Dead Men Walking

dMw Chit Chat => The Beer Bar => Technology Section => Topic started by: smilodon on May 27, 2003, 06:06:12 PM

Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: smilodon on May 27, 2003, 06:06:12 PM
My Gigabyte GA7-VAXP (AMD) Mobo is beginning to drive me insane.

The northbridge fan is catching on something and making a horrible whine. I've taken it to bits and put it back together and it's obviously rubbing against the fan housing or it's own internals, as there is nothing near by that could be causing the problem.

Anyone want to advise if I should just get a new Northbridge fan or do I need to buy something sexy that will solve all the problems.

I've heard this is a common problem with northbridge fans and it's really getting on my parts  :x  so any help is most appreciated. Ta.
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: Doorman on May 27, 2003, 07:28:58 PM
This is all rather worrying. This is about the 3rd techy type question from Smilodon! I'm beginning to think it's not our Smilo at all. Alright, come on out! What have you done with our 'expert on all things' you imposter you. :evil:
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: JB on May 27, 2003, 07:56:41 PM
Dunno about smilo's problem, but has anyone had any experience replacing the cooler on a gr4 gpu?  Mine's making a loud deep whirring noise that goes away when i lean the tower unit over to one side.  =/
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: Anonymous on May 27, 2003, 08:05:06 PM
Sounds like the bearings in the fan are gone. Should be held in place by a couple of screws through board or a couple of plastic "spreader pins". Get a nice quiet replacement like a heat pump or similar :-) PS use good quality thermal paste
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: albert on May 27, 2003, 08:07:05 PM
Them you must lean the case against a heavy object in order to solve your problem. This will also lead to improved airflow through the case and less imprints on the carpet.  :silly:
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: JB on May 27, 2003, 08:08:29 PM
Buit if i do that i can no longer use the case as a leg rest.   :roll:
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: sheepy on May 27, 2003, 08:11:32 PM
have u greased the fans?

if u take the sticker off of the fan and then remove the dust cover, put a small drop of wd40 or similar in to the fan, wipe off excess and spin it a bit with your fingures, then wipe it again.replace dust cover and sticker. there u go, after a short while it should sort it out.
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: A Twig on May 27, 2003, 08:16:46 PM
Or have u tried putting a large lump of butter? Just place the lump onto the fan, and then turn ure PC on. Presto, instant PC decorating, in bits of yellow!  :twisted:  :D
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: Anonymous on May 27, 2003, 08:39:29 PM
If you cut through the red wire leading to the fan then you should notice that the noise will disappear completely.

That'll be £25 please?
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: TeaLeaf on May 27, 2003, 09:18:07 PM
My 2 cents.  

There is little point in trying to lubricate a noisy fan unless the noise is due solely to dust build up that can easily be blown away.  Even then, dust may have got into the bearings/spindle and all a good blow will give you (cue smutty jokes) is a still knackered and noisy but now clean fan.

Fans are so cheap these days that the only sensible solution IMO is to replace it with a new one.  You then get to decide which fan or heat pipe to use and to apply it yourself with quality thermal compound like AS3.  Prepare to be horrified though - when you take the nothbridge fan off you will be totally gobsmacked at the lack-lustre approach that your mobo manufacturer will have taken to the application of thermal compound.  There will be too little of it and it will not cover the whole die.  :roll:   Even the so-called 'overclocking' boards (like the NF7-S) will scare the wotsits off you when you see how badly the job on the northbridge has been done.

Buy a new cooler.  I have yet to meet a 'refurbed' fan that has worked well in the long-term.........

TL.  8)
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: smilodon on May 27, 2003, 10:18:44 PM
I'm toying.........stop that bleedin noise :x  .....I'm toying with the idea of using a heat sink in place of a fan. Overclockers Uk suggest dumping the fan altogether in exchange for a jumbo heatsink. So unless someone warns me off I'll go down that route. The existing fan looks utterly cheap and plastic so if I did get a new fan I'd want something a bit better quality anyway.

I'm also thinking of adding a couple of vent fans to the back of the PC case. There's holes etc. for them so what the heck..........I seem to have gone deaf  8O
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: Doorman on May 27, 2003, 11:43:21 PM
Quotehave u greased the fans?

if u take the sticker off of the fan and then remove the dust cover, put a small drop of wd40 or similar in to the fan, wipe off excess and spin it a bit with your fingures, then wipe it again.replace dust cover and sticker. there u go, after a short while it should sort it out.

Do not use WD40 it is NOT a lubricant! It is a water dispersant, hence the name. It evaporates after a while leaving the surfaces dry.
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: smilodon on May 28, 2003, 05:23:53 PM
I bought a Zalman Northbridge Heatsink which seems to be doing the job (just to help i installed two extra case fans (three now) in the back.

TL....not much thermal compound? .......try no sodding compoud at all. The chip was as clean as a babies bum when I removed the existing heatsink   8O
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: DarkAngel on May 28, 2003, 05:50:06 PM
Just bought a new case for me new pc to be completed soon i hope with a neon light they so cool :)
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: Gh0st Face Killah on May 28, 2003, 06:30:32 PM
JB, just replaced the cooler on my geforce 4. I used a themaltake kit from Kustom Pcs that includes fan and memory heatsinks. Easy to fit and works a treat. Its almost silent as well.
Title: Northbridge Whine
Post by: JB on May 28, 2003, 08:05:29 PM
:thumbsup: