Dfi Nf4 Chipset Heatsink Fan Alternative

[lilkev715]

For owners of the DFI NF4 mobos, some of you may consider the stock chipset fan to be a bit noisy at full RPM (around 7300rpm). Reducing the speed somewhat helps but overall the chipset still runs pretty dang warm/hot. At first I cleaned off the stock thermal pad and used some Ceramique, which resulted in around a 2C drop in temps. On average my chipset runs around 44-46C under full load, which is too warm for me personally.

 

So I decided to try out the Evercool VC-RE chipset heatsink (old review here). Its 100% copper and its IMO a lot more efficient compared to the stock chipset fan by just looking at it. Besides the increased surface area for cooling, the fan blade design is better than stock. With the stock heatsink fan design, air is primarily blown downward first and then forced outwards. With the Evercool's fan blade design more air can be diverted to the side because of the fan blades steeper angle and number of fan blades.

 

Here are some pics:

Pic #1

Pic #2 (closeup)

Comparison 1 , Comparison 2 , Comparison 3

 

Results:

6C lower temps and the noise level has been lowered by a LOT! The highest my chipset reaches under full load with the Evercool is about 39-40C. I can still hear the Evercool at full speed, but it is nowhere near annoying-sounding compared to the DFI stock chipset fan at full speed.

 

Installation was a bit tricky. The distance between the center of the chipset mounting holes on the mobo is about 52-53mm. However the spacing of the mounting pins on the evercool is 55mm. So what I had to do was push one side in very slighty (not all the way), then I had to push in the other side in by forcing the pin over 2-3mm. Then i could proceed to secure the push pins fully.

 

Caution: The actual NF4 chip does not have a shim or IHS to protect the chip. The chip can break easily (especially the corners) if you do not mount a heatsink on correctly with great care. When installing a heatsink on a NF4 chipset, make sure the heatsink does not tilt unevenly during the installation. If the heatsink is tilted with one push pin secure you run the risk of breaking the corner of the chipset. If the chipset is broken, there is a good probable chance that you will have to get a new mobo.

 

I didn't break mine, but I have heard stories elsewhere on other forums of people being careless when installing a heatsink on a NF4 chipset.

 

Lastly, the DFI stock heatsink fan with that wierd oval-shaped metal bracket measures about 12.5-13mm thick. The Evercool chipset fan measures 14mm thick. With the DFI chipset heatsink there is around a 1mm gap (at the most) between the video card and the chipset fan. With the Evercool i can barely put a piece of paper in between the chipset and a video card.

[anthony]

Looks good lilkev! nice improvement

[lusonico]

But, what are the improvements in overclocking?

[caffeinejunkie]

Well in very high overclocks the fsb can become a reason for unstabality

so having it as coolas possible is always a plus

with things like computers the cooler the components can be kept the longer they'll live

If you were going with a high fsb overclock you could add more voltage with this hs because it would better disipate it and make it perform better

[DECwakeboarder]

Since it is technically the southbridge that is being cooled here, the benefits for OCing are negligable. It won't help very much, but is good for reducing sound.

[caffeinejunkie]

Are you sure thats cooling the southbridge

I was positive it was the northbridge

oh well southbridge still controls IDE and other functions and can overheat and become unstable

[vaguy02]

Sounds great. I may have to try that with my nF-4 board.