DFI SLI-DR Chipset Temp

[Rammage]

So, I've been having an issue with my DFI LANParty SLI-DR Mobo. I'll turn on the computer, load the BIOS, go to "PC Health..." to see temperatures and such, and the chipset temp starts off at 43°C, then gets higher and higher. It eventually ends up at 54°C. I mean, it's just sitting in the BIOS and not doing anything. Now, when I load up WinXP and start up a program that requires any degree of processing power, the chipset fan gets really loud. I reboot my machine and go back to the BIOS. The chipset temp sits at 61°C and doesn't seem to cool down! This doesn't seem normal...

Any ideas on what might be happening? I've only had the machine for a little over three weeks.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Promethply]

Hi, welcome to AF

Your system's working at full blast before you reach Windows,

to find out what your chipset's temperature in Windows, just

download Everest.

 

[Rammage]

Thanks, Promethply!

I actually downloaded SpeedFan, and it was saying the same thing. My chipset temp seems to hover at about 60°C while running Windows. My machine seems to be working fine, but the chipset fan is annoyingly loud. Also, I can't imagine 60°C is a healthy temp for the chipset.

Is there anything wrong with my Mobo? I haven't overclocked anything, so I'm completely baffled. One of my video cards (BFG 6800GT OC) does partially cover the fan, but I imagine more people would be complaining about this if that were the cause of the problem.

 

[Promethply]

Yeah, I got speedfan installed as well, and in my system, the chipset temp is represented by temp2, which is @ around 30 C.

 

[Promethply]

You maybe right about the video card partially blocking the fan causing the high temperature of your chipset,

and yeah, you can find out whether it is the cause by taking off that card, and see if your chipset temp comes down.

 

[Rammage]

I'll give that a try. The video card in question is the main card, though. If I remove the main card and plug my monitor into the second one, will I get a signal? Either way, I'd be able to listen to the chipset fan to see if it gets louder and louder. Thanks for the idea! Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Promethply]

Rammage, if that video card is your main card, don't take it off, instead take off the secondary one so that you can still get to Windows, and monitor the chipset temp in Windows.

 

[Demo24]

BIOS does run the system a little.

I suggest useing "smartguardian" it came wiht your DFI cd, for temps.

I suspect its hot for a few reasons a)your abmient temps are warm b)your video card is blowing hot air right into the chipset (moved mine because of it) c)your chipset fan may not be seated correctly

 

[Rammage]

Gotcha... Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll try messing with my system a bit and see what happens.

DEMO24, if the video card were blowing hot air on the chipset, what could I do to alleviate the issue?

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Just for the record, here's a list of my key components:
Case: Antec Super Lanboy
PSU: Enermax NoiseTaker 600W
CPU: AMD 64 3500+
CPU Fan: Thermaltake Venus 12
MoBo: DFI LANBOY nF4 SLI-DR
Video Cards: 2x BFG 6800GT OC
Sound Card: Audigy 2 ZS Gamer
-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Demo24]

well its not "if" it "is". and unless you mod your card to have an extra little exhaust port theres no way to get rid of it with 2 cards

 

[imported_motodude]

Originally posted by: Rammage
Gotcha... Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll try messing with my system a bit and see what happens.

DEMO24, if the video card were blowing hot air on the chipset, what could I do to alleviate the issue?

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Just for the record, here's a list of my key components:
Case: Antec Super Lanboy
PSU: Enermax NoiseTaker 600W
CPU: AMD 64 3500+
CPU Fan: Thermaltake Venus 12
MoBo: DFI LANBOY nF4 SLI-DR
Video Cards: 2x BFG 6800GT OC
Sound Card: Audigy 2 ZS Gamer
-------------------------------------------------------------------

An ATI silencer should fix that problem, at least for the main card.

 

[rise]

you might want to push on the fan a bit, on the corners and make sure its making proper contact if you haven't already. i ended up applying AS ceramique to mine and got ~5c better.

that fan is loud on full. i was around 54 on a really warm day and the noise was killing me. since then i use ite guardian to change/set the speed and with the ceramique, i never need more than 2000 rpm to keep me around 45c under load.

edit-btw i only have one vga

 

[Rammage]

Hey guys,

So, I tried a couple of different things and managed to drop my chipset temp by a notable amount.

The first thing I tried was to remove several PCI Slot covers to allow more hot air to escape. I removed the cover above the main video card, the cover between the two video cards, and the one just below the second card. In addition to that, the LANBOY has an additional slot cover "lock" panel, which I removed. Doing all of the above dropped the chipset temp from 55°C idle to 51°C idle. Load temp dropped from 61°C to 54°C! The biggest difference is the noise. It's much quieter now.

This is still a bit too hot for comfort, though, so I ordered some AS Ceramique. When I get it, I'll apply it, see what happens, and post the results. I'll also look into getting a Silencer for at least one of my cards. I think the NV5 is the correct one for 6800GT's, yes?

The next thing I tried was to add a piece of cardboard between the two video cards. I slanted it so that the hot air from the main video card would be directed away from the chipset. However, this ended up preventing enough air from reaching the chipset, and ended up increased my temps by about 3°C. So much for that theory.

Also, I think the intake and outtake fans on my case are insufficient for an SLI setup. They're large (120mm), but there are only two (one in, one out), and they're "low-speed." While they're virtually silent, that silence is negated by the noise generated by the other fans that need to work harder to keep things cool. I'll be looking to get a pair of new case fans soon.

Based on my experience, I would not recommend the Antec Super LANBOY case for a SLI system.

If anyone would like pictures of what I did to the back of my case, let me know and I'll post 'em!

Thanks again for the help, guys! Y'all rock!

 

[rise]

i'd like to see some pics.

thankjs for reminding me to dremel out the rest of my slot covers too i have a couple vented ones left over from silencers but i think i'll vent the rest as well.

last time in the case i removed the front foam covers on the intake fans which helped. i was also thinking of positioning an 80mm or 92mm fan somewhere in there. i can't really see how with still keeping it neat so i'm thinking of one of these

for the money i think its worth a shot to push some more air out the back. i might put one over my ram depending on what it looks like real life.

 

[Rammage]

I'm thinking about getting a Wherever PCI Rack.

I'm going to put a 120mm fan on it and place that fan directly above the chipset. Has anyone else tried this? Would I want to direct the airflow from the fan towards or away from the chipset?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Rammage]

Here's a pic of the back of my case.

Interesting idea, rise! I might just look into getting one of those instead of the PCI rack. I'm not sure the rack is even compatible with my case...