Flower, which was also a quiet yet performance heffer of a cooler. There is also a CNPS7000-ALCU (part aluminium, part copper) variant, which is pretty good too.

The Zalman isn't as good as the Alpha (or the Swiftec) though, as it requires the standard socket mounting, and as it's heavy that can lead to damage to the socket. The through-hole mounted coolers are always a better alternative if your board supports them and you can find one!

paradigital wrote on 2023-06-14, 12:07:

Tetrium wrote on 2023-06-14, 10:58:

Also, I find it interesting that many people here tend to favor different CPU HSFs which imo is a good thing as good sA HSFs are hard to come by these days and it's good to have multiple options for the people who these days are looking for one.

It is not only a good thing that people tend to favor different solutions, but also that so many different ones existed!

Yes, that is what I meant with what I said.

I've just remembered that in addition to the Alpha PAL-8045, I've also got a Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Super Flower, which was also a quiet yet performance heffer of a cooler. There is also a CNPS7000-ALCU (part aluminium, part copper) variant, which is pretty good too.

The Zalman isn't as good as the Alpha (or the Swiftec) though, as it requires the standard socket mounting, and as it's heavy that can lead to damage to the socket. The through-hole mounted coolers are always a better alternative if your board supports them and you can find one!

The Zalman HSFs are nice, but replacement fans fitting for these HSFs are harder to come by. Standard 60mm and 80mm fans are still very easy to find these days which imo is also an important aspect these days, especially if you have a larger stock of older (used) HSFs you got from here and there.

In the end I decided that a cheap fan would do. On a hunch I went for a Gelid, which sure enough is pretty quiet (almost silent) - enough so that the 4 other fans in the case thoroughly drown it out.

I had to drill out the mounting holes slightly as the fan is deeper than the original and the screw recesses shallower. Easily done.

For the time being I've disconnected 2 of the 3 case fans (80mm YS techs as pictured) and the machine is acceptably quiet. I'm debating whether to swap out these and the PSU fan, but it would be nice not to throw too much money at it, especially as the PSU looks basic at best. On the plus side opening up the PSU gave me a chance to visually check the capacitors, which look fine.