I built a new C2D system with the Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2. It a Micro-ATX board with the integrated video in the northbridge (intel G965).

The included heatsink gets very hot to the touch. It probably doesn't help that I made this a fairly quiet system with slow fans - and it's in a small Micro-ATX case.

I would like to replace the Gigabyte north bridge heatsink with something that performs better. The CPU HSF is a Thermalright XP-90 + Vantec 92mm fan which works well with my Antec NSK3300.

Since this board includes the video in the north bridge, my guess is it gets hotter than a standard P965 northbridge. Is there an aftermarket HS or HSF that you would recommend?

Thanks,
Robert

The Thermalright HR-05 or HR05 SLi. Or the new Noctua thing, which looks just like the HR05 but is made out of copper. If they fit that is. That depends on your CPU cooler and your PCI cards if you have any. With an XP90, even the normal HR05 should fit though. Check bofore you buy though ::)

That looks pretty tall. Will it secure well to the motherboard? This PC will be shipped cross country.

Robert

To put into perspective, here is a picture of my HR05-SLi. It's not that heavy, and the mounting is very secure. Im not sure i would be comfortable shipping it as is though. You could use some zipties to secure it to the CPU heatsink , and maybe down somwhere too, like the HDD mount on the bottom. If you had a separate GPU you could just use some antistatic foam. However it is entirely possible that its not running too hot as standard either, most likely its not runnign too hot. Obviously its always better if things run cooler, but if it stays in the 60-70c range during load you should not have anything to worry about. The software temps are not usually very reliable, especially for chipsets.

IMO even a passive HR-05 will run a bit hot, since the 965G dissipates ~20W. I would expect ~15C lower than the stock heatsink.

Ay, caramba! 20W? 15-20c drop in temp is realistic, that's about what i got. The NB47j got up to 70c, this one goes to about 50c with no airflow.

Since I will be shipping this PC across country, I wouldn't mind a lower profile, but better performing, alternative to the stock Gigabyte northbridge heatsink.

Would the Zalman NB47J be at least as good, if not better? Should I put some CPU heatsink compound underneath it, even if keeping the stock cooler?

The reason I'm worried is because my second motherboad is coming from NewEgg. The first one refuses to post anymore after using it for only a couple weeks. I made it to be a silent rig, and all my temperature probes are okay for the CPU, but I don't know how hot the NB gets. I don't know if it was the cause of the last one dying, but I'd rather not take a chance. It's final home will be in Arizona!

An NB47j would probably work slightly better than stock, and in most cases it is a good idea to replace the stock TIM even if using the stock cooling. It's usually some kind of pad, not goo. Replacing it with any silicon or silver paste is preferable. The base of the stock heatsink can also be very rough. The mounting on the NB47 is pretty flimsy though, i would use some "screw-glue" to make sure it doesnt rattle loose. Come to think of it, the zalman NBF47 might be a better option, it has the same mounting as far as i can see, but the heatsink should be more efficient. It's only three grams heavier than the J.

OK. Thanks!

IMO the NB47J wouldn't be significantly better than the stock heatsink. The NBF47 should be better, not as good as the HR-05 though.
But NBF47 should be able to take advantage of the case airflow better than the stock HS or the NB47J.

Update: I tried to locate again the power numbers for chipsets. One helpful link is this thread by smilingcrow:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... ab26f5e43c
He refers to an article at the Inq: http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32230
Since the 965G has 8 pipes at 667 MHz, it could definitely go over 20W: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipse ... 150_3.html

This is what you want.



Jing Ting NB Cooler. Got mine from epowerhousepc.

http://www.svc.com/rt-ucl-l4u1.html

$15, be sure to remove the fan.

So you want a cool NB......here's how.



The HR05 and the Ninja share the airflow from the rear fan....it's blowing inward. The duct routes air under the HR05 and upward through the Ninja. One rear fan cools the CPU, NB, and the fanless Zen PSU. The internal fan visible in the photo cools the ram, SB, and the winbond chip heatsink.

MY NB temp dropped drastically with this duct and heatsink......I've never measured a NB temp over 31C like this. (ambient 24C).