A8n5x passive cooling mod

[Judgemeister]

I will be putting together a system soon (my first build) probably with the A8N5X. I've read about a lot of chip set fan noise issues on a similar (I think older version) Asus board that has SLI capabilities. I am not interested in SLI, over-clocking or gaming, but I am very interested in putting together a quiet and stable system that can handle a bit of video editing. Forums indicate the A8N5X seems to have a bit quieter fan, but I would really be interested in a passive cooling system that won?t have a fan to wear out or whine at some point. I've seen a passive cooling heat sink made by Zalman (ZM-NB47J) on newegg that can be used without a fan. It seems the smart time to install this would be at the initial build. It lists restrictions on its application to boards that don?t incorporate a ?built in graphics chipset? and the board must have ?mounting holes? around the NorthBridge chip set. Another issue is that the heat sink is very large, and some users note that it?s a very tight fit in certain applications. The graphics board will be very close and I?ll be using a 256 meg Sapphire (100119L-HS) that also has heat sink cooling. Has anyone tried this particular cooler on this board or installed a similar passive cooler that worked out well? Other inexpensive (well rated) mobo ideas?

 

[mb103051]

I have that exact cooler on the asus a8n-e,its the same board but with the ultra nf4 shipset.it fits perfect.i have a powercolor x800 gto vid card and there is plenty of clearence,i modified the heatsink though.i cut the taller fins off level with the shorter ones so the top is level,and i mounted a 10x40mm fan on top of it.a blue led fan and cooler i bought off newegg.this rig cools excellent.my temps are monitored by a compunurse temp probe and they vary between 32-36c.with the stock cooler they were always 43-49c.this cools excellent and the fan is so quiet plus i dont have to pull the board to replace the fan.just 4 screws go down into the fins.there is plenty of clearence between the zalman and the card.maybe 3/4 of an inch.the card is fairly longas it ends rite at the back of the 3rd ram slot.i have great airflow thru my case,which is more than what most people run.
this is one great motherboard,the best non sli board available today.its solid as a rock,o/clocks well,perfect layout,mature bios.ive got mine o/clocked 500mhz with stock voltage and ram 1 to 1 with cpu at htt 250 x 10.
the video card you are using ,you could probubly modify fins on the zalman if a capasiter
is in the way but alot of people have used this cooler on this board and it worhs fine.try it and see,its only like 5 dollars.....good luck with your project.........

 

[Chappie]

Hey Judgemeister,

I just build a rig with the A8N5X. It's a great board!!!!! very stable for me so far, and I've overclocked my Opteron144 to 2.4 without problem.

As far as the chipset fan goes, it seems pretty quiet...I have'nt really noticed it. I've kept everything stock as far as the cooling goes so I can't really help you with how a passive heatsink would fit.

But that's a great choice for your motherboard!! Good luck!

Chappie

 

[Judgemeister]

Thanks for your input. mb 103051 is the first solid response to the fit question for that chipset cooler on that board (at least a board with the similar component layout and dimensions). I?ve checked the images carefully on the a8n-e in comparison to the a8n5x. They are nearly identical except the chipset cooler fan on mine is skewed to a diagonal placement instead of being square with the board. I?m not sure if that?s a good or bad thing in my situation. It may help with clearance on the video card?. or not.

With that information and Chappie's encouragement, I?m a little closer to confidence in my idea for producing a stable and QUIET computer (that works). This outcome would be a much better than having the $800 pile of spare parts in the corner that my imagination has been brewing lately.

I would browse to Newegg to order parts if I could find a post or two of a8n5x owners who have done the passive cooler thing.