Epox 8RDA3+ Chipset Fan problem

[EricW]

Hello all,

One of the PC's I built a while back is having a noise problem, I narrowed it down to the small "Epox" fan/heatsink on the chipset. I unplug it, no more noise ....

I've thought about contacting Epox to see if I can get a replacement for it, but getting the serial number would require me to pretty much dismantle the PC since they decide to stick it on the WRONG side of the PCI slots (heh).

Or, I could just buy a new one from Newegg...
Swiftech MCX159-CU 40mm Chipset Cooling Fan

Anyone know if that works in place of the one I have? It *looks* about the same size (only taller, which isn't a problem).

Or, can I just unplug the fan and not have it be a problem at all?

Thanks for any advice.

Eric

 

[pkrush]

That one looks fine, but I wouldn't spend that much on a chipset cooler. I'd recommend the Zalman NB-47J, which should only cost about 7 bucks. It doesn't include a fan, but you shouldn't need one if you have decent case airflow.

 

[Operandi]

Running without the fan is not ok, the nForce2 is pretty hot chipset. Having said that I agree with pkrush; the best option is the Zalman NB-47J.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I used the Zalman NB-47J on my early revision Epox 8RDA and it worked great....much better than the stock Epox HS.

 

[EricW]

Hi all, I got the Zalman thing, now I'm trying to install it.

I got the heatsink fan from the Epox cooler off, and the heatsink part that is left is detached from the northbridge, but the two little "doohickey" plunger type things are still holding it onto the Mobo...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me that I don't need to remove the motherboard from the case to get to the back side to remove those suckers.

If that's the case, I will ...... well, suicide is an option.... but... I think I'll just scream profanities for about 4 hours instead....

Any clue how to remove that damn heatsink?

 

[Operandi]

Get your profanities in order? the motherboard has to come out.

 

[EricW]

Well, I did quite a bit of swearing, but finally managed to remove it. That was, unfortunately, the easy part.

Lining up the holes with those teeny tiny screws and bolts and nuts was a pure nightmare. I have big hands and working with things that small is a PITA.

I prayed I got them lined up and went for it, slathering the grease on and plopping it on and pushing them through. I hope its "tight" enough to keep a good contact, it didn't seem very tight to me, but I did make sure both "arrow head" plunger things were all the way through and unable to come back out.

The PC is now definitely quieter, that's for sure, and aside from (as usual) putting the LED/HDD cables on backwards (I always do), everything worked ok.

Thank you all for your help.

Eric.