Northbridge mod and temps?

Mocca

Hello guys

I just decided to pull off the fan on my NB cooler on my Abit IC7-Max3, cause it was making alot of noise after the 10 months I've had the board.

Now my question is:

What's a normal NB temp with inactive NB cooling? What should the highest temp I ever would allow on the NB be?

PS: I don't overclock anything.

Thanks
-Mocca

mkk

You could get a larger heatsink for the northbridge to be positively sure that the cooling is enough, like the blue Zalman NB cooler. But if you have a decent airflow through the system it's quite possible that you could run as you are now at least until you start stressing the system more.

As for temps, are you sure you get a reading from the Northbridge? The motherboard shouldn't even have a sensor for it. Anyway you would definitely experience system instability pretty fast if the northbridge gets too hot, well before any damage occurrs. Unless the heatsink does a TomsHardware on you and suddenly falls off.

Mocca

Well, I take it, that my "System" measuring is the NB.
I just pld 40 mins CS:S and the "System" is up to 35 degrees. It idles at app. 32.

I can't use the Zalman cooler because I have no holes in my mobo for it, the IC7-series uses clips.

I have a ThermalTake Alu casing with 4 casing fans, I should have decent airflow.

Anyone else have some ideas, please let me know.

Mocca

Cmon guys... I could really use some help here...
With all these geeks around, someone must know something

Sandok

Callin people geeks ain't the best way to get help... IMO

drakesteakn

u can always get a swiftech NB cooler or get a thermalright NB-1 cooler. they have clips, and i aint a geek.

El Kapitano

Case temps are usually monitored via a thermal sensor on the motherboard. I haven't seen a NB temp sensed yet, it's likely that the increased temps you witnessed were down to the rise in ambient temp in the case. Best way to check would be run the same test with the case sides off and see if you get the same rise in temp, and i aint a geek either.

CDsDontBurn

i have the abit IC7-G board, and it's basically the same board you have. I would recomend you get an after market fan like the thermalright NB-1C. all copper, w/an excellent fan compared to ABIT's POS fan. I replaced my NB when my friend gave me the NB-1C as a birthday present . It's not all that expensive either, its like 20 bux.

BTW, i'm no geek either, and you're lucky we're even helping you out cuz of it.

Mocca

Thanks for all the replies.
Well, there are no Thermalright NB-1C available in my country for some reason??
- And if it was, would it fit with my Zalman 7000Cu?

For now I've ordered a Revoltec passive(it's bound to be better than default Abit w/o fan) and hope everything goes OK until I can get my hands on the Thermalright(if it fits with Zalman 7000Cu).

I played 1½ hour CS:S and 2 hours Desert Combat Final tonight with nothing but that flimsy Abit heatsink on... no instability...

Let's see what happens.
Thanks again.

mkk

You'll be fine. No worries.

Just for the record though, the typical 'system' temperature probe is almost useless as an indicator of anything. They are normally not placed near anything in perticular and the lack of a positioning standard in addition to differences in system layout makes for very arbitrary values. A difference of as much as 10C from one system to another may not truly indicate any actual difference in overall 'system temperature'.

Mocca

Aight thanks for the reply mkk.
I'll put that Revoltec NB Cooler on, which sure as hell must be better than Abit w/o fan, some decent AS and if I experience lockups i'll add a fan to it somehow.
Thanks again.