Slow down chipset fan

[tom66]

I've got an Asus A8N-SLI motherboard, donated to me by a friend, including an AMD FX-58 processor and 3 GB of RAM.

I'm building a HTPC.

Doesn't sound like a good combination - SLI motherboard & HTPC. None the less, it is pretty quiet, apart from one thing.

The chipset fan. If I briefly stop it, the PC is almost dead silent. I have adjusted CPU fan speed in BIOS and set up the allowable temperature to a higher but still safe value. I will probably underclock the processor a bit, too, and turn on AMD Cool 'n' Quiet with aggressive settings. (I also want to save power, as the PC will be on 24/7.) I can't help but think that little 50mm fan is going to ruin it for the rest of it.

I looked up the specifications of the motherboard, and apparently the chipset fan is synchronised to the CPU fan, whatever that means. Does that mean they get the same PWM drive? Because they do show up as separate fans.

I'm wondering if I will even need the fan if I am running the processor at a low clock and only using a very basic graphics card - an Nvidia 8600 GS probably. I am considering connecting it to one of the 5V lines or a 12V line with a series resistor and running it slower, keeping a careful eye on chipset temperature. What would be a danger temperature for this chip?

The intent of this computer is to smoothly play 720p and 1080p. My current Scaleo E struggles with 720p and 1080p is jerky on all but a few specific formats and even then eats up 95% of the CPU. Adding the 8600 GS improved it from the standard integrated Intel but it's still not as good as it could be. And it disappoints the trash picked 42" LCD...

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

That's a nForce 4... Yes it's going to need all the cooling it can get. Ghetto solution: Replace fan with bigger one, that moves the same amount of air at lower rpm thus lower noise. Ziptie it or something. Job done.

[Old Thrashbarg]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I had a Foxconn Nforce4 board with a similar 'angry bees' fan. Running it at 5V didn't work since the fan wouldn't always start reliably, but 7V did the trick, and made it considerably quieter. I ran it for a couple years like that, never had any sort of heat problem. The heat output of the Nforce4 is way overblown, even passive cooling would probably work were it not for the fact that a passive heatsink would physically interfere with the video card.

No need to bother with resistors or anything, just connect the positive lead to the 12V, and the negative lead to 5V. You can even leave the yellow RPM sensor wire hooked to the header on the motherboard, so you don't lose the ability to monitor the speed.

[Longbow]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

If you search on d.c. motor speed control, there is a whole industry out there that provides computer fan speed control circuits. These can run either open loop with manual speed control, or closed loop using a temperature sensor.

[mariushm]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I'd recommend changing the heatsink with a better one.

For example, this heatsink+fan is light enough to connect it using a double sided adhesive thermal tape to the southbridge... could be even good enough to remove the actual fan and it's about 10$:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/K%C3%BChler-...4992169&sr=1-1

Just make sure there's enough room for it. To me, it looks like the actual surface touching the chip is small enough, and there's enough height clearance for whatever is around the heatsink:



The specs say it's 113 L x 101 W x 90 H mm but the actual touch area is definitely smaller: http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/cp...ne-64-pwm.html

[Rulycat]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I had a Foxconn Nforce4 board and I installed a huge thermalright northbridge cooler on it. Still working great passively!

[ratdude747]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I'd recommend changing the heatsink with a better one.

For example, this heatsink+fan is light enough to connect it using a double sided adhesive thermal tape to the southbridge... could be even good enough to remove the actual fan and it's about 10$:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/K%C3%BChler-...4992169&sr=1-1

Just make sure there's enough room for it. To me, it looks like the actual surface touching the chip is small enough, and there's enough height clearance for whatever is around the heatsink:



The specs say it's 113 L x 101 W x 90 H mm but the actual touch area is definitely smaller: http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/cp...ne-64-pwm.html

I got one of those free; I junked it

why?

well, it seemed cheesy... the fan wires were the thinnest things I have ever seen... and the heatsink had too thin of a base to transfer heat well.

I reccomend the [url=http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6602]cooler master hyper tx3[/quote]... They work well and are cheap... Fry's had them for $10 after a rebate. they were $15 originally.

for noise, if your board can spin down the fans via pwm or voltage, it will be quiet... otherwise, you can switch to any other 90mm fan, they cool things very well.

[brethin]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

NForce 4 just keep it under 70C and you should be fine. Alot are passive cooled and run as high as 80C esp Gigabyte and Asus. For a HTPC just replace the fan with a slower one and make sure the case has alot of aitflow. You dont need fast loud fans when slower fans will work as long as you move the air.

[kaboom]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I may be stating the obvious here, but make sure the bottom of that heatsink is flat!

When I got my 9500 GT card, the first thing I did was pull the heatsink and examine it. You didn't even need a straightedge to see that hollow! Only part of the chip would contact. We'd end up with the lazy 'fix' of depending on the compound to 'make up' for it.

First I used some 220 grit paper, then progressively finer, ending with crocus cloth. Within 1/1000 of an inch where the die seats. I also thermo-epoxied a 486 CPU heatsink onto the baseplate and obtained more surface area. AS5 between the die and sink, against the 'wishes' of some people.

That GPU never even hit 50 degrees Celcius. It's usually around 43. Entering air temp for the GPU fan is around 30 degrees Celcius.

Card in question:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130395

-Paul

[ratdude747]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I may be stating the obvious here, but make sure the bottom of that heatsink is flat!

When I got my 9500 GT card, the first thing I did was pull the heatsink and examine it. You didn't even need a straightedge to see that hollow! Only part of the chip would contact. We'd end up with the lazy 'fix' of depending on the compound to 'make up' for it.

First I used some 220 grit paper, then progressively finer, ending with crocus cloth. Within 1/1000 of an inch where the die seats. I also thermo-epoxied a 486 CPU heatsink onto the baseplate and obtained more surface area. AS5 between the die and sink, against the 'wishes' of some people.

That GPU never even hit 50 degrees Celcius. It's usually around 43. Entering air temp for the GPU fan is around 30 degrees Celcius.

Card in question:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130395

-Paul

that looks a lot like the 7600GT units that topcat bought and recapped... I have one; I will check it and report back if the evga 7600GT also has the surface issue.

[c_hegge]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

I reccomend the cooler master hyper tx3... They work well and are cheap... Fry's had them for $10 after a rebate. they were $15 originally.

The TX3 is great as a CPU cooler, but I'd love to see the OP try sticking that on his chipset

[ratdude747]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

FYI, I was suggesting a replacement for the artic64 junker suggested.

anyway, the EVGA gave me a shocker! (Topcat, you will not believe this):

the surface of the EVGA 7600Gt's cooler is rough, so I sanded it... and all of the sudden, no more copper!

Turns out the cooler is actually copper plated aluminum, not actual copper. rough cut aluminum, I might add.


I guess that goes well with the SACON FZ's the things had stock?

[kaboom]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

Are you sure, RD? Mine also had that copper color, but it was obviously anodized.

The color of said anodize "just happened to be" a color that made the sink look 'more expen$ive."

When sanding through the 'copper' layer, it felt just like going through the typical oxide layer present on other 'normal' anodized aluminum. My hands didn't have that 'copper' smell, either. Pull some bare CU wire, or strip & terminate a lot of it- it'll leave that 'smell'.

-Paul

[ratdude747]

Re: Slow down chipset fan

Are you sure, RD? Mine also had that copper color, but it was obviously anodized.

The color of said anodize "just happened to be" a color that made the sink look 'more expen$ive."

When sanding through the 'copper' layer, it felt just like going through the typical oxide layer present on other 'normal' anodized aluminum. My hands didn't have that 'copper' smell, either. Pull some bare CU wire, or strip & terminate a lot of it- it'll leave that 'smell'.

-Paul

the plating was so thin that there was no "smell".

it was one of this poly-mod batch:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8679

looks like copper to me. (and I have seen copper-colored anodized before)