My nForce4 fan is making noises

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pcrobot
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My nForce4 fan is making noises

Post 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!
cyberneticimplant
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Post 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.
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Post by Bwall »

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
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Apoptosis
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Post 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.
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pcrobot
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Post by pcrobot »

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

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

It looks like I have to get a replacement stock fan. :(
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Bio-Hazard
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Post 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........... :x
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pcrobot
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Post 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...
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Fix

Post 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.
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slugbug
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Post 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.
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