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Im new here so sorry if this is a stupid question. My cpu cooling fan is making a ton of noise...enough to wake me up at night. So I bought a new one. Its a Pentium 4 and I got a 478 socket fan. Is that the right kind to get? Also, should I install this myself? I've installed a new power supply and various PCI cards on my own...but this seems a little harder and riskier.....thanks for your help.

Your cooler may or may not be right. Pentium 4's have been made in sockets 423, 478, and 775. So if yours is socket 478, then it should work. It shouldn't be too hard to install. Make sure you use thermal paste or a thermal pad between processor and heatsink. It depends on your motherboard design and your cooler's design as to how hard it will be to install. Some combinations are very simple, while others are a little trickier.