# How to replace chipset fan



## Jute (Jul 30, 2005)

Please please can someone advise here???

One of my fans has been making very loud and strange noises recently, it comes and goes but today my software (asus probe) indicated that the chipset fan was not working at all.

I opened up my pc and unscrewed the fan/heatsink, but it wont move. I blew some dust out but wanted to put a few drops of oil into it, but cant as the entire thing is stuck solid.

I took the screws off the top, this just removed the top grating, and then some screws I could just about get to under the fan but still no joy. Should the fan just pull off?

This is all quite new to me and although I can upgrade my pc, I have never built one so don’t know much about fans/heatsinks etc, but im getting there!

When the noise started I managed to put a drop of oil in all the fans and the noise did stop, my pc is fine as I type this but it WILL return.

I want to replace the whole fan.

Thanks,
Jute.


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

What motherboard do you have? The attachment method varies from motherboard to motherboard.


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## Jute (Jul 30, 2005)

My invoice says: ATX Nforce4 Athlon/64 S939. I cant seem to find the exact name anywhere, SLI ?


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

CPU-Z can give you that info. Run CPU-Z and then select the Mainboard tab. In the Motherboard section it gives you the manufacturer and model.


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## Jute (Jul 30, 2005)

Thanks for that, I had been looking for a similar tool.

A8N SLI Deulux


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

From the pictures it looks like that heatsink uses the two big plastic pins approach. They're the two big black things on opposite corners of the heatsink. They have springs underneath which press the heatsink into the motherboard. To remove that kind of heatsink completely you have to remove the motherboard and work on the bottom of the motherboard. Squeeze the bottoms of the two plastic pins with a pair of tweezers or small pliers. Be careful not to scratch the motherboard when you're squeezing. When you squeeze them you can push them through the motherboard so the pins come out. If you look at the bottom of the motherboard and check those two black plastic pins you'll understand what to do. I've never fiddled with that kind of heatsink so I'm not sure if you really have to remove it completely from the motherboard to get at the fan. It certainly would be easier to deal with it without having to remove the motherboard. If oil doesn't fix it then you may need a replacement from ASUS. It doesn't look like there's much clearance between the top of the fan and the bottom of cards plugged into the slots so you're stuck using a very short heatsink/fan.

By the way, Everest is another good program for getting hardware info about your computer. It has lots more information than CPU-Z.


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## Jute (Jul 30, 2005)

Great, thanks for the advice. I have emailed Mesh who I got the pc from in February, it seems ok at the moment but I just know its going to pack up again.


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## Jute (Jul 30, 2005)

Thanks for the useful advise, I now know how to remove the fan although it doesn't look that easy! I have had no joy though in finding a replacement on any UK website, I have looked at the Zelman but this is only a heat sink, there are fans which would fit to the top but it would be much bigger than what is in there now.

Do you think that just the heat sink on its own would be enough?

I got a reply from Mesh and they have said they will arrange someone to collect it, then they will send out a replacement once they receive the old one! Well that to me seems a complete waste of my time and a waste of money - The thing is only a few £s and would fit through a letter box - It would also mean that I will have to either have my pc in bits until I get the replacement, or take it apart twice. Hence I would much rather buy one and not have to put myself out, again (I was without a pc for about 6 weeks as my first one from Mesh in Feb was DOA).


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## UncleMacro (Jan 26, 2005)

> Do you think that just the heat sink on its own would be enough?


NForce4s get very hot. All the NForce4 motherboards have fans on them. It would be a very bad idea running one without the fan.

You might be able to use an orb cooler like this. Some of the NForce4 motherboards have a fan which looks like that one. You'll need to measure the distance between the holes in the motherboard to make sure it matches, check the height (it may be a little tall), and also check for motherboard components which could get in the way of the heatsink. There are also some shorter ones like this. You'll need to check carefully if these will fit.

With a bit more digging around you may be able to find other ones which might fit. Some coolers can be used for both chipsets and VGA boards so you need to check both.

I know that ABIT used to sell replacement northbridge fans. ASUS may do the same thing. You could email them and ask. I don't know whether they'd replace it for free so you might have to pay for it. At least you wouldn't be without your machine.


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