Newbie help

[Eddy1001]

hi i was wondering if you could help me the fan on my northbridge chip has started to go and needs to be replaced, ive got my dad to get me a collermaster dxy-4c1xc fan the only problem is that it doesnt seem to have any way of attaching to the chip only a pad at the back, ive searched on the internet and it says that the pad is a thermal pad that i can just attach to the chip directly without any other support. is this true? also once i take off the fan on the chip and the heatsink underneath it do i have to clean the chip or anything or can i stick the new fan on straight away? sorry if this is a stupid question its just im starting to get into computers and i know what some of the stuff is called but have never replaced any of the things before. I have an AMD motherboard although im not sure what exact type it is and i have an ARX chipset coolerfan on at the moment.

thanks
eddy

 

[HHunt]

Whatever cools it

What I'm sure you've gotten is not just a fan, but a fan plus a heatsink.
You have to alternatives: Either you remove the fan/heatsink that's already on (and clean the surfaces), or you remove the fans from the heatsinks and just replace the fan.

As for which one, well, you'll have to decide which one seems the best in this case.
Remember that a bigger heatsink is good, and more pressure = better thermal transfer.
(Most likely replacing only the fan is the better solution, but it requires slightly more screwing and well, replacing.)

 

[Eddy1001]

hi thanks, ive tried to replace the fan but cant find a 40mm ARX chipset cooler anywhere on the internet and ive got my dad to ask at the local computer store but they havent got one either


anyway ive got to go now im meant to be asleep

 

[HHunt]

Originally posted by Eddy1001
hi thanks, ive tried to replace the fan but cant find a 40mm ARX chipset cooler anywhere on the internet and ive got my dad to ask at the local computer store but they havent got one either


anyway ive got to go now im meant to be asleep

All you need is any 12V fan in the right size with a 3-pin contact.
(Remove the faulty one, screw on the new one.)

 

[Eddy1001]

hi i tried replacing the fan with another 40mm 3 pin connector fan but the fans cant be swapeed around. I cant find the 40 mm ARX fans i need and the fans from other makes dont fit onto the heatsink. I think im going to have to swap the heat sink as well. Theres only a few things i need to know, when ive taken the fan and heat sink off what do i need to clean underneath? after that can i just attach the new fan (dxy-4c1xc) onto the chip with the thermal pad? im not moddifying the computer and i just need the fan to cool the chip so it should be alright shouldnt it? Sorry this probably sounds stupid to you but im just starting out

 

[MontyAC]

You need to clean out the old paste on the nb. You most likely need thermal epoxy to glue the new heatsink to the nb if you can't screw it into the board.

 

[Eddy1001]

im getting some akasa CPU and heatsink cleaner to to clean after ive taken the old heat sink off, can i just use some cotton buds to clean it with? and as ive said the new fan and heatsink comes with the a thermal tape attached to the heatsink, i just want to make sure im right that a termal tape means i can just attach the heat sink directly to the chip with out the need for epoxy. Im pretty sure im right as it says so here

http://www.ascent.co.nz/mn-product-spec.asp?pid=117710

but i guess i just need to hear from someone who's done this before


can someone also tell me what the difference is between thermal tape and a thermal pad?