NMB-MAT RB-1608KL-L 40mm--how to secure to Zalman NB32J?

Control: management of fans, temp/rpm monitoring via soft/hardware

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Ocelot
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:41 am
Location: Lynnwood, WA USA

NMB-MAT RB-1608KL-L 40mm--how to secure to Zalman NB32J?

Post by Ocelot » Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:32 am

Here's what I'm looking to do: replace the stock NB heatsink/fan of an MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum with a Zalman NB32J (the square, gold model) and add the NMB on top. I'm going with this fan from Dorothy Bradbury's site since it already has a 3-pin connector (no rewiring needed), and is only 1dBa louder than the Papst 412FM. (I'm hoping the extra 10mm of height won't be a problem. Don't think so, but see caveat below.)

I need to find out the best way to secure the NMB to the Zalman heatsink. I know screws are involved, but being a bit of a neo at this, I'm not certain as to specific type or method. Searching didn't drill down enough for me to find this info, hence my post.

Possible caveat: I don't know how long the MSI 6800GT PCIe video card might be, so if anyone has this combo of mobo and video card, I'd appreciate any info regarding clearance around the NB, especially since I plan to put a Zalman VF-700cu on my 6800GT. Concerned about enough space between the VF-700cu and the NB heatsink setup.

Any help fellow SPCR members can provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get all my parts and processes in line before I actually start building this computer. And, well, uh (cough) money. Yeah, money to buy all the parts definitely helps. :wink:

Thanks in advance and pardon my newbieness --
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Ocelot

smoothness
Posts: 50
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 12:20 am
Location: MA

Post by smoothness » Wed Dec 14, 2005 2:10 am

As long as you have decent airflow, you really shouldn't need a fan on your northbridge. Just make sure there is some air moving around it, perhaps from the cpu cooler or whatever, and monitor the temps the first time you try it. Also might help to use thermal compound rather than those heatpads.

Ocelot
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:41 am
Location: Lynnwood, WA USA

Post by Ocelot » Wed Dec 14, 2005 4:56 am

As long as you have decent airflow, you really shouldn't need a fan on your northbridge.
With as hot as the nForce4 NB chips get, I disagree. And from user reports in this SPCR thread, I would rather have a small fan on the heatsink than rely solely on passive cooling. I feel the small fan will be more effective for direct cooling than a larger fan + Zalman FB123 setup, again from member experiences in the above thread.
Also might help to use thermal compound rather than those heatpads.
Allow me to amend my description of myself: I am new at attaching a 40mm fan to the heatsink in question. I am *not* new to building my own PC--have done so for the last two. Ceramique has been my choice of thermal paste for some time, and I wouldn't use anything else. I apologize if I misrepresented my level of experience.

Thanks for your reply smoothness, but a direct answer to my question would have been more helpful.

Rowrr --
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Ocelot

GHz
Posts: 190
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 12:54 pm

Post by GHz » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:44 pm

Hard-mounting the fan is easy enough... just make sure the screw is long enough to reach into the heatsink. You could also try using double-sided foam mounting tape. It's permanent (rated for indoor/outdoor use) and provides a method of decoupling. You only need a small square at the motor hub.

tjpark1111
Posts: 118
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:45 pm

Post by tjpark1111 » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:54 pm

6600GT or 6800GT, I doubt you're gonna be able to use the heatsink at all, let alone the fan... The board layout for 3rd party cooling on the MSI for the NB is pretty poor.

Ocelot
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:41 am
Location: Lynnwood, WA USA

Post by Ocelot » Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:11 pm

GHz wrote:You could also try using double-sided foam mounting tape. It's permanent (rated for indoor/outdoor use) and provides a method of decoupling. You only need a small square at the motor hub.
Could you give me a source for this tape? I've never heard of it. :oops: Also, given the heat that the chipset'll give off, is such a method safe from, well, melt-down?

Thanks very much for your input! --
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Ocelot

Ocelot
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:41 am
Location: Lynnwood, WA USA

Post by Ocelot » Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:17 pm

tjpark1111 wrote:6600GT or 6800GT, I doubt you're gonna be able to use the heatsink at all, let alone the fan... The board layout for 3rd party cooling on the MSI for the NB is pretty poor.
Arrgh, I was afraid of this. And I know from at least two reviews that although the MSI board is given high marks, the NB fan is a screamer. :x

Any other brand recommendations other than Asus? (I've had some very bad experiences with Asus mobos, so I just stay away from them.) I've read one positive review about the Abit mobo for dual core AMD's, but I haven't looked beyond that. My current (and aging machine) is running a Gigabyte, but they can be finicky about RAM sometimes, so I hesitate to go that direction again.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks very much! --
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Ocelot

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