A7V266-E chipset fan not running

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Ed

I notice that the fan on the KT266A chipset is not running. Is there an
online source for
the fan? How would I specifie it, e.g., voltage, wattage, CFM?

TIA

Ed
 
I notice that the fan on the KT266A chipset is not running. Is there an
online source for the fan? How would I specifie it, e.g., voltage,
wattage, CFM?
Click to expand...

We are a PC dealer and have used that motherboard model in past
systems. We have had a number of customers whose chipset fan started
making noise or stopped working. Many decided just to remove the
fan while keeping the heatsink intact with no ill effects.

I had the same thing happen with one of my personal systems using a similiar
A7M266 motherboard. I removed the fan from the board and it's run fine
like that for
the past 3 years. I wouldn't recommend doing that for today's newer
chipsets which get hotter.
 
Thanks, for the reply, Kevin. I have read on other forums what you are
saying here. I may go that route if I can't find a really good fan to
replace it with. I figure I should be able to do that for under $10
so why take the chance?

OTOH, I have a vague recollection of having gone through this before
shortly after installing the board... I wonder why there are so many
problems
with it?

Ed
 
KC Computers said:
We are a PC dealer and have used that motherboard model in past
systems. We have had a number of customers whose chipset fan started
making noise or stopped working. Many decided just to remove the
fan while keeping the heatsink intact with no ill effects.

I had the same thing happen with one of my personal systems using a
similiar
A7M266 motherboard. I removed the fan from the board and it's run fine
like that for
the past 3 years. I wouldn't recommend doing that for today's newer
chipsets which get hotter.
Click to expand...

Kevin,

I did some more searching with Google and see that some people replace the
fan with a passive heatsink, e.g.,
http://www.atruereview.com/NB32J/index.php

What do you think about that?

Also, looking at the hardware more closely, I can't quite see how to remove
the
the fan and its mounting hardware. I can see Philips head screws
at 2 corners. It looks like they hold the fan to some kind of frame that
fits over the chipset,
and that fram seems to be fastened to the mainboard at the other two corners
by
some kind of rivet. Can all of that be removed so I could put the passive
heat sink directly
on the chipset?

TIA

Ed
 
I notice that the fan on the KT266A chipset is not running. Is there an
I had the same thing happen with one of my personal systems using a

I did some more searching with Google and see that some people replace the
fan with a passive heatsink, e.g.,>
http://www.atruereview.com/NB32J/index.php
the> the fan and its mounting hardware. I can see Philips head screws
at 2 corners. It looks like they hold the fan to some kind of frame that
fits over the chipset,> and that fram seems to be fastened to the
mainboard at the other two corners by> some kind of rivet. Can all of that
be removed so I could put the passive heat sink directly> on the chipset?
Click to expand...

That passive heatsink looks like a good choice if you are concerned
about not having a working fan. The chipset frame can totally be removed.
You will need to remove the fan (using a small jewelers screwdriver) and
then pry/pull out the push-pins. They can be difficult to be get at when
the
motherboard is installed. You may want to remove the video card to have
more room.

Good luck.
 
Ed said:
Kevin,

I did some more searching with Google and see that some people replace the
fan with a passive heatsink, e.g.,
http://www.atruereview.com/NB32J/index.php

What do you think about that?

Also, looking at the hardware more closely, I can't quite see how to remove
the
the fan and its mounting hardware. I can see Philips head screws
at 2 corners. It looks like they hold the fan to some kind of frame that
fits over the chipset,
and that fram seems to be fastened to the mainboard at the other two corners
by
some kind of rivet. Can all of that be removed so I could put the passive
heat sink directly
on the chipset?

TIA

Ed
Click to expand...
Here is a nice Zalman many folks use, including me. It is half the
price of the golden colored unit. Have installed it on several ASUS
Athlon 64 systems. Never more than warm to the touch. I do not
overclock except to experiment, then return to normal settings for
day-to-day and systems remain stable in either case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118214

PB
 
Kevin,

KC Computers said:
That passive heatsink looks like a good choice if you are concerned
about not having a working fan. The chipset frame can totally be removed.
You will need to remove the fan (using a small jewelers screwdriver) and
then pry/pull out the push-pins. They can be difficult to be get at when
the
motherboard is installed. You may want to remove the video card to have
more room.
Click to expand...

I picked up a CoolerMaster at the local electronics superstore, Fry's. Looks
a lot like
the Zalman PB mentioned. However, I couldn't pull the push pins out... well,
maybe I could have, but there are some pretty fine traces on the board
around
there and I didn't want to risk breaking them. I'll put it off until I have
time
to pull the mainboard.

In the meanwhile, I took the seal off the end of the fan motor and put a few
drops
of 3-in-one oil in the shaft. A few spins on the fan seemed to free it up
quite a bit,
and sure enough it spins up now that it's reinstalled. My guess is it will
last a few days
to a few weeks before binding again, so I will find the time to put the
passive heat sink
on it. BTW, a lot of the boards on display at Fry's had passive sinks on
the chipsets.
Also, they had two or three hooks full of these CoolerMaster units so they
must
be big sellers.

Thanks

Ed
 
That passive heatsink looks like a good choice if you are concerned
I picked up a CoolerMaster at the local electronics superstore, Fry's.
Looks a lot like> the Zalman PB mentioned. However, I couldn't pull the
push pins out... well,
maybe I could have, but there are some pretty fine traces on the board
around> there and I didn't want to risk breaking them. I'll put it off
until I have time> to pull the mainboard.
Click to expand...

Good idea. You don't want to risk damaging anything.
 
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