a8n-sli chipset heatsink fan

[A1bert]

Tiorapatea - yes, bottom-left to top-right if I recall correctly. I'll try and take (and post) a picture of my set up when I install my Swiftech next week. I'm reasonably optimistic that the VF700 and Swiftech will solve my noisy chipset fan problem for good - but what a palaver getting there...

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: A1bert
Tiorapatea - yes, bottom-left to top-right if I recall correctly. I'll try and take (and post) a picture of my set up when I install my Swiftech next week. I'm reasonably optimistic that the VF700 and Swiftech will solve my noisy chipset fan problem for good - but what a palaver getting there...

OK, thanks A1bert. I'm going to remove the fan on the Swiftech and just put a 120mm Nexus fan at the front of my case to blow some air over the chipset. Let us know how it goes for you.

 

[A1bert]

Tiorapatea
A quick word of warning. I've got a Nexus 120mm in the front of my case and while it is lovely and quiet it doesn't actually push that much air (take a look at the recommended pages on SPCR and you'll see what I mean).

It's worth seeing if it will give enough airflow to keep the Swiftech cool without its little fan, but I'd keep the Swiftech fan handy just in case it doesn't work out.

Once I've got the Swiftech installed I'm going to move my Nexus to the rear of my case to act as an exhaust (I've just got the standard Antec one there at the moment) and I'll move my Acoustifan - currently acting as the mother-of-all chipset fans - to the front of the case. Hopefully this will give a better balance to the airflow.

 

[Tiorapatea]

I'm expecting that the Swiftech will perform better than the NB47J because of its copper base and that just moving a little air through it will keep temps under control. What I don't know is how much I will be able to overclock with this set-up. I mainly just want to push the CPU, on which I will have an XP-120 with another Nexus but what I am not clear about is whether upping the CPU will somehow make the chipset work harder even if the memory is just operating at PC3200.

i.e. Suppose you just run at stock, does the *chipset* get hotter with an Athlon64 3500+ compared with a 3000+? I suppose the extra heat from the CPU will make some difference but what about the heat generated within the chipset?

I'm also wondering if switching off unused features in the BIOS would make any difference to heat dissipation. e.g. if I switch off the nvidia firewall, will I run any cooler?

When you talk about "airflow balance", are you referring to the volume of air you are pushing out of the case relative to the amount you are pulling in? I will be using an Antec SLK3000B, which has side vents as well as a front intake, so I am hoping that, even if the PSU fan (Seasonic, Yate Loon) and the exhaust fan (another Nexus) push out more than the front Nexus is pulling in, they will be getting enough fresh air from the side panel to avoid any problems with backpressure.

 

[A1bert]

You might well be right about the amount of airflow needed to keep the Swiftech cool. Can you post your results when you are up and running?

I would have thought that the chipset runs hotter when overclocking just because you're working everything harder but I don't know for sure. Similarly I don't know if switiching off chipset features will make a difference to the heat - I like to keep them all running just because I've paid for them already so I'd like to get my money's worth out of the board!

Re: Airflow balance
I read somewhere - SPCR probably - that if the exhaust fans push out more air than the intake sucks in then dust will begin to creep into the case through gaps around the front panel. This is already apparent on my P160. Hopefully a better balance will mean that the air only enters through the intake - in which case the dust will get caught neatly in the filter. This will hopefully save me dusting the inside of my case very few months. The P160 doesn't have any side panel inlets though. You should be fine with your SLK3000.

 

[bbarlow10]

Just an update. I replaced the Zalman47 with an Vantec Iceberq and it seems to be cooler. The fan is quieter than stock. I did have to trim the bolt hole tabs on the vantec a bit with a dremel to make it fit.

 

[imported_caf2461]

Using a non contact infa red gun my zalman nb47 reads 136 degrees f and 57 degrees c. Is this ok?

 

[Nocturnal]

How are you guys checking your northbridge temps?

 

[Rustler]

I am putting the Zalman NBJ47 on my Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, I am waiting for my PC Power Cooling PSU and the Zalman bracket for holding the fan, I will be using a XP90C with a Thermaltake adjustable fan, I just started installing my fans in my case and tommorrow I will install the NBJ47, CPU, XP90C, install this all in the case get everything ready when the PSU and last goodies get here.

 

[Nocturnal]

Well two days so far so good. I got my Sunon 120mm intake fan that spins at a really nice 3100RPM so that is cooling my case pretty well. I also have the stock Antec 120mm case fan that my case came with.

 

[Rustler]

Zalman NBJ47 installed, man what a cheezy little chipset heatsink and fan ASUS used. If I need warranty I can get another cheap chipset HSF and use the push pins to reinstall the chipset fan. I am going to use a Zalman bracket for the CPU to position a 92mm fan over the chipset area and cool it that way.

 

[JS101j]

I broke my pins getting it out (I didn't take the motherboard out first - stupid me). I plan on getting a Zalman. If the pins are too short where can I get replacement pins.

Also, I also looked at the Vantec chipset fans, but they don't look like they come with pins at all. Does anyone know if they do, and if so, do they fit on the a8n?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: A1bert
You might well be right about the amount of airflow needed to keep the Swiftech cool. Can you post your results when you are up and running?

Will do. Might be a week from now.

 

[olternat]

I don't know if this was discussed but I have a problem.

I bought the mobo when it first came out before christmas time and already the chipset fan seems to be failing. Its making a wholeeeeee bunch of whining sounds and the overall speed seems to be dropping radically. Its down from 8000 rpm to around 1000 rpm.

I could try those fancy zalman passive heatsink but here is the real problem: I've recently bought an arctic cooling nv5 silencer for my 6800 pci express card. Will the nv5 cooler not fit together with those little but tall zalman heatsinks?

If so what options do I got to get rid of that blasted noiseeeeeeeee.

 

[imported_ck1]

I've been following this thread since I plan to buy an A8N-E. I want to make a truly silent solution, so the nForce4 fan is going to get whacked.

I'm wondering with all the fan recommendations if anyone has tried using a Silenx fan? The 40mm has 14dB and 5CFM, which is both quieter and has more CFM than the Pabst which is mentioned a lot. Are fan mounting holes standardized?

Thanks!

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: JS101j
I broke my pins getting it out (I didn't take the motherboard out first - stupid me). I plan on getting a Zalman. If the pins are too short where can I get replacement pins.

Also, I also looked at the Vantec chipset fans, but they don't look like they come with pins at all. Does anyone know if they do, and if so, do they fit on the a8n?

There are mounting holes on the motherboard designed for fitting chipset heatsinks and the Zalman comes with the parts necessary to install it. You do not need the pins from the Asus fan. Don't know about the Vantec.

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: olternat
I could try those fancy zalman passive heatsink but here is the real problem: I've recently bought an arctic cooling nv5 silencer for my 6800 pci express card. Will the nv5 cooler not fit together with those little but tall zalman heatsinks?

If so what options do I got to get rid of that blasted noiseeeeeeeee.

Please read twenty or so posts prior to your message and you will find your question answered.

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: ck1
I'm wondering with all the fan recommendations if anyone has tried using a Silenx fan? The 40mm has 14dB and 5CFM, which is both quieter and has more CFM than the Pabst which is mentioned a lot. Are fan mounting holes standardized?

1. It is unsafe to compare fans based on their quoted noise performance because of a lack of standardisation in this area.

2. Fan mounting holes are pretty much standardised.

3. How quiet do you need your chipset cooling solution to be? Answer: quieter than the noise floor where you will be using the computer. If you live on a busy street or your graphics card is very noisy, for example, then you may not notice a chipset fan. Ultimately, the quietest solutions to chipset cooling involve no fan at all or make do with the airflow already generated by existing case fans. (As a rule, large fans are potentially quieter than small fans because they can generate a lot of airflow while spinning at low speeds.) Both replacement fans and fanless solutions have already been extensively discussed in this thread.

 

[theshep]

Heh, here's what's rather funny. I see that you all are replacing fans because they are noisy. Well I'm here because my nforce chipset fan just crapped on me and is intermitently working. So should I do the 4x4 fan solution? I'm looking for something relatively easy to do, since I can't get that stupid shield back on my ASUS nforce chipset... and won't be needing the shield soon anyway.

 

[theshep]

Originally posted by: jhbodle
When I first thought of changing the chipset heatsink on my A8N-SLI I immediately thought of the Vantec Iceberq copper cooler. I put one on an old NF7-S I have and it was great, so I ordered another one and put it on the Asus:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jhbodle/PICT0129.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jhbodle/PICT0130.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jhbodle/PICT0133.JPG

It's a nice big heatsink and fan combo that only just fits (I needed to shave a bit of the connecting lug off one side) - now I just have to see if it has improved my overclocking abilities!

So is this a heatsink in which you'll have to take the mobo out, push the pins out, etc.?

 

[Aquila76]

Pretty much all the heatsink replacements need to remove the mobo and and push the old pins out. Only if you replace just the fan can you skirt this.

 

[A1bert]

theshep - Before you start tinkering with removing the chipset fan remember that you'll invalidate your warranty. If you're not bothered about the noise and your fan's just crapped out, then the simplest solution would be to just RMA the board and get a new one.

 

[olternat]

RMA the whole board just because the chipset fan is no good? I don't think so!
Ok lets say I want to keep my chipset heatsink. Can anybody recommend a replacement fan? What is the size of the default chipset fan for this mobo anyway?

 

[theshep]

Originally posted by: CrazyHandsMatt
I have a swiftech MCX159-A, it works perfectly, just fits without touching my graphics card.

Swiftech MCX159

this is fine, but what mobo is it on? does it fit on a a8n-sli?

 

[Solema]

theshep, I did the same thing with the same Vantec copper cooler. I previously had the cooler installed on my old MSI Nforce2 board, and I figured what the hell it's worth a try. It's working pretty well for me right now, but it may become a moot issue if Asus doesn't fix the 1T issue. DFI is calling my name...