Passive DIY Chipset Heatsink Question

[mdahc]

I'm experiencing this rather loud noise that can only be a fan buzzing. It happens almost every time I power on my machine but then stops a minute or so after Windows loads. I've isolated it to either my graphics card or my active chipset cooler. Since I don't have another graphics card laying around, I'm going to buy a cheapo this weekend to test it out (i.e. one without an active cooler, like a Geforce 2 or 4 MX). If it turns out that it is my chipset cooler, I was going to buy the Zalman ZM-NB32J to replace my active cooler. Has anyone else ever done this with any other chipset (in other words, has anyone ever used a passive heatsink like this on a chipset that supposed to be cooled by an active cooler)? Will this provide sufficient cooling for an nForce3 Ultra with an OC'd CPU? I'd like to get an nForce4, but I just don't have the money right now.

Setup:
AMD Athlon64 3200+ s939 Winchester core (OC'd @ 2.2GHz)
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
1GB OCZ DDR466 Rev. 3
single 36.7GB WD Raptor
Antec NeoPower 480W PSU
Lian-Li PC-V1000 case
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
Sony CPD-E540/B

 

[iamtrout]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. No need for all the hassle of buying a cheap card and then returning it just to check out fan noise!

Take out your current vid card and turn on your computer. If the noise disappears, it was your video card.

Unplug the tiny fan on your mobo chipset and turn on the computer. If the noise disappears, it was your mobo.

There are a lot of nForce3's that are just cooled passively, and by heatsinks that are a lot smaller than that Zalman too. Lots of people don't see a point to cooling to mobo chipset, but you'll find that when overclocking the chipset gets quite warm/hot, so it may be a good idea, if it's the mobo that's causing the noise, to simply get a replacement fan because a buzzing sound indicates that a fan is either not mounted tight enough or dying.

 

[mdahc]

Thanks. I don't know why that never occurred to me. I don't think I've ever try to boot a machine without a graphics card. Are you sure the chipset will be okay for the minute or so I boot up since my CPU is OC'd? Also, if I end up having to replace the chipset heatsink, I'd rather get a passive one so I minimize the number of fans in my rig. So, that Zalman should be okay for nF3 Ultra with an OC'd CPU, right?

 

[iamtrout]

The absence of a graphics card won't destroy an OCed system in any way, and mobo chipsets do not flash fry like CPUs as long as they have some sort of heatsink on them. So if the noise is the mobo, or if you just want to replace the stock HSF, install the Zalman, run the system, and periodically check the temperature of the mobo with a temp program and with your finger physically on the heatsink. If either get too hot for your liking, you may want to install a fan.