Best way to cool southbridge?

[Juddog]

I'm just wondering if anybody else has found a way to cool the southbridge. Motherboard is an EVGA 790i FTW. My MCP temps have been insane, and my computer was crashing out this weekend from the heat.

I have tried removing the thermal padding and replacing their heatsink compound with some better non-conductive heatsink paste, which dropped the temps about 5-7 degrees C but I'm still sitting at about 75C / 72C MCP/SPP under load which seems rather ridiculously hot for MCP / SPP.

For comparison, my CPU is running about 37C idle, max at 58C load after running OCCT overnight. The "motherboard" sensor typically shows 38C in everest.

I know that the factory heatsink is definitely pulling heat from the chip since I can get close to touching it and it's really hot. Only other option I guess is to contact EVGA and see if I can get an RMA, but I'm not sure they would be willing to accept a return over something that isn't technically not working.

 

[NumericalMethods]

Are you using a fan on the SPP heat sink? Those temperatures do look on the high side if you are. Also are you using the default voltage to the MCP? There shouldn't be too much cause to increase it unless you a looking for the last 10 MHz out of your FSB overclock.

If both of those things are in check I would recommend setting your system to stock settings and monitoring the temperatures. If they are still high and you have already improved heat transfer to to heatsink then it is time to open a support ticket with EVGA and see what they say.

ps Are you running the system in a poorly ventilated case or in a high ambient temperature?

 

[PCTC2]

Those nVIDIA chipsets were always ridiculously hot. My SPP on my 680i SLI would get close to 95C under extreme overclocking conditions, even with the SPP fan. Same went for the MCP.

Your best bet is to get third party cooling, but that requires replacing the entire heatsink, which on an older board is harder to find parts for the VRM area. Northbridge and southbridge could be cooled with the Thermalright HR-05 IFX SLI/non-SLI.

Personally, however, I'd just say get the best airflow on the heatsink, use the fan provided and let it crank. It's loud and whiny, but it gets the job done. And check your airflow in your case.

 

[manimal]

VCR-E on sb hr05SLI on NB for 680-790 chipsets.

 

[aigomorla]

unfortunately there is no way to cool down that chipset on stock cooling minus having a fan right on the fins on your NB.

Keeping the NB cooler will allow the heat pipes to work better, but the 680/780/790 chipsets are just straight up furnaces.

The first thing id do is replace the Tim, and reapply it.
OEM application of the TIM is sometimes this horrible...

VCR-E on sb hr05SLI on NB for 680-790 chipsets.

Nope wont work because of the NF200 controller on the 780/790 chipset.

This is why waterblocks had to look simular to this in order for it to work on the 780/790i.

There is no air option for that board, unless i missed something a while back ago.
There are water options, and that's the route i was forced to go.

 

[manimal]

My bad, forgot they changed it. Sorry for the misinformation ; ;

 

[Juddog]

Are you using a fan on the SPP heat sink? Those temperatures do look on the high side if you are. Also are you using the default voltage to the MCP? There shouldn't be too much cause to increase it unless you a looking for the last 10 MHz out of your FSB overclock.

If both of those things are in check I would recommend setting your system to stock settings and monitoring the temperatures. If they are still high and you have already improved heat transfer to to heatsink then it is time to open a support ticket with EVGA and see what they say.

ps Are you running the system in a poorly ventilated case or in a high ambient temperature?

Case is highly ventilated. In fact recently I turned up the fans so that they are fairly loud; for reference my OC'd CPU runs at 37C idle and 65C after a full 24 hours OCCT burn in. MCP is at default voltage as is SPP. I'm only running one video card at the moment as well. Ambient temperature is a little high right now due to the shifting seasons. I've put CPU back to base settings for the moment but it didn't seem to alter the MCP / SPP temps.

Those nVIDIA chipsets were always ridiculously hot. My SPP on my 680i SLI would get close to 95C under extreme overclocking conditions, even with the SPP fan. Same went for the MCP.

Your best bet is to get third party cooling, but that requires replacing the entire heatsink, which on an older board is harder to find parts for the VRM area. Northbridge and southbridge could be cooled with the Thermalright HR-05 IFX SLI/non-SLI.

Personally, however, I'd just say get the best airflow on the heatsink, use the fan provided and let it crank. It's loud and whiny, but it gets the job done. And check your airflow in your case.

95c? wow.... :|

I have the MCP fan cranked to max in the BIOS already (100%). I guess I'll have to replace the entire heatsink then, which kinda sucks. I was looking at the EVGA forums and it seems your right - these boards run hot. I thought with all the additional cooling built onto the mothberbridge (huge heatsink fins, northbridge fan set to max, heatpipes etc.) that the board would be cooler. I'm worried that the MCP / SPP temps are leading to instability.

I guess I could try and lap the heatsink for the MCP / SPP to see if that helps and re-apply the thermal paste. I'm beginning to suspect that some of these motherboards have a manufacturing defect, since in the EVGA forums it seems like half the people are reporting really hot MCP / SPP, and some others are reporting much lower values (e.g. 56C).

The main problem in looking for third party solutions is that the main GPU sits right over the SPP, which makes finding a replacement cooler difficult due to the height issue. I'll try and check out the thermalright you mentioned to see if that helps.

unfortunately there is no way to cool down that chipset on stock cooling minus having a fan right on the fins on your NB.

Keeping the NB cooler will allow the heat pipes to work better, but the 680/780/790 chipsets are just straight up furnaces.

The first thing id do is replace the Tim, and reapply it.
OEM application of the TIM is sometimes this horrible...

Nope wont work because of the NF200 controller on the 780/790 chipset.

This is why waterblocks had to look simular to this in order for it to work on the 780/790i.

There is no air option for that board, unless i missed something a while back ago.
There are water options, and that's the route i was forced to go.

Well I have been wanting to take the step into watercooling anyway, so maybe this will be a good excuse.

 

[PCTC2]

The HR-05 SLI is right angled so as to be able to be placed in a direction not hindered by the first GPU. It was designed for these boards. I didn't really have instability for the year I ran the board at 90-95C daily. They can take a beating and since you have eVGA, you'll have a lifetime warranty if it's an A1/AR/AX model.

Also, lapping the stock blocks won't do a thing. The blocks have decent contact. Replace the TIM if you want. Don't lap the chips. They don't have an IHS.