a8n-sli chipset heatsink fan

[Gerbil333]

I got my A8N-E today. It's a revision 2.00 board and came with the revised Asus hsf already installed.

Are the rev. 2.0 boards new, or have we been ignoring them? I won't be able to test the system until tomorrow because my XP-90 didn't get here today and I don't want to rip the computer apart tomorrow to install a different hsf.

 

[Elusiv1]

Well, first of all what' up guys!!!! My chipset fan is going bye bye so I decided to replace it with the Zalman NBJ47.....would you guys recommend passive cooling for the Nforce 4 chipset???? Luckily, I have a 120mm fan on my Case window blowing directly on the chipset...is this enough to keep it cool?? To remove the old hsf do you push the pins in from the front or from the back?? Just want to make sure I understand before I touch anything......Thanks

 

[stickybytes]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
I got my A8N-E today. It's a revision 2.00 board and came with the revised Asus hsf already installed.

Are the rev. 2.0 boards new, or have we been ignoring them? I won't be able to test the system until tomorrow because my XP-90 didn't get here today and I don't want to rip the computer apart tomorrow to install a different hsf.

did you purchase the board from a retail store(ie newegg, zzf) or did you pick it up off the amd tech tour?

 

[NuroMancer]

I just wanted to bumb this to see if anyone has had any trouble with either the zalman or the replacement Asus fan in terms of temps under load.

Thanks!

 

[milleron]

Originally posted by: NuroMancer
I just wanted to bumb this to see if anyone has had any trouble with either the zalman or the replacement Asus fan in terms of temps under load.

Thanks!

Can you measure the chipset temp on an A8N-SLI Deluxe? I know there are three temp sensors on these boards but, other than the CPU, I'm not sure where the others are loacted.

 

[FP]

Originally posted by: NuroMancer
I just wanted to bumb this to see if anyone has had any trouble with either the zalman or the replacement Asus fan in terms of temps under load.

Thanks!

No problems but I have noticed all my temps have gone up by 3-4 degrees C with the new Asus HSF.

 

[hepnerb]

I have had the new ASUS chipset fan for ~2.5 weeks and it is no longer rotating. Will call for a new one in the morning.

Also going to try a passive HS. My case has decent flow with a 120mm at front and rear as well as a 120mm on the Neo480 PSU. This board has been hell since early January.



ASN SLI Deluxe
64 3000+
1GB (512x2) Corsar CL2
1x MSI 6600GT

 

[Elusiv1]

Well. I just finished installing the Zalman NBJ47 and my system is running nice and cool at the moment. Removing the old hsf was pretty easy for me, I just squeezed the two pins from the back of the mobo and the asus hsf shot out like a rocket nearly hitting my wife in the eye(LOL)...... The insall was pretty easy, I just removed the thermal pad and cleaned the chipset with Artic silver 1 cleaner and Surface pureifier then went ahead and used Artic silver 5. Currently, I'm not using a 92mm fan over the Zalman because It seems as if i have enough cooling with the 5 case fans, one in particular is a 120mm side window fan that blows straight to the Zalman. Would anyone recommend i go ahead and install another 92mm fan over the Zalman??? I was looking into the Zalman fan bracket........Thanks

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: Elusiv1
Well. I just finished installing the Zalman NBJ47...I just squeezed the two pins from the back of the mobo and the asus hsf shot out like a rocket nearly hitting my wife in the eye(LOL)...Would anyone recommend i go ahead and install another 92mm fan over the Zalman??? I was looking into the Zalman fan bracket........Thanks

I'm glad your NB47J installation went well and I'm GLAD your wife didn't loose her eye over the hsf issue, lolol.

I haven't gotten around to installing my NB47J yet although it and the Asus A8N-SLI/Zalman NB47J/Asus Replacement HSF/A64 Venice 3200+ CPU and Corsair CMX1024-3200-C2PT 1GB RAM are sitting right behind me on the floor as I type this.

I have gotten a lot of advice on this issue; whether or not a fan blowing directly onto the Zalman passive NB heatsink is really necessary. I guess it depends on the amount of case air flow one has (particularly in the NF4 area). It sounds like you have plenty of air swirling around in your case; I hope some is getting out of there; I don't recall you mentioning how many of your 5 fans are exhaust fans but it sounds like the 120mm SIDE case fan is doing a good job of making sure the NB47J gets good airflow.

Anyway, one excellent forum member, Gerbil333, has been a lot of help to me. He has installed a Zalman NB47J on his Asus A8N-E mobo. At first he experimented with a 92mm (I believe) fan to provide airflow on the NB47J. He ran a lot of "temp tests" with and without the fan and with and without this "duct thing" he had concocted. He determined that using the NB47J WITHOUT A FAN in his Antec Sonata II is suffiecient at this point in time although he's leaving himself open to the possibility of adding a "fan solution" in the future - if I'm paraphrasing him correctly.

As far as using the "Zalman fan bracket" are you referring to Zalman FB123 Fan Bracket Assembly to which Gerbil333 provided me a link??? I am considering using that contraption too but would prefer to use the NB47J ALONE in my Antec Performance ONE P-180 case if I can get away with it.

Please let me know if the FB123 is what you had in mind or if it is some other kind of bracket.

thanks,

Greg

 

[Elusiv1]

Yes, the bracket is the Zalman FB123.....Thanks for your good advice Fisher)

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: stickybytes

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
I got my A8N-E today. It's a revision 2.00 board and came with the revised Asus hsf already installed.

Are the rev. 2.0 boards new, or have we been ignoring them? I won't be able to test the system until tomorrow because my XP-90 didn't get here today and I don't want to rip the computer apart tomorrow to install a different hsf.

did you purchase the board from a retail store(ie newegg, zzf) or did you pick it up off the amd tech tour?

My board came from the Chicago AMD Tech Tour.

I've had my board running with the NB47J for over two weeks straight now. I've only shut it down twice for about five minutes each so that I could make minor cabling adjustments. After extensive testing, I can conclude without a doubt that the NB47J does the job. I haven't rebooted my A8N-E in over a week, and I've had no trouble at all.

I'm waiting to post my final results until I install my Zalman VF700-AlCu on my X800 XL. I'm guessing it might change the airflow in the northbridge area, and I want to see if that will make the NB47J hotter or cooler.

For now, take a look at the pictures in my sig to see how it turned out.

 

[Gerbil333]

I've finished my silencing project and NB47J testing. I ended up with this:

Asus A8N-E 2.0 w/NB47J
Athlon 64 3200+ Venice
Thermalright XP-90 w/Panaflo L1BX
Corsair 2x1GB TWINX2048-3200C2PT
BBA Radeon X800 XL 256MB w/Zalman VF700-AlCu
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Western Digital 74gb Raptor
Black NEC 3520A 16x DVD+/-RW
Black Lite-On 52x32x52x16 Combo Drive
Antec Sonata II
Black Rounded IDE Cables
Enermax 485W Noisetaker ATX 2.0

Here are some pics: :camera: :camera: :camera: :camera: :camera: :camera:

I built the computer about three weeks ago and I installed the NB47J before I even booted up the A8N-E for the first time. I'd tested the new chipset fan by itself and decided it was too loud, and I'd already ordered the NB47J. Since I built the computer, I've done the following:

-6.5 hours of memtest86+ as soon as I finished assembling the machine
-Installed XP Pro, applications, games, and files, then ran several benchmarks
-24 hours 11 minutes straight of Prime95's Torture Test
-12 straight hours of UT2k4 hosting and viewing a 30 bot onslaught match
-Beat Half-Life 2, played BF2 and UT2k4 many times, and used the computer as usual
-Flashed to the latest official BIOS and completed another 24 hours of Prime95, followed by more gaming
-Decided not to reboot or shut down the computer for over 8 days

Throughout all of that, I haven't encountered a single problem. Yes, the Zalman NB47J gets very hot. It's not too hot to touch indefinitely, however, it's only a few degrees from being unbearable. From my experiences with hot Athlon XP heatsinks, the NB47J is probably in the mid to high 60s Celsius under full load, and high 50s to low 60s when idling.

I conducted all of the above testing with the stock X800 XL hsf because I didn't get my Zalman VF700-AlCu until today. I modified the new GPU hsf to fit without touching the NB47J and then ran over 5.5 hours of UT2k4 hosting and viewing another 30 bot match. The NB47J felt cooler than ever during the game testing, which I'd expected since the VF700-AlCu blows plenty of air towards the NB47J. The stock X800 XL hsf ran very hot and blew its exhaust air right into the NB47J, therefore, I'm sure the nF4 chip is even safer now than it was before (and it was perfectly stable then).

To those about to build an A8N based computer:

After experimenting with two nF4 boards and three heatsinks, I highly recommend using the NB47J in combination with a small amount of airlow instead of either of the stock hsfs. Asus will eventually only ship the updated hsf on the A8N boards (or the heatpipe on the Premium model). Take a look at the pictures posted way back somewhere in this thread. The new hsf is a thin piece of aluminum with a ridiculous design. It has no fins, other than the pitiful excuse for fins ("ASUS" spelled on each side). Besides the lacking surface area, it's extremely light weight and doesn't feel cold when not installed like a typical heatsink does. Despite being an active cooler, the new Asus hsf feels just as hot as my NB47J does with almost no airflow.

I contacted Gigabyte and they reported that the nF4 chip is designed to run at 0-90C. Both Gigabyte and Chaintech sell passive nF4 boards (without heatpipes). So, the NB47J should work fine, although incredibly hot, in any computer. Nevertheless, I think it's a much safer idea to get some air moving around the northbridge to cool off the heatsink as I've done.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
I've finished my silencing project and NB47J testing. I ended up with this...

Gerbil, THANKS for all your continued VALUABLE and insightful observations, experiments, and conclusions.

You always adhere to the "scientific method" when going about trying to resolve a computer "issue" or to just plain improve something in your system.

You're continued insightful input to these AT threads is both VALUABLE and APPRECIATED !!!

Sincerely,

Greg

 

[elSalmon]

I have replaced Asus chipset fan for a Zalman nb47, but my system is unstable: Hard disk Serial-ATA doesn't boot sometimes and NTFS filesystem was corrupted three times in two mounth. I have connected my hard disk to Nvidia controller.

I think Zalman NB47 doesn't dissipate enough hot without a near fan. Moreover, I live in Madrid (Spain), a city very very hot in summer (38ºC or higher during the day). I have joined a diode in Asus chipset fan, to reduce ~0.7 V and so to reduce fan revolutions, but the fan is a bit louder yet. If I plug Asus chipset fan to 9-10 V, the fan will be enough noisy.

 

[Gerbil333]

That's the first report of instability I've read.

Hard disk Serial-ATA doesn't boot sometimes and NTFS filesystem was corrupted three times in two mounth.

If it's failing on a cold boot, I highly doubt the NB47J is at fault. It can't heat up that quickly. Are you saying that you reinstalled the Asus hsf and that solved your problems?

 

[Rustler]

I have had my Zalman NB47J on my Asus since before I booted the board for the first time, still running ZERO problems wether I game or surf the net or any applications that I run, I live in Phoenix Arizona it was 112 degrees yesterday and I keep the air conditioning at 78 degrees.

My computer idles at 36-38 gaming 46-44 these are cpu readings.

I have my Asus new and replacement fan in the box for the motherboard and I have no intentions of installing either unless I have a warranty issue and I don't believe that will happen.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: Rustler
I have had my Zalman NB47J on my Asus since before I booted the board for the first time, still running ZERO problems wether I game or surf the net or any applications that I run, I live in Phoenix Arizona it was 112 degrees yesterday and I keep the air conditioning at 78 degrees.

My computer idles at 36-38 gaming 46-44 these are cpu readings.

I have my Asus new and replacement fan in the box for the motherboard and I have no intentions of installing either unless I have a warranty issue and I don't believe that will happen.

Rustler, you told me once I could contact you anytime concerning this issue and I was just thinking about doing so to see how you NB47J ONLY solution was working out these days and here you post. Good to see you and good to hear that the NB47J ONLY solution is STILL working well for you. Thanks for updating us.

Greg

 

[DrvEZ]

I have been following this forum thread with alot of interest, Ive had the A8N for around 3 months now with no problems, I guess I've been lucky

well I figured I'd go preemptive on my chipset fan, I read earlier on in this thread of people simply removing the old fan and replacing it with a new 40mm fan screwed ontop of the existing heatsink, my question was, none of those posters have really come back and said how good a results they are getting in terms of cooling

Noise is not an issue for me, just keeping the temps close to what they were with the original fan (Or cooler )

I assume that having the 40mm pulling air up and away from the heatsink should provide pretty similar results to the fan that was embeded was doing, right? wrong?
the fan I bought was a 5000RPM model, would that be sufficient? should I find a faster model fan? I have really good air flow in my case so that should help as well

I know that going with the Asus replacment fan is the best route, but I hate yanking all my junk out and slapping it back in again, yes Im lazy so I figure Ill try it this way first

any help at all would be appreciated

oh yeah and one last question, If I do end up replacing the fan with the asus mailed piece, is it okay to use AS5 on the chipset? i read a few posts back that another guy used ceramique beacuse he wasnt sure how safe the AS5 would be on a chipset.....my poor brain.

well thats my blurb thanks in advance

cheers
D

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: DrvEZ
I know that going with the Asus replacment fan is the best route, but I hate yanking all my junk out and slapping it back in again, yes Im lazy so I figure Ill try it this way first

No, that's probably the worst solution. The original Asus hsf has a greater surface area and a faster fan, therefore it'll cool much better than the gimpy heatsink and slower fan of the updated hsf. Read some of my earlier posts. The new Asus fan is designed terribly, and I'm sure the original fan cools the chip better. The only problem (since you're ignoring noise) is that the original fan is prone to failure.

If you want the best solution for cooling, the Copper based Swiftech hsf is obviously the most effective solution. However, that will set you back close to $45!

You'll find a few other replacement northbridge hsf's, such as Vantec's copper hsf's, but those require modification to fit and still have a small surface area--much less than that of the Swiftech or the Zalman NB47J.

The cheapest and second most effective solution is to install an NB47J with a 40mm fan mounted on the side (or top if you can manage). Because of the large surface area, the NB47J will transfer heat much better than the crappy replacement Asus hsf. Hence, I don't even have to use a fan on mine. You're looking for low temperatures, meaning the addition of a 40mm fan will provide you with cooling far better than either of the Asus hsf's or the copper Vantec hsf's. You said you already have a 40mm fan, so all you need is the $7 NB47J. How's that compared to a $45 Swiftech?

 

[DrvEZ]

thx for the informative reply Gerbil333

well then lol guess that awnsers the Asus replacment question..

yeah u are right in terms of price, lol what a difference

would it just be simpiler to attach the fan I have to the existing asus heatsink, after removing the fan of death already in it? or should I yank it out altogether and slap in the Zalman w/fan or the swiftech combo?

and should I have the fan pulling air up and away from the chip, or down onto the chip if I go with just adding a fan solution?

thanks again
Cheers
D

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: DrvEZ
...would it just be simpiler to attach the fan I have to the existing asus heatsink, after removing the fan of death already in it? or should I yank it out altogether and slap in the Zalman w/fan or the swiftech combo?

and should I have the fan pulling air up and away from the chip, or down onto the chip if I go with just adding a fan solution?

I think your questions are intended for Gerbil333 but I hope you don't mind if I "chime in" as I have been following this thread for over 2 months.

I need to ask you why you would want to go through all the trouble of removing the original fan but still use the less-than-stellar-performaning original Asus heatsink ??? That's like applying a band-aid on top of a worn-out bandaid.

The always-informative Gerbil333 has explained the best approach and the most cost effective approach. If you don't mind I'll just "reiterate" and "expand" a little on what he said. In summary, the popular approach here at this thread is to use the Zalman NB47J with additional cooling provided by one or more of a) a 40mm fan (like the Papst) attached to the NB47J's side or its top (if possible), b) a modified already-existing GPU hsf (like the ATI silencer or Zalman VF700-AlCu) to help provide cooling to the Zalman NB47J and/or c) an additional fan(s) mounted on the side panel of the case or somehow mounted IN the case to blow cool air across the fins of the Zalman heatsink.

If you mount a fan to the original Asus heatsink or use any hsf you should have the fan pulling air UP and AWAY from the hs/nf4 chip.

Greg

 

[Gerbil333]

would it just be simpiler to attach the fan I have to the existing asus heatsink, after removing the fan of death already in it? or should I yank it out altogether and slap in the Zalman w/fan or the swiftech combo?

If you want to save money, yeah, attaching the new fan to the existing Asus heatsink would get the job done. I don't know how easy that would be to install. The nF4 chip is very fragile. You'll need to avoid applying pressure to the heatsink if you do not remove it from the motherboard.

I think the NB47J combined with your new 40mm fan would be the best option.

 

[runestone]

Well, around midnight last night I decided to open the computer case to have a look around. I noticed the original nforce chipset fan not turning.
Wondered just how long it had been that way(last checked a week ago). I had a replacement from Asus that I received a few weeks ago, thinking I would need it. I've had the A8NE-dlx since late December .
So, I go about ripping the motherboard from the Lian-Li(no fun), get the fan replaced, all back in place, fire it up to see the new fan make about two revolutions then stop.
I tried plugging it in to an adapter on one of the PSU's other lines-no go.
To say I'm not happy would be an understatement.
I'm only running the comp for a short while now until my Zalman nb32 and 40mm papst fan gets here; hoping that combo works.

 

[Elusiv1]

I've have gotten great results from the Zalman NBJ47!!! Even before installing the Zalman FB123 bracket plus 2 80mm fans facing the chipset, my sytem ran stable with just the NBJ47 alone........Probably because I have a total of 7 fans in my case.......Later

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: 133bpm
Is anyone using the thermalpad that comes attached to the new heatsink, or are you carving it off with a razor and using something like AS5 only?

well after having a friend of mine with the sli mobo tell me about his incessantly louder/whiny noisemaker of a stock asus northbridge hsf put a bug in my ear..I checked AT Appears it isn't just a singular event ..so upon removing the revised 45 degree mounted hsf off my uninstalled techtour 8n-e appears asus has brainless monkeys installing these(glad didn't assemble/fireitup .. I'd have been ) ...

now for the PSA

the the rev. 2 factory a8n-e hsf with ASUS on 2 sides has the pink TIM still intact and regular paste is gooped on top of that with a slim plastic shim for a spacer ...:ymmv but personally I'd check any before using in this state..( to see this but glad I read others posts on these nb hsf issues from asus ..gl