Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

The forum for non-component-related silent pc discussions.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

Post by Jojo540 » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:37 pm

I'm looking for a motherboard for Athlon XP, but undervoltable, in order to have lower rpm on my case fans, so less noise.

For sure I have read the very good article, and the tables titled "Undervoltable motherboards", but in order to have less noise I want a motherboard without fan on the chipset, because reducing case fan noise is good, but increase the total noise by introducing a new fan is not my objective.

Now I own a Atlhon XP 2600+ (FSB 266) and an Asus A7V600, which is not undervoltable (lower Vcore is 1.65V)
I use my PC for internet, and office, I encode video +/- once a month.
Daily I don't need a CPU as powerfull as the 2600, so I want to undervolt my CPU, and may be reduce the multiplier, but with the option to go back to the XP 2600 default settings if needed.

So I plan to change my configuration by steps:
1) Change the mobo in order to undervolt my XP 2600, reduce the multiplier
2) According to the result of the changes on point 1), if the result is good no more changes
3) if the result of 1) is not enough, I will change the CPU to a XP 2600 Moible.

Thank you

jack_aubrey
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 5:27 pm
Location: USA

Re: Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

Post by jack_aubrey » Fri Oct 22, 2004 2:53 pm

FWIW, it is trivial to remove the Northbridge fan on an ABit NF7-S and replace it with a Zalman heatsink. Have been running my system this way for 18 months.

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Re: Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

Post by Jojo540 » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:02 pm

It may be a solution, but with that Zalman chipset heatsink I will have limitation of choice for CPU heatsink, don't forget that my goal is to have passive CPU cooling, so I will need space around the CPU for a large CPU heatsink.

That's one more reason why I want a mobo originaly with passive chipset heatsink.

Viperoni
Posts: 161
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2003 5:04 pm
Location: Brampton, ON
Contact:

Post by Viperoni » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:09 pm

My epox 8rda3+ uses an Asus passive HS in place of the stock fanned one with no problems at all, the heatsink barely gets warm.

jack_aubrey
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 5:27 pm
Location: USA

Re: Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

Post by jack_aubrey » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:12 pm

Jojo540 wrote:It may be a solution, but with that Zalman chipset heatsink I will have limitation of choice for CPU heatsink, don't forget that my goal is to have passive CPU cooling, so I will need space around the CPU for a large CPU heatsink.
Passive CPU cooling - wow, let us know how that turns out.

I'm using an SLK-800U copper heatsink - not quite the largest they make, but pretty big - and it fits OK with the new Northbridge HS. Just had to push 3 of the tall vertical sinks on the Zalman a bit to one side where there was a few mm. of mechanical interference (clipping them would have worked, too).

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Re: Athlon XP mobo undervoltable & without chipset fan?

Post by Jojo540 » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:24 pm

jack_aubrey wrote:
Passive CPU cooling - wow, let us know how that turns out.
With a mobile Athlon, undervolted and under multiplicated it must be possible, but with a big CPU heatsink, and a good air circulation in the case ie 2 x 120mm Globe fans + 120mm fan on the PSU.

Interitus
Posts: 374
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 4:58 am
Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri

Post by Interitus » Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:02 pm

I've tried a few boards for the AXP mobiles with passive cooling.

If you want features you can't go wrong with the Abit NF7-S. Honestly since you're undervolting, you can get away with a low profile southbridge heatsink on the northbridge. I have a Zalman NB32J-S on mine, and it's no warmer than the metal on the outside of my case when I touch it after a good Prime95 session. Active NB cooling really isn't necessary for running stock or below on most boards, and you can very easily replace the NB cooler on the NF7-S. It's not epoxied or pad-glued on. They just use mounting springs with push-pins and thermal goop. A VERY small amount of goop too.

If a budget is what you're after, it's less feature rich and pretty barebone, but the Shuttle AN35-N Ultra is a nice undervoltable board that gives full FSB and OC'ing options, as well as a very spacious CPU socket area. They're very cheap too at around $48-$53 shipped in a retail package. They don't have SATA or Soundstorm like the NF7-S, no firewire but support DDR400 and XP Mobiles without any BIOS updates. They're also praised as one of the most stable XP boards despite being so bare in features. They come stock with a black NB heatsink that's passive. If you need a LOT of CPU area room, this might be a good choice.

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Post by Jojo540 » Sat Oct 23, 2004 12:11 am

I don't know the reason why, but in France Shuttle MB are difficult to find, and the result is that the AN35N-Ultrais sold at the same price as NF7-S, +/- 80€, about 95US$ !!!!!

So the NF7-S brings more features for the same price.
Last edited by Jojo540 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

Tigr
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2003 8:18 am
Contact:

Post by Tigr » Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:53 am

I managed to build a passively cooled machine on the basis of:
- Abit NF7-S
- Athlon XP-M 2600+
- Zalman NB47J northbridge cooler
- Zalman CNPS-6000Cu CPU cooler

I am very happy with the system and I highly recommend the Abit motherboard. The NB47J does interfere slightly with the CPU cooler in my configuration. I bent some of the fins of CNPS-6000Cu upwards (away from the mobo) to fit it. The fins are very soft so it was not a problem, really.

I doubt you would be able to run the regular XP 2600 passively cooled. It may be too hot for that. My mobile chip now runs at 200x5=1GHz with 1.15 Vcore and the mobo sensor for the CPU shows 45 C, which would be roughly about 53-55 C in reality, with an ambient of 26 C - this is while folding (100% CPU). I think a regular XP would run much hotter than that, so you probably should target a mobile CPU from the beginning.

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Post by Jojo540 » Sat Oct 23, 2004 9:35 am

Now with the default setting of my 2600, with 22° in the room, my temps are:
- idle 38°
- encoding 44°

I'm not a gamer so don't need 100% of the 2133Mhz.

So as I told you, first I will change my Mobo to see what will happen undervolting and reducing the fsb multiplier.

msm_zgok
Posts: 99
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2004 10:10 am
Location: Vancouver, BC

Post by msm_zgok » Sat Oct 23, 2004 9:41 am

I second the AN35N-Ultra. I'm glad I bought it before I even knew about SPCR :D

Tigr
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2003 8:18 am
Contact:

Post by Tigr » Sat Oct 23, 2004 12:30 pm

Jojo540 wrote:Now with the default setting of my 2600, with 22° in the room, my temps are:
- idle 38°
- encoding 44°

I'm not a gamer so don't need 100% of the 2133Mhz.

So as I told you, first I will change my Mobo to see what will happen undervolting and reducing the fsb multiplier.
Yes, but this is with active cooling, isn't it? You will be surprised at the difference between the very tiny forced airflow and the no airflow (like in passive cooling) cases.

But anyway, you are right, you have to experiment anyway to see how it works. Good luck!

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Post by Jojo540 » Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:09 pm

Yes these temps are with active case & CPU cooling, I don't plan to have passive case cooling, only passive CPU cooling.

My final target is to reduce the case fans noise, so one mean is to reduce the CPU consumption, in order to reduce the case fans rpm.

I think that I'll finish buying a Mobile CPU, but because at the moment I have a desktop CPU (and no money to change both MB+CPU) i'll first change only the MB, and see what I can get with my desktop CPU undervolted & underclocked.

sthayashi
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 3214
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:06 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Post by sthayashi » Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:13 pm

I use an Aopen AK79D-400VN. I don't know if I even want to get it so low as to be able to use passive cooling.

Jojo540
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:06 pm
Location: Paris-France

Post by Jojo540 » Tue Oct 26, 2004 3:00 pm

Well, just to keep you informed, with my Asus A7V600, 2 days before I underclocked my CPU, from 2133Mhz to 1440Mhz.

Result, 4°C less on CPU temp, before 37°, now 33°C on idle, with room temp 21°C.

So I have reduced the rpm of my fans, and less noise (less air noise)

Yesterday I bought a new motherboard NF7S, so tomorrow i'll install it and plan to combinate underclock and......................undervolt!

In Paris, France, the NF7S is hard to find, so may be due to that it's expensive, 93€, about 115US$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

silvervarg
Posts: 1283
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 1:35 am
Location: Sweden, Linkoping

Post by silvervarg » Thu Oct 28, 2004 8:12 am

Unfortunately I didn't read this thread until today, but I think you should read about my setup as it should give you a few ideas. I run NF7-M with XP-2500+ at ~XP-1500 speed with just convection cooling (no CPU cooling, no case fans and PSU fan is in separate compartment, so it does not cool the case either). There are a few cheats on the way, so you better read about the whole build.

Read the thread about Passive CPU cooling and the one about Passive cooling (convection cooled).

You might also want to rethink your strategy a bit.
The CPU fan is enclosed inside the box, and a little dampening material can reduce its noise a lot. Reducing the noise from a case fan is much harder.
So, as long as you have some fan that is cooling the case you should be able to have a fan of roughly equal speed that cools the CPU.

Since I still have a PSU with fan I have not gained that much, but I have prooved that I can do without the PSU fan, since it does not cool the chassi or the CPU. I will get ridd of that fan as well. It is just a matter of money. I will replace the PSU with a brick PSU (laptop style) with DC-DC board in the chassi. I plan to do this in less than 3 months time from now.

Post Reply