Are there any Passive chipset sinks that are suitable for the NF4?

[Maluno]

The chipset cooler on my rig recently started making a high pitched squealing noise every once in a while, (at least I think I have narrowed the noise down to the chipset cooler). Sometimes the noise will stop when I bang on the top of my tower, but other times it will just keep on screaming. I think the bearing on the fan is going out, and I wanted to know what I should get to replace it.

Are there any passive chipset coolers that can handle the high tdp of the Nforce4Ultra chipset, or will I have to buy another active cooling solution? I should note that I am overclocking my PC, so the chipset will have a higher thermal output than at stock.

The mobo is the epox 9npa+ ultra. I have plenty of overhead clearance around the chipset, but the only place where space will be tight is around the radius of the chipset, as my videocard sits in the slot that is about a centimeter away from the stock chipset fan unit.

 

[Zepper]

Have you checked Zalman's web site? They're the ones that do most chipset sinks. Probably the fan shaped one will work for you.

.bh.

 

[JPas]

the HR-05 by Thermalright is passive. i'm using one of the SLI versions on my ASUS A8n32-SLI Premium board now. My kid's machine has the standard version on her DFI board. I think it's a great cooler.

 

[natethegreat]

I'm using this, got it from jab-tech.com. Temps are now actually lower than before, but you have to make sure it gets some airflow or it will get very hot. If I had to buy 1 now I would probably get the HR-05 SLI.

 

[Maluno]

Wow, I haven't been to these forums in a while, and I forgot how quickly people respond.. 🙂 Speaking of that HR-05, I think it should work nicely in my case. I have a lot of airflow as it is, my p180 has all of the fans turned up to High, so they move quite a bit of air, (three 120mm fans is quite a few CFM). Thanks for the advice, does anyone else have any opinions?

 

[Maluno]

Originally posted by: natethegreat
I'm using this, got it from jab-tech.com. Temps are now actually lower than before, but you have to make sure it gets some airflow or it will get very hot. If I had to buy 1 now I would probably get the HR-05 SLI.

Which motherboard and chipset were you using it with?

Just curious to see how the temp drop you experienced would relate to my situation.

EDIT: wtf?? how did I get this post bumped up ABOVE the stickied HSF Reviews thread?

 

[Ayah]

The HR-05 SLI will probably be the best choice. It'll give you space and good passive cooling.

 

[natethegreat]

Originally posted by: Maluno

Originally posted by: natethegreat
I'm using this, got it from jab-tech.com. Temps are now actually lower than before, but you have to make sure it gets some airflow or it will get very hot. If I had to buy 1 now I would probably get the HR-05 SLI.

Which motherboard and chipset were you using it with?

Just curious to see how the temp drop you experienced would relate to my situation.

DFI NF4 SLI-DR Expert/P180

Temps

Looks like your chipset is located in about the same area as mine. The stock cooler on my board was really thin and felt very cheap when I removed it. the Zalman dropped the idle temp down a few °C, but full load temps were similar.

 

[Maluno]

Originally posted by: natethegreat

Originally posted by: Maluno

Originally posted by: natethegreat
I'm using this, got it from jab-tech.com. Temps are now actually lower than before, but you have to make sure it gets some airflow or it will get very hot. If I had to buy 1 now I would probably get the HR-05 SLI.

Which motherboard and chipset were you using it with?

Just curious to see how the temp drop you experienced would relate to my situation.

DFI NF4 SLI-DR Expert/P180

Temps

Looks like your chipset is located in about the same area as mine. The stock cooler on my board was really thin and felt very cheap when I removed it. the Zalman dropped the idle temp down a few °C, but full load temps were similar.

Actually, what I meant was that the videocard sat just below the chipset, although the chipset was positioned about in the same place on the board.

 

[fluffmonster]

I used the Zalman NB-47J on an Asus a8n-sli for a long while and it works very well with decent airflow, and is cheaper than the HR-05. I don't know that the fan-shaped one from Zalman would fit...its rather larger than the 47j.

 

[Operandi]

I've used both the Zalman NB-47J and the Thermalright HR-05 (SLI version in my case) on the nForce4, the Zalman on a few AOpen boards while the Thermalright was on an MSI.

Assuming there is room both will work; the Zalman will also run hotter due to it's smaller size but it's nothing to worry about if you have decent air flow.

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

I've used the Zalman as well. And I agree with what several people of said, as long as you have a modest amount of air moving over it, you should be fine.

 

[pkrush]

I'm using a Zalman passive cooler, but mine is right next to the fan on my Zalman VF700 graphics cooler so it gets a significant amount of airflow without an extra fan.

 

[Maluno]

So basically the airflow inside my case from my two 120mm Fans set to high in the top chamber will be enough, right?

 

[natethegreat]

Originally posted by: Maluno
So basically the airflow inside my case from my two 120mm Fans set to high in the top chamber will be enough, right?

I belive it will need direct airflow to be cooled adequately. Can you mount a fan on the back of the upper HD tray or do you have HDD's up there?

 

[MDE]

I put a blue CoolerMaster heatsink on mine similar to the Zalman and it worked fine, just needed to break a couple fins off of it because it interfered with the backplate for my video card's heatsink.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: natethegreat

Originally posted by: Maluno
So basically the airflow inside my case from my two 120mm Fans set to high in the top chamber will be enough, right?

I belive it will need direct airflow to be cooled adequately. Can you mount a fan on the back of the upper HD tray or do you have HDD's up there?

The Zalman is fine without direct air flow, I've installed serveral this way.

 

[Maluno]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: natethegreat

Originally posted by: Maluno
So basically the airflow inside my case from my two 120mm Fans set to high in the top chamber will be enough, right?

I belive it will need direct airflow to be cooled adequately. Can you mount a fan on the back of the upper HD tray or do you have HDD's up there?

The Zalman is fine without direct air flow, I've installed serveral this way.

But were the systems overclocked, like mine is?

No, I don't have any HDDs in the upper drive cage, I moved them down into the lower section because it helped my temps a bit both in the ambient case temp, and of the drives themselves.

 

[Maluno]

Argh.. I'm retarded.. I completely forgot what I was going to say. I just realized that the fan that was making all the racket was actually not the chipset fan, but the rear exhaust fan that came with the P180.

Its not the blowhole fan, but the one that is placed where the PSUs are on most ATX cases. Do you think Antec will replace this under warranty? If not, what are some good 120mm fans that have high CFM ratings? (Sound is not a huge concern at this point, because I live in a college dorm, and the loud AC units we have drown out any noise that the computers make. Should I get another variable power-setting fan, or do they even make those?

 

[natethegreat]

I run all of my rigs on F@H 24/7 and the X2/NF4 is running a 33% oc so it needed some decent airflow to keep it cool. If your not overclocking you might be ok but I would guess it would get very hot.

Edit: Must have missed your post above mine, Try a pm to AntecCSR