Do I really need the fan on my Mobo chipset? its too loud...

I have a Giga-byte motherboard and the chipset on it has a small heatsink and a 60mm fan that is terribly loud. I know most motherboards dont have fans on the motherboards, while some do. Is it really necessary to have a fan there? Do you think it would be safe to take that fan off and leave the heatsink, so I can get rid of the really loud noise it makes?

Also, another thing I could do is to take the fan off, and I have a bunch of replacement heatsinks that are the same size as the current one, could I like solder 2 or 3 heatsinks together and then make a bigger heatsink with them, that way more heat would be disappated without the use of a fan?

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Originally Posted by coolmandingo

I have a Giga-byte motherboard and the chipset on it has a small heatsink and a 60mm fan that is terribly loud. I know most motherboards dont have fans on the motherboards, while some do. Is it really necessary to have a fan there? Do you think it would be safe to take that fan off and leave the heatsink, so I can get rid of the really loud noise it makes?

Also, another thing I could do is to take the fan off, and I have a bunch of replacement heatsinks that are the same size as the current one, could I like solder 2 or 3 heatsinks together and then make a bigger heatsink with them, that way more heat would be disappated without the use of a fan?

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First, I DEFINATELY wouldn't recommend soldering more heatsinks to it. The heatsinks would be a barrier for heat not to mention the fact that increased weight could rip the whole thing off your motherboard. Most chipsets do not require active cooling but this has been known to affect stability. My best recommendation would be to purchase a 60mm that is supposed to be quiet such as a Vantech stealth or a Zalman fan. Other than that, you could try taking the fan off the heatsink but watch for stability problems. I don't think an overheated chipset would create a permanent problem but watch closely.

I have just built several PC's with Gbyte boards with fans on the chipset this month.
None were loud.
Your fan is probably bad.
Replace it, but don't do that HS soldering thing you are thinking of.
These particular fans run at very low RPM's so should not be loud.
Also, consider talking to your supplier or reseller about a replacement.
I would not just disconnect it, although you'd probably be alright, because the cooler the better.

well my first fan went bad, then I bought a replacement, and it went bad. and those small fans all run at really high RPMs, so they are really loud. Im just tired of them I guess, as far as the heatsinks adding too much weight, thats definately not a problem, the heatsinks are only like, 1.5x1.5 inches, and only half a centimeter in height.

"First, I DEFINATELY wouldn't recommend soldering more heatsinks to it. The heatsinks would be a barrier for heat " I dont understand what you mean by that. like say if i take another heatsink the exact same size as the stock one that is already on my motherboard, and then I solder it, or attach it in some other way to the first heatsink, as long as there is metal to metal contact between the heatsinks it would be like creating a larger heatsink correct? and larger heatsink=dissapating more heat. Please, seriously, correct me if I'm wrong, all of this makes sense in my mind at least. But I'm trying to confirm if all this is correct with people who are more experienced then me. thanks for the replies!

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Originally Posted by coolmandingo

well my first fan went bad, then I bought a replacement, and it went bad. and those small fans all run at really high RPMs, so they are really loud. Im just tired of them I guess, as far as the heatsinks adding too much weight, thats definately not a problem, the heatsinks are only like, 1.5x1.5 inches, and only half a centimeter in height.

"First, I DEFINATELY wouldn't recommend soldering more heatsinks to it. The heatsinks would be a barrier for heat " I dont understand what you mean by that. like say if i take another heatsink the exact same size as the stock one that is already on my motherboard, and then I solder it, or attach it in some other way to the first heatsink, as long as there is metal to metal contact between the heatsinks it would be like creating a larger heatsink correct? and larger heatsink=dissapating more heat. Please, seriously, correct me if I'm wrong, all of this makes sense in my mind at least. But I'm trying to confirm if all this is correct with people who are more experienced then me. thanks for the replies!

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Those small fans do not run at high rpm's .
Are you sure that is it this fan making all the noise.
Open it up and test:
Put your finger on each fan in your PC to stop it and notice the loudness.
The CPU fan should be the loudest since it is the largest one and really spins.
Soldering a fan onto a chip is not the way.
You say "or some other way" .
What way?

I also have to say don't remove the fan. A general rule of thumb, if it came with it, use it. Or, you will have stability problems...if it even boots up at all. Even systems that don't have a fan mounted directly on the mobo still have some type of cooling air flowing across that heatsink. A lot of HP Pavilions have a fan drawing air in through the front panel and blowing directly across the CPU heatsink.

I think you just need a good quality cooling fan that doesn't make a ton of noise.

You might try performing a Google Search for 60mm cooling fans...lots of items come up. Good Luck!

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Originally Posted by TripleRLtd

Those small fans do not run at high rpm's .
Are you sure that is it this fan making all the noise.
Open it up and test:
Put your finger on each fan in your PC to stop it and notice the loudness.
The CPU fan should be the loudest since it is the largest one and really spins.
Soldering a fan onto a chip is not the way.
You say "or some other way" .
What way?

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no, i know not to solder a fan to my chipset, hmmm...Im having a hard time explaining this to everyone. oh well..... now I just look like a fool, :(

the stock heatsink is mounted safely and properly onto the chipset, now I take other heatsinks IDENTICAL to the stock one and solder them on top of the stock heatsink, creating one big happy heatsink. does that make any sense now? :confused:

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Originally Posted by coolmandingo

no, i know not to solder a fan to my chipset, hmmm...Im having a hard time explaining this to everyone. oh well..... now I just look like a fool, :(

the stock heatsink is mounted safely and properly onto the chipset, now I take other heatsinks IDENTICAL to the stock one and solder them on top of the stock heatsink, creating one big happy heatsink. does that make any sense now? :confused:

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YES it does.
And, you don't look like a fool!!!
We all have been there at one time.
We all continue to learn!!!
But, if you already have a heatsink,
why another one?
Please, go back to the fan solution.
These little fans, when they work properly, should not make that much noise.

There are several problems with your proposition to adding more heat shinks ontop of each other. First, you have to understand what a heat sink is, and how it works.

A heat sink is usualy made off two "parts" one part is a good chunk of solid metal, usualy copper or aluminum that is in direct contact with the chip, idealy, this should be as close and "tight" as possible (hence thermal compounds to fill the "voids), the idea is the have the slab heat up as much as the chip is so that you can safely attach a heat dissipation unit

The second part is the fins, the fins radiate from the block and disperse the heat by convection (allowing the heat to move the air) or by forced air (air blowing across it from another source)

By welding (and no, solder will not do the job, your talking welding here) one heat sink "ontop" of the other, you are creating disruptions in multiple things.

One, your now blocking needed airflow to the lower part where the heat is the highest, creating not more cooling, but less cooling. Two you're setting your second "slab" at not the hottest, but the coolest of the other heatsink, makeing the "added" heat sink next to useless.

In theory, if you could extend each fin, making more urface area, then you could do it, but then, that much work is not worth the effort, and you'll never get the smoothness from that as from a premade unit (rough surfaced imped airflow)

End result is, you are now creating more heat, rather then less.

finaly, if you simply stop the fan, you are now taking a heat sink designed to work with airflow (hence requiring less surface space as more air is passed through it) and turning it into a badly designed passive sink (again, creating more heat)

If you insist on putting a passive heat sink on your chipsets, get a high performance passive cooler, or a high quality active cooler like the vantec iceburg.

However, remember, changing the fan voids your warranty. so take it to the dealer FIRST

Forgot to add that even with welding, your not creating a a good thermal bond, good heatsinks are machined from a solid block of metal and the fins are "sliced" off and bent upright or machined down in between. Slicing allows for thinner and closer fins, makeing for better heat disipation

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Originally Posted by Matridom

the fins are "sliced" off and bent upright or machined down in between. Slicing allows for thinner and closer fins

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Yeah, neat thing, called skiving which you probably knew.

http://www.amdmb.com/images/aero7/3_Skiv_detail.jpg

Thanks Matridom, you have answered my question perfectly, I understand why it wont work now, thanks for helping me out! thats exactly the info i was hoping for.

Unless my metric knowledge is out of whack a 60 mm fan is a case fan not a chipset fan. Didn't know how a 60mm fan could be used in a chipset cooler.

I too had a batch of faulty chipset fans. I found the best way to solve the problem was to make my displeasure known to my vendor, who in turn played go-between with the manufacturer. Contacting the manufacturer directly did nothing, as to this date I still haven't heard from them.

Get your supplier to work on your behalf. If you're the one who buys directly from the manufacturer, then your sales rep should supply the fans, as long as the mobo is still under warranty. If it's out of warranty, I find StarTech fans do a wonderful job, and are super cheap (or so my supplier tells me).

By the by, the mobos I had trouble with were Shuttle.

All the best to you.