Phenom quad/MB chipset cooling

[Flasherly]

Found some old tiny fans, not much bigger than between an inch, less
than two. Smaller than 486/586 fans, not sure where they came from.
Took the two PCI cards out and got lucky by swapping the longer of the
two, over the MB chipset, for a shorter PCI HD controller. Then, the
fan fit over the MB chipset;- secured at a slight angle with one
screw, airflow flow going down. Even had a handy empty SYS Fan MB
header and didn't have to splice up something.

Maybe 10F cooler offhand. Couldn't wait until summer as the new 2.2
Phenom CPU I swapped in to replace a dual 3Ghz, though only rated
6watts higher -- it's really bumping up the temps. Weather's still
relatively cool and ambient 70 degrees, MB chipset temps were already
rising to 125F (CPU 110).

Not exactly sure what's going on, but also changed sides to the large
fan on the heatwick's CPU cooler fins, moved it opposite and closest
to a PS fan facing into the case. Both CPU dropped maybe 5 or 10
degrees, averaged/loaded, as well same for the MB chipset (w/ fan
installed).

I've run computer chips at 125F before, but I really don't like it and
prefer things under that. Well under, although 110-120F I can live
with;- 130F and I get hot about not especially trusting potentially a
problematic situation escalating into a faulty computer. (I've had it
five years and want to keep another five if only on principle.)

Suspect Speedfan's report of the MB and an AUX, running close but not
exactly lockstep for high temps are both the MB, with the AUX being a
VID compliment to chipset(s) -- as both effectively under the same
aluminum heatsink prettily labeled Gigabyte.

Heh - also found a couple in my box of "leftovers" 2-1/2" 9-bladed 586
type fans. High quality. We, me and Gigabyte, with go another round
if need be with the summer approaching.

 

[Paul]

Found some old tiny fans, not much bigger than between an inch, less
than two. Smaller than 486/586 fans, not sure where they came from.
Took the two PCI cards out and got lucky by swapping the longer of the
two, over the MB chipset, for a shorter PCI HD controller. Then, the
fan fit over the MB chipset;- secured at a slight angle with one
screw, airflow flow going down. Even had a handy empty SYS Fan MB
header and didn't have to splice up something.

Maybe 10F cooler offhand. Couldn't wait until summer as the new 2.2
Phenom CPU I swapped in to replace a dual 3Ghz, though only rated
6watts higher -- it's really bumping up the temps. Weather's still
relatively cool and ambient 70 degrees, MB chipset temps were already
rising to 125F (CPU 110).

Not exactly sure what's going on, but also changed sides to the large
fan on the heatwick's CPU cooler fins, moved it opposite and closest
to a PS fan facing into the case. Both CPU dropped maybe 5 or 10
degrees, averaged/loaded, as well same for the MB chipset (w/ fan
installed).

I've run computer chips at 125F before, but I really don't like it and
prefer things under that. Well under, although 110-120F I can live
with;- 130F and I get hot about not especially trusting potentially a
problematic situation escalating into a faulty computer. (I've had it
five years and want to keep another five if only on principle.)

Suspect Speedfan's report of the MB and an AUX, running close but not
exactly lockstep for high temps are both the MB, with the AUX being a
VID compliment to chipset(s) -- as both effectively under the same
aluminum heatsink prettily labeled Gigabyte.

Heh - also found a couple in my box of "leftovers" 2-1/2" 9-bladed 586
type fans. High quality. We, me and Gigabyte, with go another round
if need be with the summer approaching.

The fan is probably a 40mm. They come out of disk enclosures.
I've replaced a few from disk enclosures.

When I did a Northbridge heatsink, I got a reduction in
surface temperature from 75C to 37C. The surface temperature
was checked with a digital thermometer.

My fan was a Ceradyne 6000 RPM fan. It gives the
fan a tiny bit of CFMs but it helped a bit.

The purpose of adding this, is the motherboard was
part of an all-in-one computer for someone else. And
the cooling was poorly designed. So I "fixed" it.

If you want more cooling power, find a "concentrator". They
used to sell plastic funnel-shaped items for computers,
which convert the airstream from a larger fan, to fit into
a smaller space. Kind of a plenum with concentration
properties. Then, you can use a slightly larger fan,
a fan which is thicker, and the fan can create a better
static pressure level. That may give you more than
a 10F improvement.

The first item for sale here, is a 60mm to 40mm fan duct.

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g47...essories-Fan_Accessories-Fan_Ducts-Page1.html

Then you can put a 60x60x25mm fan on top.

http://www.circuittest.com/cfa126025mb-12vdc-ball-bearing-60mm-fan.html

At one time these ducts were quite common. And cheaper
than this one... Since they've fallen out of fashion,
you can't find them quite as easily now. I've made my
own fan adapters/ducts on occasion, as I have a bit of sheet
metal in my basement for projects like this.

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?t=1053725

Paul

 

[Flasherly]

So I "fixed" it.

If you want more cooling power, find a "concentrator". They
used to sell plastic funnel-shaped items for computers,
which convert the airstream from a larger fan, to fit into
a smaller space. Kind of a plenum with concentration
properties. Then, you can use a slightly larger fan,
a fan which is thicker, and the fan can create a better
static pressure level. That may give you more than
a 10F improvement.

The first item for sale here, is a 60mm to 40mm fan duct.

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g47...essories-Fan_Accessories-Fan_Ducts-Page1.html

Then you can put a 60x60x25mm fan on top.

http://www.circuittest.com/cfa126025mb-12vdc-ball-bearing-60mm-fan.html

At one time these ducts were quite common. And cheaper
than this one... Since they've fallen out of fashion,
you can't find them quite as easily now. I've made my
own fan adapters/ducts on occasion, as I have a bit of sheet
metal in my basement for projects like this.

Amen. And, I've got them, too - concentrators. Well, one, albeit
larger and CPU oriented.

(Also found an all solid brass squirrel cage. Probably a $30/40 CPU
cooler setup, before efficiently oversized heatpipes and wicking
became what they are. Now, a hunk of brass, just a thing of beauty
stuck in my box of prototypical "better rat-traps.")

It's all boxed stuff, some saved from just before that Orleans single
core CPU I first bought with this Gigabyte MB. Whatever I was running
then in AMD (Athlon) flavors.

That little HD enclosure fan, though, has given a better handle and
indication to the problem. MB support chipsets -really- ought not be
hitting 130F, and that new Phenom strongly indicates it's intending
only to aggravate the situation. Oh, well;- getting up to 65F this
morning inside, 60 outside. Nice and cool (for predominately a summer
oriented climate, here, that's long and decidedly hot.)

Time to fire up the Chrome Peacock - a one-armed La Pavoni espresso
maker with a manometer. Cheers!, have a nice day.

 

[Flasherly]

btw sent off for a "purple" 3T HDD. Test my PCI HD controller for its
chipset "compliance" to that size (although I won't be using over 2T
partitions at this stage). Altogether effectively an unreviewed unit
in terms of longevity (maybe, only recently released). Not something
I usually do. Thing that sold me is the warantee is 3yrs, for the
same price positioning, over most available HDs with only 2yrs in a
similar product lineup. It's a video surveillance HDD.

WD Purple WD30PURX 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive