Hey guys yall can probably help me on this. My northbridge fan is starting to die, and its making a lot of noise. It bothers me but my real concern is im about to try to sell my whole box here in a month or so to fund a laptop (so look out for that if you want a fairly cheap watercooled p4 rig that can overclock to 3.5 all day long!!!) Naturally, I can't sell my computer if the northbridge fan is about to crap out, so I need a new one. Ive looked around on SVC and xoxide and newegg, and the only one I've found that looks like it will work is the swiftech mcx159-cu, which i like. Problem is its 40 bux, and i could add a watercooling block for only 5 more.

So i guess my real question is, does anyone here have a used waterblock with 1/2" fittings that they want to sell me that has the gay intel loop hook connecter thingies (my mobo does not have holes around the chipset, so thats my only option)? And if not, do you have any idea where i can get a decent fan with the loop hook connectors for preferably less than 25$. If you have a used one that will work and you want to sell me that too, let me know. Thanks in advance

What about this cooler? It's $12.95 and comes with those hooks. Don't know if it's any good; it was just the first such one I came across. But at least it lights up blue, which, as every overclocker knows, means it's good for at least another 10MHz on the FSB.

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EDIT: By the way, here's a pic of the stock one, for anyone following along. Image is from an article by ExtremeOverclocking.com.


(Click to Enlarge)

Man thanks funkyfresh thats pretty much what im looking for. Bling to you for that. Anyone ever deal with performance-pcs.com? Any good?

My chipset fan is also dying, on a MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum. I sent an email to tech support at MSI and they are just sending me a new chipset fan at no charge to me. Maybe you can get a replacement chipset fan that way.

If it helps, Performance-PCs.com has a lifetime ResellerRating of 9.96 (from 272 reviews), and a perfect 10.00 in the past 6 months. Which is unheard-of good (even better than Newegg), meaning you're more likely to get ripped off by your own grandma.

EDIT: Good idea, Spectrum; I wonder if Abit would do the same... Course, with the high mortality rate of Abit Northbridge fans, replacing them could be a full-time business!

Sorry for the double-post, but I got some new info I didn't want you to miss.

The Thermalright NB-1 has gotten some good reviews, and this page states that it will, in fact, work with your board ($12 at that link). The first picture in this review shows some wires that look like they might be those hooks. It does include a fan, btw.

I mention it cause Thermalright's a brand name, and it seems to be a reasonable price (BestByteInc usually has decent shipping rates, too, and I've always had good luck ordering from them).

Hmm I wonder how loud that first one is... the thermalright is 35dba. I'll have to look around and see if I can find some specs on the noise, I'd rather have the quieter of the two because the reason I went water cooled in the first place was to cut down on noise. Thanks for all the info guys you rock.

As Spectrum said, Abit may be able to get you a free replacement. But that may not last any longer than the first. Abit may make good motherboards, but their Northbridge fans are about as reliable as 1-ply toilet paper.

I scanned the Phoronix and BigBruin reviews of the ChipsMod IV, but neither mentioned the noise level. I don't know if that means it wasn't noticeable, or if they simply failed to mention it. However, the reviews of the Thermalright I read did mention that it was noisy -- as you'd expect from the high-pitched 35dB of the 45mm fan.

By the way, Geeks.com has the ChipsMod IV cooler for $7.95, though shipping to Texas will run you another $7. If it does turn out to be loud, you could always attach it to a fan controller.

You could always get a larger, quieter replacement fan and fan adapter for the Thermalright (and use this method to attach it), but that starts to get expensive again.

Quote: Originally Posted by FunkyFresh As Spectrum said, Abit may be able to get you a free replacement. But that may not last any longer than the first. Abit may make good motherboards, but their Northbridge fans are about as reliable as 1-ply toilet paper. I scanned the Phoronix and BigBruin reviews of the ChipsMod IV, but neither mentioned the noise level. I don't know if that means it wasn't noticeable, or if they simply failed to mention it. However, the reviews of the Thermalright I read did mention that it was noisy -- as you'd expect from the high-pitched 35dB of the 45mm fan. By the way, Geeks.com has the ChipsMod IV cooler for $7.95, though shipping to Texas will run you another $7. If it does turn out to be loud, you could always attach it to a fan controller. You could always get a larger, quieter replacement fan and fan adapter for the Thermalright (and use this method to attach it), but that starts to get expensive again.

Fans are repairable...always have been...
All you need is some time, care and a little oil.....
I've never had one I couldn't get going again....
Digi

thanks again guys... hmm digi maybe ill take the current one out and at least look at it before i shell out for a new one. My guess is i will end up buying a new one anyways though...

A few extra options:

Microcool NorthPole - I think that I read a review of it at bit-tech and they were quite happy

Thermaltake - never heard of it but it's another option

Personally I would go with the thermalright and put it on a Zalman fanmate