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Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: RamPage on December 10, 2010, 12:49:35 am

Title: North Bridge Repair
Post by: RamPage on December 10, 2010, 12:49:35 am
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)                                  ??? :o ::) ???

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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: fadsarmy on December 10, 2010, 01:43:43 am
Try isopropyl alcohol. That's what I use to remove resistant thermal material. You can pick it up on ebay.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: RamPage on December 10, 2010, 03:00:32 am
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
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: Dark Mantis on December 10, 2010, 09:35:39 am
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: RamPage on December 10, 2010, 10:40:11 pm
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: bytheway_r on December 10, 2010, 10:47:48 pm
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: Dark Mantis on December 10, 2010, 10:56:16 pm
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: RamPage on December 10, 2010, 11:35:41 pm
 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  :o
So I take it this will not void the warranty then
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 11, 2010, 04:13:16 am
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
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: Dark Mantis on December 11, 2010, 09:39:58 am
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. ;)
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 11, 2010, 06:27:50 pm
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
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: bytheway_r on December 11, 2010, 07:37:18 pm
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 12, 2010, 12:43:24 am
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
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: bytheway_r on December 12, 2010, 01:14:44 am
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.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 12, 2010, 03:10:36 am
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
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: absic on December 12, 2010, 08:13:59 am
Hi Soar

yes, everything looks fine.

If HW Monitor is reporting things in the same way for your motherboard as it does for mine then:

TMPIN0 = motherboard temp
TMPIN1 = CPU temp
TMPIN2 = Northbridge temp
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: fadsarmy on December 12, 2010, 09:00:17 am
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.

The NB heatsink moves because it is secured with two push pins instead of four.



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.

This would be difficult for the NB since 99% of Gigabyte boards have no NB temperature sensor.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 12, 2010, 10:17:54 am
Hi Soar

yes, everything looks fine.

If HW Monitor is reporting things in the same way for your motherboard as it does for mine then:

TMPIN0 = motherboard temp
TMPIN1 = CPU temp
TMPIN2 = Northbridge temp


Absic,

Ok, thanks!  It appears as if all is well so far!  I will try that new RAM tomorrow!

Have a good one!

Soar
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 12, 2010, 10:20:43 am
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.

The NB heatsink moves because it is secured with two push pins instead of four.



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.

This would be difficult for the NB since 99% of Gigabyte boards have no NB temperature sensor.

Fad,

Thanks for posting!

Your statement is interesting!  Well, how can I know if my Gigabyte MB as a NB temp sensor?

Can you tell me what are the TMPIN0, TMPIN1, and TMPIN2 readings if they are not the NB?

Thanks,

Soar
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: absic on December 12, 2010, 10:50:17 am
Hi Soar,

When I took delivery of my GA-890FXA-UD5 I asked Gigabyte what the TMPIN readings were. For my motherboard they are as stated and I see no reason why they wouldn't be the same for your motherboard.

In some instances the TMPIN2 readings will show some extremes that just can't be true such as -60C or +150C or variations thereof. This is because the motherboard doesn't have a Northbridge sensor and this is what Fadsarmy is possibly referring to.
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: soarwitheagles on December 13, 2010, 03:35:58 am
Hi Soar,

When I took delivery of my GA-890FXA-UD5 I asked Gigabyte what the TMPIN readings were. For my motherboard they are as stated and I see no reason why they wouldn't be the same for your motherboard.

In some instances the TMPIN2 readings will show some extremes that just can't be true such as -60C or +150C or variations thereof. This is because the motherboard doesn't have a Northbridge sensor and this is what Fadsarmy is possibly referring to.

Thanks for shedding some light on this for me.  Now I understand!

Have a good one!

Soar
Title: Re: North Bridge Repair
Post by: Dark Mantis on December 13, 2010, 11:19:23 am
Well this is what I understood it to be but I wouldn't have argued about it as I am no expert on these boards like absic.