reuse stock CPU cooler for northbridge?

Redwoood · Post by **Redwoood** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 2:21 pm

I assume most people here use aftermarket coolers for their CPUs, which is why their stock boxed cooler is unused.

Has anybody ever used that one to cool the northbridge? I mean, some mbs out there run really hot with their $1.25 heatsink. Wouldn't the stock cpu cooler, assuming you can mount it somehow, be a much more effective solution, even without a fan ?

Redwoood

Bories36 · Post by **Bories36** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 2:41 pm

ya, im sure it would, ive thought about that before. You could run the fan at like 5v so it was quiet, but again, there might not be room for it because the cpu is usually sort of by the northbridge, or the northbridge is by the ram

Lawrence Lee · Post by **Lawrence Lee** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 3:03 pm

CPU stock heatsinks are so big, they wouldn't fit on any chipset without interfering with something.

narrasuj · Post by **narrasuj** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 4:29 pm

Amourek wrote:CPU stock heatsinks are so big, they wouldn't fit on any chipset without interfering with something.

If the area is relatively clear, it may be possible to use a riser (I remember something like this from a recent article on the front page). But that is iffy. Heatpipes?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 5:06 pm

Hello,

It will be quite an effort to get it mounted properly. The Zalman northbridge heatsinks are $5-15 -- why bother?

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:38 am

Every NB mount system I ever saw is just not capable of securing a heavy heatsink, unless the MB is mounted horizontal.

If you rig up nuts and bolts, rather than the OEM plastic clips, you might be OK. My Swiftech all-copper NB heatsink, is about as heavy as the Intel hook-type mount system can handle. This heatsink still has movement till the TIM hardens slightly.