Legit Reviews

Last night while I was on my PC a strange noise started coming from the tower. I was really tired so I just shut the PC of and went to bed. This morning when I opened up the case I figured out it was the nForce4 fan. (BTW, my mobo is a MSI K8N Neo4-F)

The fan is still running, but it sounds awful... should I look for a new fan on Newegg, call the manufacturer, or just let it go? I'm going to keep my PC off till I know what's safe to do with it.

Thanks!

You can call the manufacturer to see if they can send you a replacement fan.

I think you can check Northbridge temperatures with SpeedFan. Usually the fan is just noisy, but still cools OK.

You can also get a passive Northbridge cooler if you don't want any noise. They are about $10.

Highly recommend one of these two coolers depending on how your system is set up.

http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-HR-05-pr-3350.html

http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-HR ... -3484.html

some companies will send you a replacement fan free of charge. Not sure about MSI though.

I'd replace it with something better if you have to buy one.

I'm currently on hold with MSI customer support to ask about a new fan...

EDIT: OK, I finally got through and hey said they can send me one, for "free" if I pay $7 shipping...

Next problem... on the MSI K8N Neo4-f they have the PCI-E slot so close to the chipset fan that it looks like if I try to replace it with a square 40mmx40mm it wont fit.

It looks like I have to get a replacement stock fan.

There are several special NF4 chipset coolers that are offset just because of this problem. The chipset cooler on my DFI board is directly undr the video card...........

Well, one of the heatsinks that Bwall recommended (the Thermalright HR-05-SLI ) should work (according to the specs and a review on Newegg)

It seems to be out of stock at several sites though...

If you can take the fan out and see a hole in it on one side (it may be under a sticker), you should be able to put some oil in and it shouldn't make the noise anymore. My Epox NF4 cooler did the same thing for a while, but this fixed it. I used the same type of oil you'd put on a bike chain.

EDIT: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000 ... 514,00.htm - There is a link to a tutorial that goes into a lot more detail.

It seems to be a common problem with some chipset fans. The fans can spin at over 5000 rpm and the bearings wear out over time.