Chipset and GFX coolers

This is the latest evil in the computer industry, motherboard and graphics chips generate more heat than ever, and thus require fans to operate within specs. I can only think of three ways to fix this rather nasty problem:

Replace the fan: Most chipset fans are 40x40x10mm, and Papst/EBM makes an excellent replacement fan called 412FM, however, many gfx cards and chipsets use special mountings for the fans, which makes it impossible to replace the fan with a standard fan. If this is the case you will need to buy another chipset cooler and then replace the fan. Fortunately I haven't had this problem myself yet. :)
Replace the heatsink/fan combo with a large heatsink: This would be my preferred solution, but you should beware that the risk of overheating can be pretty high, so be sure to monitor the temperature. It might be a good idea to combine a large heatsink with ducting or a slot cooler, both could use low-noise 80mm fans as listed on the case fans page.
Water cooling: Just as with CPUs, you can use water cooling to get the heat out of the box without a lot of noise. However, you'll need to use thermal epoxy to affix the water jacket to the chip, so the procedure might not be reversible.

Sorry, but there are no more ways to fix chipset and gfx coolers that I know of. If your fan is on a graphics card, my advice would be to buy a new one without a fan, but if that's not an option, there are still other ways.

Ok, if you've disposed of your small whiny chipset/gfx coolers, go on to the hard drive >>>

This page has been accessed 47,389 times since March 4th, 2001.
Last modified: March 4th, 2001 - Design by Monica & Fredrik Hübinette