North Bridge Repair

[RamPage]

Hello again Gigabyte people

I just got my New GA 880 GA UD3H ver 2.2  motherboard
 When I was taking the M/B out of the packaging , I noticed that the North Bridge/Controller's Heat Sink is lose. The heatsink reads (TURBO 3D)
I removed the North bridge/controller heat sink, and noticed that the thermal compound is hard and dry.
 (man the springs weak on the retaining pins)                                 

This is the question I have. HOW DO I FIX THIS
 What do I need to do, to repair this minor problem ?
The controller chip is small.The heatsink is kinda big.
I'm not sure how to clean this glue/thermal paste off of the chip and heatsink
ANY help well be greatly accepted.  Thx in advance.

[fadsarmy]

Try isopropyl alcohol. That's what I use to remove resistant thermal material. You can pick it up on ebay.

[RamPage]

OK isopropyl alcohol to remove the heat sink thermal glue.I think I can get that from the pharmacy.
which thermal glue would be best , for reinstalling the heatsink with.
the only ones I've used were a non setting thermal glue/paste a no cure time arctic silver doesn't get hard/coolermasters thermal paste won't harden.
corsairs thermal paste also doesn't harden ether

[Dark Mantis]

Yes the Isopropyl Alcohol is the best thing to clean the residue off. Just use iot on a clean bit of paper kitchen towel.

You can use whichever thermal compound you prefer for the replacement but not too much. Personally I like Arctic Silver 5 which is non setting but it doesn't really matter.

[RamPage]

Well people thx again for the help[font=Verdana]. 5 Starts as usual.[/font] 
So I can use any thermal paste I want(?)
I dont need to use a thermal poxy to Glue the heat sink on? So no thermal tape ether?
Just a thought here, correct me if I'm wrong,
It just seems that the heatsink will learn a little maybe I dont know for sure its kinda, arkward, bulky but not heavy maybe 1/4 to 1/3 and oz.

[bytheway_r]

First of all, it's rather hard to make the NB heatsink not move at all. I'm guessing this is because the heatsink is bigger than the chip and there's a lot of space ( on the heatsink ) that isn't touching anything.

Just like DM said, you can use whichever compound you like. There's no need to use any tape, etc. as this heatsink is mounted on the MB and not just glued on.

Also, from personal experience as of late - factory thermal compound is usually white and dry and a pain to remove completely, so it's nothing out of the ordinary.

[Dark Mantis]

Don't forget the Arctic Silver 5 or whatever you decide to use will act like a glue as well as the mechanical bonding of the heatsink to the motherboard via the pins. Shouldn't be a problem at all.

[RamPage]

 Ok I see what your saying. Ill give this a try and get back with yous in a day or so. Again thxs. You guys and gals give better support  then I get from the Gigabyte support team usa 
So I take it this will not void the warranty then

[soarwitheagles]

Don't forget the Arctic Silver 5 or whatever you decide to use will act like a glue as well as the mechanical bonding of the heatsink to the motherboard via the pins. Shouldn't be a problem at all.

DM, I was reading this post and wanted to ask a question...

Need I check my Northbridge for thermal compound issues?  I've never bothered checking the thermal compound on any of my Gigabyte boards ever!

Is this an issue worth checking or should I rest assured all my NB's are safe and secure?

Do you remove the heatsinks on all your northbridge's and check for correct seating and thermal paste?

I am just wondering...

Thanks,

Soar

[Dark Mantis]

Hi Soar,

Calm down mate, there is no reason to check the heatsinks unless you find that they are runing too cold or the temperature sensor gives a reading that is above what you would expect for that component. I never remove mine unless I am taking it off for a reason like watercooling.
Obviously if you do remove it you will need to apply a good quality thermal paste again before refitting it.

Have a great Christmas mate and all the best to your family.

[soarwitheagles]

Hi Soar,

Calm down mate, there is no reason to check the heatsinks unless you find that they are runing too cold or the temperature sensor gives a reading that is above what you would expect for that component. I never remove mine unless I am taking it off for a reason like watercooling.
Obviously if you do remove it you will need to apply a good quality thermal paste again before refitting it.

Have a great Christmas mate and all the best to your family.

DM,

Thanks for the clarity!  Where can I find the temps on the NB?  Is there a place in the BIOS to check it?

Soar

[bytheway_r]

Not sure if you'll find this info in bios but check under PC Health ( basically, where volts and CPU temp is shown ).

Otherwise download this: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

If your board has an NB sensor then one of the TMPIN values should be it. Then it's up to you to figure out which one it may be. Generally, it'd seem that TMPIN2 is NB temp most of the time. At least, I think it may be so for my board.

[soarwitheagles]

Not sure if you'll find this info in bios but check under PC Health ( basically, where volts and CPU temp is shown ).

Otherwise download this: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

If your board has an NB sensor then one of the TMPIN values should be it. Then it's up to you to figure out which one it may be. Generally, it'd seem that TMPIN2 is NB temp most of the time. At least, I think it may be so for my board.

BTW,

Thanks for the info.  I remember looking in the BIOS and seeing the temps for the CPU.  I do not recall seeing the NB temps there, but I will try it here momentarily. 

I have the CPUID installed, it shows all types of wonderful readings, but it does not show me any temperatures whatsoever.

Does your CPUID show temps?

Soar

[bytheway_r]

CPUID is more the name of a company or something. You're probably talking about another of their software - CPU-Z. HWMonitor is a monitoring tool that shows temps, some voltages, fans and some theoretical CPU power consumption which I've yet to figure out.

Click on that link and see for yourself.

[soarwitheagles]

CPUID is more the name of a company or something. You're probably talking about another of their software - CPU-Z. HWMonitor is a monitoring tool that shows temps, some voltages, fans and some theoretical CPU power consumption which I've yet to figure out.

Click on that link and see for yourself.

Ok, thanks!  I clicked it, installed it, and ran it.  

Sure is an awesome software to check system temps and voltages!

Here are the benchmarks.  Does everything look ok?

Why would my SSD show up as 33 F degrees?  Sounds pretty chilly!

Soar