Hi n00b
I almost never use that word as an offense - simply a description - so don't take me the wrong way.
The noise IS what a normal fan would make, but it just sounds like it's a plane trying to take off and fly away. It starts out decently quiet but whenever i load anything (Including applications as simple as minesweeper or Notepad) it goes crazy.
When the CPU's idle, it needs less cooling, but when you start using even small amounts of CPU speed its heat production increases greatly. The fan speeds up to account for this and cool the CPU accordingly. Your fan must be a high RPM 60mm fan - a very high noise to airflow ratio. If you could Google the fan model number (probably on the side that's screwed down to the heatsink) you could find its decibel rating, which sounds like it could be around 45db from what you've described; and its airflow rating (CFM) which will be the minimum airflow you should get for your new heatsink fan.
First, I probably (that's NOT definitely) want to get one that is Intel certified, as I got a free 3 yr warranty on the processor from the place i bought it from but the warranty is only good as long as I keep an intel certified hs/fan on it. (Warranty didnt say Anything about o/cing though!!)
I ahven't heard of ANY heatsink being "Intel certified"; I don't know if that really exists. It probably doesn't matter - any retail HSF properly applied will be more effective than the stock HSF, and there is no way they can tell unless you tell them. Then again, most warranties are declared voided if you overclock, and Intel's slant on things might be that no one would change their heatsink unless they were overclocking. But, like I said, as long as you don't tell them they'll never know.
Also, you said something about mounting holes on the motherboard........lost me completely because once again, my lack of experience shows.......are there good fan sets that will assemble and attach to my mobo the same as the one I got with my CPU? Are they expensive? Where Can i get them?
Every heatsink that's designed for a Pentium 4 (which will be stated in the description at any online store or retail box) will attach to your motherboard in the exact same way as your stock heatsink. Good heatsinks range from $20 to $60 to the top end. A good place to start looking is at the
Heatsink Factory. Just remember that your processor is a Socket 478, so don't go buying any Socket 370 or A heatsinks.
If you want to get the best heatsink there is (open to debate), you can shell out the $45 for a ThermalRight SLK-900U, plus $12 for a nice quiet Enermax Adjustable 92mm fan. Of course, if you're not going to be overclocking, any heatsink that will fit an 80mm fan will work great.
i dont wanna make a 400 Dollar mistake out of ignorance or unwillingness to ask questions
You can be sure that you won't damage your CPU with heat - P4's drop their speed when they get too hot, and shut down at critical temperature. The one thing you want to watch out for is chipping the CPU core when you're putting the heatsink on. If you follow the installation instructions that come with the HSF though, you should be just fine.
I hope I've answered all your questions. If not, just ask more and answers you shall recieve.