Hi System Temps!! - 8RDA+

[CompSci]

New EPOX 8RDA+, xp2500+ and System/MB Temp is VERY HI!, like 38-41C!
CpuTemp holds 7-8C above Sys/MB temp, but never seen sys/mb temp so hi, even with case open ( closed it can go >42c). Checked previous posts on 8rda+ and there are reports of wierd temp reporting on these mobos...

I think i've found the problem, but now how do i fix it!
Its the nForce MCP-T/MCP chip! Experimenting with where i should place a case fans i noticed that this MCP-T chip is VERY HOT!. If i set a case fan blowing directly on the MCP-T chip the Sys/MB temp goes DOWN FAST, like within 30-45 seconds the system temp falls from 40C to 32-33C! Cputemp falls also.
The MCP-T chip is definitely the hot spot and heat generator on this mobo...
There is no heat sink in this chip, and the system temp diode/thermister MUST be in/around the mcp-t chip due to the relatively quick reaction from fan and temp readings.... So, whats the best fix?

Actually for this situation perhaps a side case fan blowin right down on the mcp-t chip would probalby be very good, but till then...
(and the normal position of side case fans isnt quite right as the MCP-T chip is pretty far off center - would require a custom case mod...)

Two solutions come to mind...
1. Mount a case fan inside the case with a couple a angle brachets so the fan blows directly on the mcp-t chip - preliminay tests settin a case fan inside blowin on the chip with the case closed holds sys temp to 33-35C - might be acceptable?
2. Stick a heat sink on the mcp-t chip with AS thermal adhesive? I'd have no problems stickin a HS on it perminitely or even makin my own thermal adhesive as i've read you can easily make your own adhesive mixin 50/50 blend thermal paste and std epoxy. Perm fixutre wouldnt bother me at all, but would just a passive HS do the job? Might need HS and fan too!
An there's what looks like painted logo and text in the mcp-t chip - should one try and get that off before stickin a HS onit?
3. Custom case mod - Am thinkin this might be the easiest - mount a fan in the case perfectly above the chip and then drill some neat ventalation holes in side of the case... custom fan positioning and hole drilling might just provide a prefect mix of circulation and fresh air (just don't set the box flat up against a desk!)

Hmmm... Its a problem! And definitely the MCP-T chip as the source!
Any other 8RDA+ users have this problem?
Suggestions?

 

[error_911]

i think an easy solution would be to simply glue-on (using AS3 adhesive) a thermaltake crystal orb, or even one of the other thermaltake orbs (perhaps the dragon orb) - they're small enough not to clutter, light enough not to stress the board, they're cheap and they're the perfect size to fit the chip

<b>Stupid summertime - cables stretch, now DSL won't work. Wanna know how much fun 33.6kbps is? ITS NOT.</b>

 

[CompSci]

Yea! definitely need something...

I fixed up a temp fix - <A HREF="http://home.mindspring.com/~rplewis/Casemod.htm" target="_new">Picture of Temp fix!</A>
Its holdin systemp 34-35C, down from 41C+. Cputemp ~45C, but open the case and they go right down to sys 32C, cpu 39C.
Oh Boy, that's one HOT MCP-T chip! - puttin out a lotta heat inside the case. Will need another case fan pushin air in too... This works ok(marginal), pullin air in thru side vent holes - till i put it beside something - can't block the side vents or i'm go up to 36-38...

I think your right. For a perm fix just stick(AS thermal adhesive) on a nice little chipset HS & fan (will definitely checkout those recommended) and drill BIG holes in the bottom front and BLAST fresh air in! Thats the Good Fix!

Would ya try to get the painted/printed logo/text off the MCP-T chip before stickin a HS on it?

Parts, Parts, Parts - ya just need parts to keep these things cool...

 

[CompSci]

On Man! Crystal Orb! $20.94 to my door...
50x50x15mm, 12.24 cfm, Ooo, i like it!
Now that looks like a REAL SOLUTION!
Thanks for that one... Oooooo, it REALLY looks GOOD!

And are other peorple havin this problem with these epox-8rda+'s?

 

[error_911]

DO NOT try to remove the label on the chipset, thats meant to be there, heh. if you lap the chipset you'll likely damage it, so don't worry, you can top it off with AS3 straight-up, just clean it with some rubbing alcohol and you're set... glad you like the Crystal Orb idea by the way laugh]

<b>Stupid summertime - cables stretch, now DSL won't work. Wanna know how much fun 33.6kbps is? ITS NOT.</b>

 

[CompSci]

How about i just squirt it with lighter fluid, mix some radioshack silicone zink oxide heat sink compound and common 2part epoxy and stick on an old 486 HSF onit!

I might test something like that till real parts arive, but I'll order Orb and AS adhesive! I'l have to measure precisely but sure looks like that crystal orb is made for the job! Thats the ticket, a little AS stickem in the mddle of the chip and set a small weight on the Orb overnite and i'm COOL...

Now why didn't Epox think a that?

 

[error_911]

haha, well you know what - thats what a lot of people do (and what i was gonna do with my video card).. using a big old heatsink is pretty usefull sometimes because you can get off with a fanless solution, which i've only recently realized is a nice commodity (my system's in my room, and sleeping with it on - which is all the time - is damn hard when it sounds like a 747 landing next door).

as for the mnaufacturers NEVER thinking about stuff like that - welcome to the club of manufacturers who try to offer consumers the cheapest solution possible... kinda thing where you add it yourself if you want it, or by the "Deluxe" version, heh.

<b>Stupid summertime - cables stretch, now DSL won't work. Wanna know how much fun 33.6kbps is? ITS NOT.</b>

 

[CompSci]

Interesting - Very interesting...
On close examination and measurement, there's push-pin mounting holes around that MCP-T chip!!! Obviously made for Exactly what needs to be done!!!

The chip is aprox 7/8inch square, and the pushpin mountin holes are aprox 2 3/8inch on a perfect diagonal with the chip. Like someone been here before?
(Lets say ~60mm for the metric hole measurement, and premade mounting holes are a pleasent suprize. Amazing what ya find when ya put a little light on the subject, and, the mount pins for the northbridge HS are the same).

The Crystal Orb mount pins are 54mm - bummer...
But from scrap, off an old noname PII mobo, i noticed a heatsink mounted with pushpins and UBELIEVEABLEY IT WAS AN EXACT FIT!!! I installed it in a hot second (even unplugin my temp mounted fan) - and Perfect - 34 system temp/closed case! Actually it edged up after a couple hrs to 35... but acceptable. Amazing - nothin another std case fan wont cure...

Obviously, this stuff "Has" sonekinda "Standard"! Two mobo's, different MFGRs,years apart, and the chipset heatsink mount holes are an Exact Fit!!!

Truely Amazing, a cheap, small, scrap lime green aluminum heatsink about 1/4" tall extracts and disapates the heat acceptably for normal case airflow - and Epox DIDNT put one on this MCP-T chip allowing uncontrollable system temps! That's a sweet lemon - Easily Fixed, but I Shouldn't have had to do it!

Oh Well, I was sorta lookin forward to a Crysyal Orb solution, or Blue Orb, or... What i don't get is that the Crystal Orb specs for pin mount holes is 54mm +-.05 - but there must be some stantard for mobo chipset mount holes ~60mm. An i missin something here, or mismeaursing - or is there a std for Vidcard chipset cooler pin mount holes at 54mm, and a different std for mobo chipset pin mount holes around 58-60mm. That's !!!????...

 

[error_911]

well there's more of a standard for the vid card's mounting holes compared to the Northbridge's - the crystal orb fits perfectly on a geforce and a radeon, so there's the proof of that. as for the orb not having the right dimensions for the mobo, thats 'caus a lot of these manufactuers just glue on cheap aluminum heatsinks, just like the p2 one you got , from companies like Alpha.. putting the crystal orb (or any other hsf) would require epoxying it instead of push-pin mounting it... but i like seing that you got such a good drop in the temps - like you said, have a side-mount fan blowing on it and you're set.

<b>Stupid summertime - cables stretch, now DSL won't work. Wanna know how much fun 33.6kbps is? ITS NOT.</b>

 

[CompSci]

Temps are under control...

I took another pic - <A HREF="http://home.mindspring.com/~rplewis/Casemod.htm" target="_new">Scroll down to the bottom pic to see the mounting holes...</A>
Next i open the case I shoot a pic of the heatsink i put on, and with a rule laying across the puchpin holes...

The HS and 6 fans do the job! Not as bad as it sounds, 3 little fans are on a drive cooler in the bottom big bay, 1 bottom input, 1 back exhaust and PS fan...but 6 fans and a HS mod just to hold Sys/MB temp to 34C (and this good sized 4 big bay case) - Thats One hot sucker! But your right - 1 custom mounted side case fan Could do it!

I'd like to put a better heatsink on chip - its only a small 1/4 inch HS, just happened to fit, but holdin temps till better is found. Will post back a picture when i open it up again, probably tomorrow...

 

[pIII_Man]

Its amazing what a greenie can do...they did make aftermarket heatsinks for BX chipsets (pII and PIII) that used the push pins...if you found one of those it would fit your board.

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[error_911]

actually dude, i think i might have found the ideal solution for you - its pretty cheap, no fan but its a great heatsink and would fit without any hassle because of it's mounting mechanism... it's a little heatsink made by zalmann.. check it out <A HREF="http://www.case-mod.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_27&products_id=211" target="_new">here</A>... go up to the chipset cooler menu and you see the vantec one there as well... check-out their specs, might just do the job (and i think it looks pretty :lol: )

<b>Stupid summertime - cables stretch, now DSL won't work. Wanna know how much fun 33.6kbps is? ITS NOT.</b>

 

[CompSci]

Might be? Does do a suprizing job...
Is this <A HREF="http://home.mindspring.com/~rplewis/Casemod.htm" target="_new">" The Greenie" (scroll thru)</A> - it is green and off an old PII board?
And definitely does make systemp controllable. Perhaps, if it anit broke, dont fix it (anymore). Not half bad...

But the case is roarin, lots a fans! I go with the Speeze quiet cpu cooler, only to have a roarin case! And Believe me, I got a small wind storm goin thru the case! This Epox 8rda+ is tuff to cool! Oh well, i aint burnin it up, and there's always tomorrow...

And the Zalman Passive LOOKS good... The whole Case-Mod.com site has lots a good stuff. I might just get a one - and that site has all the nice stuff to install a custom side case (like grills for $.99 and other Goodies). If a Zalman passive and a custom side fan will quiet the case down, i'd go for it...
Maybe? But then I might just send this epox back! Sure, i can pull the heat outa the chip, but gettin the heat outa the case is always gonna be a problem with this mobo! Just One HOT SOB. Later...

 

[pIII_Man]

I have never heard anyone talk about this board putting out tons of heat...hmm...are you overclocking? Have you increased the chipset voltage?

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[CompSci]

Not a serious overclock.. Just run a 2500+ at 11*200, rather than 11*166.
And its just the same if set all stock, load optimal defaults!
Did it the first time i booted it up outa the box, its got that MagicHeath bios, shows temps & voltages on POST. 1st time systemp right to 38-41C with open case. When I closed the case, systemp went >42+C idle and risin, so there's something wrong here. Never even had one go a systemp >40 before.
Runs stable, just HOT! And its the definitely southbridge (the nforce MCP-T chip) thats HOT and knockin out the heat - not the northbridge, its OK luke warm) or cpu.

I did read one review that metioned its chips got hot, but no specifics. Also about 4/??/03 there a post here(forum?) that metioned 8dra+ had crazy temp readings. I can vouch for that! It takes little Greenie plus case and drive fans to just get this thing 34-36C systems with closed case - and lets call this case an "Enhanced Breeze" case...
Your certainly right about little greenie though, knocked 6-8C+ offa systemp.

Maye i should RMA it! Think i got the heat under control - but???

 

[CompSci]

Research - there's a lot about these 8rda+'s. Nodody comes out and explicitly complains about heat from the mcp-t chip like i do, but many reviews say the mobo need better cooling to run stably at 200FSB. Even on newegg 4 or 5 reviwes say put a Vantec Icebuerg on the northbridge, move the northbrigde heatsink to the southbridge(mcp-t)... And theres comparisons to Vantec Iceburg to TT Cyrstal/Bule orb's. The Iceburg will definitely fit(59mm pins), and maybe the Tt orb mount pic is just comfusing with the 54mm measurement - it must also fit the same pin hols...

And, some say the Zalman passive outpreforms ALL due to the MUCH larger surface area, and if passive insnt enough, a 40mm fan fits on the zalman perfectly...

Perhaps i'm just overreactin to the systemp, cpu temp has never gone over 51C!, even boefore my temp fan or Greenie. Its just when systemp goes >42C i know thats what's pushin the cputemp up... and the only mobo i ever lost was due to hi temps, and constant temps took out the mobo rather than the cpu! Since then i've always taken good notice of sys/mb temp and cpu temp has taken care of itself... sys 36, cpu 45, workin, aint all that bad... I'm sure alot of boxes run >40C sys, and even >60C cpu, so i aint gettin obsessed...

Think i'll just let er rip with greenie, its under warrenty and i've done more than enough to prevent heat problems... Let er bake till I get a Zalman passive! A Zalman's (thanks Error-911) is like $5.95 and $11 to my door, and l'll get one just for piece of mind...