[ KB ] BX Chipset Cooling Project

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Derek
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[ KB ] BX Chipset Cooling Project

Post by Derek »

This mod applies to all chipsets without fans.

Add a little more stability to your BP6!

Since the introduction of the BX chipset, overclockers have been pushing the limits of their CPU's to squeeze out the best bang for the buck. In order to be successful at this one must have a good plan of for cooling their gaming rig. The BX chipset on most overclocked systems tend to run at hotter temperatures especially when the FSB is raised and extreme testing is going on. Using a dual CPU system just increases this effect and can lead to instability problems. One technique overclockers like to use to provide better stability in their mobo (motherboard) is to cool the actual Chipset motherboard much like you would your CPU or RAMDAC on your graphics card. This article should give you all the necessary interactions on how to do this.

The green aluminum heatsink on the Abit BP6 motherboard does not have thermal tape or heatsink compound on it. Adding heatsink compound and active cooling is a much better solution.
Image

Step 1:
Image
Loosen the white plastic retaining clips. Be very careful and don't damage you board during this step. Gently pry off the heatsink from the chipset. I carefully used a small pair of needlenose pliers to pinch the plastic tabs on the back side of the board.

Step 2:
Image
Use Thermal heatsink compound on the top of the BX chipset.

Step 3:
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place the heatsink back on to check the spread pattern of the compound. You only need to have a very thin even layer of the compound on the chipset as shown in the picture.

Step 4:
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Attach the green heatsink back onto the motherboard. Then use a 486 CPU fan (it's a perfect fit) to attach to the top of the green heatsink.

Step 5:
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Use the existing screws that came with the 486 heatsink or any compatible screws to securely attach the fan. Then plug the fan into your power supply.

Step 6:
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No more steps left other than to test it out and brag to your friends on how much cooler your BP6 is than their mobo.

Final Note:
Two CPU's draw more power than one, resulting in the BX chipset to get hotter due to the constant treading of processes. Heat leads to less stability. Therefore this inexpensive project will only help your system and not hurt it.
Last edited by Derek on Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
~~~^^^mercury^^^~~~
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3-wire fan for BX chipset cooling???

Post by ~~~^^^mercury^^^~~~ »

i read somewhere, probably here at bp6,
if a 3-wire fan (i think this includes a ground wire) is used
and plugged into 'fan3' on the bp6 mobo, then
the fan's rpms can be monitored via software.

1) any comments or thoughts?

i am just getting parts together to build my bp6, so
i don't actually know what the 'fan3' connector on the mobo is for.

2) can anyone explain?

thanks,
~~~^^^mercury^^^~~~
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purrkur
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Post by purrkur »

1. The third fan connector cannot read speed like the first two.

2. 3rd fan connector can be used for stuff like a chassi fan to blow air in or out of the box.
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