Reccomendation needed for NB fan

[Spike]

I don't if it has always been doing this and I never noticed due to a REALLY loud case or if it just started, but my North Bridge fan seems to be making a rattling sound off and on. It sounds like the fan is slightly hitting a wire, but that is not the case and it only happens every once in a while.

I am not sure if I will replace it soon or wait a while and see how often it happens, but I wanted some reccomendations for a NB cooler. I have never replaced one so I know nothing about them. Anyone have any ideas?

the mobo is a Abit NF7-S

Thanks!

-spike

 

[Operandi]

Yeah, I've heard that sound before; the bearings are deing. I would get this Zalman I've installed a bunch of these, you'll defiantly appreciate it if your trying to cut down on noise. If your board doesn?t have mounting holes you can use thermal epoxy.

 

[Icepick]

That Zalman linked by Operandi is the best chipset heatsink I've found so far. I recommend that one to you because you don't really need a fan on the Northbridge. Unfortunately, it won't fit under the graphics card on my MSI NEO2 so i'm still looking.

 

[Spike]

Passive cooling is enough for a NB? Hmmm, I heard the nForce2 NB run pretty hot.

Man, this is really annoying as I JUST got my case in order, I don't really want to remove the entire mobo again and install this.... stupid fan...

-spike

 

[Operandi]

Yeah, it's fine. If you want to go the epoxy route you don't have to remove the board, of course its on there forever if you do.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Operandi
Yeah, it's fine. If you want to go the epoxy route you don't have to remove the board, of course its on there forever if you do.

Well, if passive is enough then forever won't matter. I thought you could remove epoxy if you got it very cold? I seem to remember removing vid card heatsinks by putting the card in the freezer for a while...

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I am going to see how it sounds in the next few days and make a decision then. I really should just be a man and uninstall it again (I need to put another mobo spacer in anyway) but that just seems like alot of work after my recent upgrades...

-spike

 

[Operandi]

heh, well you might be able to get it off, but then again the northbridge might come off with it

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Operandi
heh, well you might be able to get it off, but then again the northbridge might come off with it

lol, that definitly would not be a preferrable outcome... though it would give me good reason to upgrade, that just might work with my wife...

-spike

 

[BonzaiDuck]

What's to prevent you from simply replacing the fan? SUNON makes this little 40x40x25mm fan with "magnetic levitation". It spins up to between 6,000 and 8,000 rpms as I recall, pushes a lot of air for its size -- I think something close to 11 CFM or more, and in my judgement you just cannot hear the little sucker.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
What's to prevent you from simply replacing the fan? SUNON makes this little 40x40x25mm fan with "magnetic levitation". It spins up to between 6,000 and 8,000 rpms as I recall, pushes a lot of air for its size -- I think something close to 11 CFM or more, and in my judgement you just cannot hear the little sucker.

6 - 8,000 RPM and it is still quiet? Wow... I may have to look at that.

The only thing stopping me from replaceing the fan is the time it takes to uninstall the mobo... thats it

 

[klah]

Originally posted by: Spike

Passive cooling is enough for a NB? Hmmm, I heard the nForce2 NB run pretty hot.

There are plenty of nf2-400 boards with passively cooled NB from abit, epox, shuttle, etc. The heatsinks they use are all smaller than the Zalman.

I would install it with frag tape instead of epoxy, just in case you ever want or need to remove it.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That SUNON Mag-Lev 40x25mm fan does not have a monitoring tail on it. I found the fan for a few dollars at BuyExtras.com.

I was not eager to replace my stock aluminum chipset heatsink. This heatsink is the stock ASUS aluminum item which has no fan, and I was considering heat-sink coolers with fans, looking at the "ins-and-outs" of options for mobos with "holes" versus mobos that had "clip-retainers". My mobo was the "clip" variety.

It dawned on me that I could take the Zalman Fan-bracket (which sells now for about $7 at NewEgg with the 92mm fan included) -- and get a long machine-screw and nuts to secure the SUNON to the bracket tip so that the SUNON poked right down into the case and almost flush with the NB heatsink. It worked.

Funny thing was that I tried and I tried and made great efforts at listening, but I could not hear that fan to confirm that it was running normally. I had to take the case-panel off with the HOPES that I could hear it. But even with the case-panel removed . . . . . I couldn't hear that thing, and I had to shine a flashlight on it to confirm that it was running.

 

[cheapherk]

How about this?- forgive me- I just had to.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: cheapherk
How about this?- forgive me- I just had to.

Is ok to plug that into MB fan header?

 

[FrustratedUser]

I have the same prblem.

 

[phlashphire]

I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: cheapherk
How about this?- forgive me- I just had to.

Oh man, that might be the answers to my problems!!! Though I am a little concerned about dB as my comp is in the bedroom office, could I volt mod that to get it below 25 dB?

 

[Fern]

Hey Spike, if your gonna OC that NF7-S, you might wanna look at THIS. I almost bought one, but found that an old Pentium/Celeron HSF fit on mine with a little modding (gringing off the HS lip).

Fern

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Fern
Hey Spike, if your gonna OC that NF7-S, you might wanna look at THIS. I almost bought one, but found that an old Pentium/Celeron HSF fit on mine with a little modding (gringing off the HS lip).

Fern

OC the NF7-S? How can I OC the NB? I didn't know you could do that... one more thing to tweak...

-spike

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: phlashphire
I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

Did you have to pull the MOBO from the Case or could you replace it while it was mounted?

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: phlashphire
I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

Did you have to pull the MOBO from the Case or could you replace it while it was mounted?

This is key for me as I am way lazy. I don't really want to take out my board again...

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: phlashphire
I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

Did you have to pull the MOBO from the Case or could you replace it while it was mounted?

This is key for me as I am way lazy. I don't really want to take out my board again...

Yeah, you CAN do it w/o removing the mobo. The NB HS is held in place by two small plastic pin thingys. Clip the ends off at the NB HS and push them on through the mobo. They'll then be under your mobo, but shouldn't hurt anything. Next time you remove the mobo you can get 'em out.

Fern

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Fern

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: phlashphire
I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

Did you have to pull the MOBO from the Case or could you replace it while it was mounted?

This is key for me as I am way lazy. I don't really want to take out my board again...

Yeah, you CAN do it w/o removing the mobo. The NB HS is held in place by two small plastic pin thingys. Clip the ends off at the NB HS and push them on through the mobo. They'll then be under your mobo, but shouldn't hurt anything. Next time you remove the mobo you can get 'em out.

Fern

Hmmm, I may have to try this now... Thanks for the pointers and the suggestion!

-spike

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Certainly with a mobo that has a spring-clip retainer, you can add the appropriate NB cooler without removing the mobo from the case. And without either the proper clip-hooks or the proper holes in the mobo, you are going to have to pick one cooler or the other unless a cooler is accessoried to fit both types of mountings.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: Fern

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: phlashphire
I just got the Zalman ZMNB47J Northbridge hs to replace the stock Abit pos. So far so good. Got one from excaliburpc for $6.00 shipped.

Did you have to pull the MOBO from the Case or could you replace it while it was mounted?

This is key for me as I am way lazy. I don't really want to take out my board again...

Yeah, you CAN do it w/o removing the mobo. The NB HS is held in place by two small plastic pin thingys. Clip the ends off at the NB HS and push them on through the mobo. They'll then be under your mobo, but shouldn't hurt anything. Next time you remove the mobo you can get 'em out.

Fern

Hmmm, I may have to try this now... Thanks for the pointers and the suggestion!

-spike

Yup, gotta give that a try. I am way lazy too.