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A8N SLI Premium and XP-90 (Too hot for nf4 chipset?)

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openwheelformula1

Senior member
I have the Asus A8N SLI Premium and thermalright XP-90. When I was using the stock heatsink, the radiator connected to the nf4 chipset via heatpipe would get proper airflow. This ensures that the block on top of the nf4 chipset barely warm to the touch. Now that I have XP-90 which has does not allow proper airflow over the radiator, the nf4 block gets too hot to the touch. This seems to be a pretty popular setup, but the nf4 heat issue does not get much attention.

here is a pic of xp-90 on a8n sli premium, note the fin opening orientation (up and down), and the xp-90 completely covers the radiator on the mosfet.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/gallery...eelracing1123524843DSCF0074.JPG&id=942

Additionally, since the voltage regulators are connected to the nf4 chipset via heatpipe, I imagine the mosfets are running at extremely hot tempereatures also. I know everyone who has this setup hasn't run into stability issues, but is this healthy? Should I go back to the stock heatsink?
 
Does it really matter how hot the radiator gets? I'm no expert but isn't the heat traveling away from the northbrige chip to the radiator? It's not being transfered back. Assumptions though.

I have a xp-120 on my cpu on the same board. I actually had to install the heatsink the other way around (pipes facing the otherway) or I would have to actually remove the heatsink anytime I wanted to get RAM out from the 1st slot, which obviously would not be an option. I never thought of touching that area to see how hot things are around that are but the temps I'm getting aren't too bad (though could be better).
 
As I pointed out in the original post, the radiator is sitting directly on the voltage regulators. You are supposed to lower their temperatures for longevity and stability. However, since no airflow is traveling anywhere near the radiator, the entire "cool pipe" assembly is extremely hot. Not just the radiator, the block on top of the nf4 MCP is too hot to the touch too. Keep in mine that heat is supposed to travel with the liquid up to the radiator, once it gets cooled, then travel back to the block to absorb more heat.

Also another note, keep in mind that the temperature reported by Asus Probe is not the actual temp of the nf4 MCP.
 
Yeah ive not noticed since you mention this. The nf4 chip is really warm too the touch i can only hold my fingers there for no more than 15 seconds before pulling away from the heat. Probe reports on avarage 45C however it feels much warmer.

Maybe installing the heatsink the otherway round would be a sensible option?

EDIT: Are you 100% sure when you had the stock heatsink installed the nf4chip was bareable to the touch?
 
I don't see what the issue is. 😀

I assume you have the fan pulling air away from the CPU - which means it's also pulling air away from the heatpipe heatsink - which is great and no worries there. If you don't like that, just flip the fan and have it blow straight down. I used to have an XP120 on my Premium and it totally covered the heatsink. I tried both orientations and pulling away from the CPU worked best.

Think about this- I have my system completely overclocked, and the FSB was well over 1000mhz, without requiring extra voltage... and my entire motherboard is flipped upside down - which means that the heatpipe didn't work as well as it should have in the first place... and yet no stability issues at all.

So..... in your case, you have air directly pulling heat away from it, and your heatpipe/mobo isn't upside down and is operating the way it should. If the heatpipe is hot - that means it's working as intended. 🙂
 
Thanks for the pointer its eased my mind plus i couldnt be arsed to pull out the mobo and flip the heatsink. I'll flip the fan over and have it pull air away instead of blowing onto the heatsink.

Edit: I flipped the fan over sucking air away and my cpu temps rised so ive flipped it back round again. Flipping in the first place didnt seem to do much to the chipset temp. I guess i'll leave it.
 
Due to aero-dynamic issues, blowing air down onto the heatsink will do a better job of cooling the mosfets, ram, heatpipe radiator, etc.

The stock hsf does not push that much cfm. Unless you're using a very quiet fan for your XP-90, your fan shoud be pushing more cfms to provide better cooling. With my XP-120 and Delta triple-blade fan, everything just about gets cooled on that half of the motherboard.
 
Dkcode, yes I've tested both setups (stock and xp-90), and with the stock heatsink, the chipset block is very bearable to the touch. However, with the xp-90, I can't put my finger on the block for more than 2 seconds.

The real issue here is the "fin direction" of these heatsinks. While the stock heatsink opens horizontally, the xp-90 opens vertically. Since the xp-90's fins open vertically, the air being push down goes to the power supply and the graphic card. (Mosfet and Ram for the stock heatsink) This is an issue that very few have noticed. I've seen threads in various forums with very few responses. I don't have a physical temp probe to test the actual temperatures, but my fingers know the difference between "too hot to touch" and "warm".
 
spcr forum has discussed a little about this issue, some say the nf4 can take 100c and some say it can take 80c. Regardless, I just don't free comfortable running this chip at its limit. More importantly, since the voltage regulators are connected to the nf4 mcp, I am worried about the board's longevity.
 
Yeah ive not noticed this before however while all seems stable one cant expect something running like this to last long. Have you tried flipping the heatsink round so the heatpipes are next to the radiator?

Edit: I may try this tomorrow i will keep posted on the results.
 
let's say we turn the xp90 around so the heatpipe are facing towards the radiator, there is still no sufficient airflow over the radiator because the fins still open vertically. There might be some clearance issues with capacitors. Another solution is buying another heatsink with the correct setup. For example: thermaltake silent boost k8 or thermaltake pipe 101. However, performance wise, xp-90 is in a different league. I am hoping there is a heatsink out there I can attach my panaflo to (thermaltake pipe101 has horrible reviews on the net).

then again, doesn't the premium come with 3 year warranty? lol
 
What case do you have? Maybe you're not getting suffiecient airflow out the back of your computer?? Do you have one of Lian Li 1000 series cases? I heard thoses don't worj well with the heatpipe cooler on the A*N SLI Premium......
 
I have a Thermaltake Tsunami with a 120mm front intake, 120mm rear exhaust, and a 90mm Nexus on the side panel. I have tried with maximum air flow with the side open, the chipset block still stays too hot too the touch. I've also tried a 120mm fan that directly blows on the block itself, still very hot. The only way to get the chipset block to stay warm is to have sufficient airflow over the radiator.
 
No heat probs here either w/ XP120 and it essentially cools the whole top half of my mobo (A8V dlx). The 120mm atop the XP120 also cools the vid cards pcb (backside) in my setup. Quite the air-cooler imo.
 
Whats the cfm of your 120mm exhaust fan openwheel?

Also ive noticed my heatpipe and radiator are not that hot, they are warm and very barable to the touch however its the block on the nf4 thats hot. Is this your case too?
 
I will be fitting a zalman vf700cu from my 9800pro to my 7800gtx sometime i think this may increase the airflow around the radiator. I'll let you know the outcome as soon as,
 
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