Abit IC7-G Northbridge Fan....Going...Going...Going...Almost Gone

[vtcc93]

All,

I have an IC7-G with a Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF on the CPU. The stock Abit Northbridge Fan is dying a not so slow or not so quiet death. I need to replace it, but I need a relatively low profile HSF so that it will sit next to the Zalman. Can someone please recommend a good replacement fan or HSF. After doing some surfin' I am not the only one that has had issues with the Abit OEM fans.

Thx,
VTCC93

(Edited for crappy spelling)

--------------------------
MOBO - Abit IC7-G Max II
VIDEO - Gainward 5900 Ultra 1600 XP
CPU - P4 3.0C
CASE - Antec PLUS1080AMG w/ Antec 430W True Power
CDRW/DVD(+/-)R/RW - Pioneer DVR-106BK
CDRW - Plextor 52x32x52 PlexWriter Premium E-IDE
HDD - Western Digital 120GB SATA WD1200JD (On the Add on SATA Channel)
MEMORY - CORSAIR XMS TWINX1024-4000PT
HSF - Zalman CNPS7000A-CU
OS - WinXP Pro

 

[wisdomtooth]

The best replacement for the Abit IC7 NB fan is... The Abit IC7 NB fan.

Seriously. If you have the Orb-type IC7 NB fansink, it actually works better than aftermarket ones like the Zalman NB47J.

What you need to do is take apart your IC7 NB fan, clean off the dust bunnies, peel back (but not off) the sticker on the back of the fan, put in a drop of plastic-friendly light machine oil, and then reapply the HSF using arctic silver.

Then (here's the kicker) you need to slow down the fan. The default 6000 rpm is insane and absolutely unnecessary-- Use a fan controller to spin it down to 3000 rpm or less, and your IC7 will run cool and quiet once again. The slower fan speed will also extend the spindle life.

I'm speaking from experience as an Abit IC7 owner.

HTH.

 

[vtcc93]

Tooth,

Thanks for the quick response. I will try and fix the current fan. If I can't, do you know where I can get a replacement?

VT

 

[Mucker]

When it's in stock you can order it from here: http://www.abit-usa.com/abitparts/chipset_fan.php

Wisdomtooth is right, oil it and slow it down to 3000rpm, it's nearly silent and at that speed and will cool well enough.

m

 

[charlietee]

I have a IC7-G Max II Andvance northbridge cooler...You can have it for shipping cost...Just PM me with your addy and I will mail it out.

Used maybe 2 hours before I replaced it with a Coolermaster Socket 370 cooler.

 

[Coherence]

I seem to be having a similar problem. My IC7-G chipset fan makes noise when first booting, and then during regular intervals. It's the original plastic fan that this model mobo once came with, in fact. Newer versions of the IC7-G (1.1?) have a metallic one. Is that the "orb-type" fan you guys mentioned?

Will the Abit replacement you linked to work with the version that had the plastic fan? If not, will the Zalman NB47J be sufficient, even if not as good?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Yep, the all-metal one is the orb-type we were talking about. And yes, it will work with your IC7G.

The problem with the Zalman NB47J is that you need some way of moving air past the fins to help carry away the heat, and it's also too tall to fit under some CPU heatsinks like the Thermalright XP90/120.

The orb-type Abit NB fan is quite big and hefty-- I'd take it over the Zalman any day.

Make sure you got a fan controller if you are going to go for the orb-type Abit NB fan.

HTH.

 

[Coherence]

Thanks for the tip. I'll order the orb-type fan to replace my plastic one right away. Any recommendations on a fan controller (hardware or software)?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Something like a Zalman Fanmate should do it... Costs like $3 at most places... Problem is, you will most likely get killed with the shipping. :disgust:

I'm not sure if something comparable is available at the local Radio Shack though..

 

[Coherence]

Ordered Fan Mate 2 from Newegg, $4.99 + $4.99 shipping. Not bad. The replacement fan from Abit was $11 after shipping, as well. So, $21 doesn't seem to bad, in the end.

Also curious, since my existing plastic fan appears to use long clips for mounting, will mounting the metal orb-like one be as easy as a CPU fan, or will I have to totally gut my mobo out of the case?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Worry not, the orb-type NB fan goes on very easy.

It mounts using one single bent-wire mounting hook-- Just press the hooks under the hoops already on your motherboard and let it hook on. Voila!

HTH.