Page 1 of 1
My nForce4 fan is making noises
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:52 am
by pcrobot
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!
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:04 am
by cyberneticimplant
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.
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:19 am
by Bwall
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:26 am
by Apoptosis
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.
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:42 am
by pcrobot
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...
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:29 am
by pcrobot
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.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:35 am
by Bio-Hazard
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...........

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:55 am
by pcrobot
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...
Fix
Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:40 pm
by BenT
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.
Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:25 pm
by slugbug
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.