Copper Shims on Chipset

[jesdals]

Been using this 92 Chromax with my 7900XTX and 6900XT before that

Haveing 2 extra 120 on my AIO for pull action on the 3x120 push intake - top blows on memory an bottom feeds to GPU and cable mess

BTW had to retro fit my Artic Silver AIO to the Fractal Meshify C in order to fit the 7900 XTX

With a extra 10mm spaceing the dustfilter fits as if it was taped on...

But its still a thight fit

 

[mclaren85]

View attachment 307607
Been using this 92 Chromax with my 7900XTX and 6900XT before that
View attachment 307608
Haveing 2 extra 120 on my AIO for pull action on the 3x120 push intake - top blows on memory an bottom feeds to GPU and cable mess

BTW had to retro fit my Artic Silver AIO to the Fractal Meshify C in order to fit the 7900 XTX
View attachment 307609

With a extra 10mm spaceing the dustfilter fits as if it was taped on...
View attachment 307610
But its still a thight fit

View attachment 307611

I don't know you are posting at right place but, I want to say that Arctic fans are sh*t.

 

[jesdals]

Waiting for next gen Noctua might do a upgrade then - but very pleased with AIO

But btw just showing how one could make air blow past chipset coolers/heatsink

CPU and GPU temps has been very plesent with this setup

 

[mclaren85]

Waiting for next gen Noctua might do a upgrade then - but very pleased with AIO

But btw just showing how one could make air blow past chipset coolers/heatsink

CPU and GPU temps has been very plesent with this setup
View attachment 307614

You should buy a new case. there are too many mods..

Waiting for next gen Noctua might do a upgrade then - but very pleased with AIO

But btw just showing how one could make air blow past chipset coolers/heatsink

CPU and GPU temps has been very plesent with this setup
View attachment 307614

What is the vengeance cooler? Is this for ram?

 

[jesdals]

You should buy a new case. there are too many mods..


What is the vengeance cooler? Is this for ram?

Yes my Samsung B-die is oced

Zentimings is reading it a bit high it is 1.5V in bios

But HWinfo seems to read it at the same level - I might have to look at it in bios again...

Edit - apparently I have had a mis setting in BIOS glad I saw that - well now its correct 1.5V and I can verify that both ZenTimings and HWinfo was correct

 

[Waldorf]

@mclaren85
doing all this if you like playing around is fine, but what are the gains?
any AIO LC dumping the (cpu) heat outside the case will not only lower cpu temps,
it will lower temps for ALL internal stuff, like vrms/gpu/drives/ram.

and noctua fans are overpriced vs what others offer.
and the arctics dont need adapters/switches (to run silent), even the (fixed) rpm fans allow variable speed,
most pwms offer daisy chaining, and they have 5 packs for lower cost than buying single units.
the are usually just 10-20% lower in "perf", cost 7-15$ a piece, with 6-10y warranty.

NF-A14 ULN 800rpm 11,9db 0,69 pressure 25$
P14S 950rpm 8db 0.60 pressure 12$
i cant use the noctua at low loads without the adapter (or it is audible), and if i use it, it performs identical (temps), so why would i spend more, to gain nothing,
as artic offers 6 (-10y) warranty on their fans a well.

i don't have problem shelling out money for better stuff, but not if it costs me ~300$ vs 60-100$ using artics,
without noticeable difference when using them.

if you dont like artic/dont want to to use them, fine, just dont say they are crap, when thousands of ppl use them without problems.
ignoring for a moment i never had any issues getting replacements (bad batch), or even getting things like cooler mounting hw (new socket/lost parts) for free/shipping cost,
and one of the only brands never giving me a hard time, even when i wasnt the (initial) buyer/user.


@jesdals
maybe im missing something, but you might wanna start reading manuals, as rads needs to be mounted higher than the pump/res
as in top//rear/front mounted, not bottom.

 

[P4-630]

Waiting for next gen Noctua might do a upgrade then - but very pleased with AIO

But btw just showing how one could make air blow past chipset coolers/heatsink

CPU and GPU temps has been very plesent with this setup
View attachment 307614

Nice kitchen countertopdesk....

 

[jesdals]

@jesdals
maybe im missing something, but you might wanna start reading manuals, as rads needs to be mounted higher than the pump/res
as in top//rear/front mounted, not bottom.

I beg your pardon - but Im not sure of what your saying - my mount is in the front and the tubes rund from the bottom of the RAD to the pump HEAD, with the top of the RAD above the punp. If thats wrong I dont need to read the manual because then the manual is wrong...

Btw
doing all this if you like playing around is fine, but what are the gains?

any AIO LC dumping the (cpu) heat outside the case will not only lower cpu temps,
it will lower temps for ALL internal stuff, like vrms/gpu/drives/ram.

Thats a hot topic in many discussions - I startet that way but followed the crowd who pointed out that the RAD will be cooler with external air going in than with hot air from the GPU going out - did it make a difference? Well I really cant say but it works and been building that way ever since...

Nice kitchen countertopdesk....

Its actually a prototype desk from one of the very first production samples for clinical / medicinal lab tables for splash cabinets with ventilation (family businees at the time) - its not a massive plate but a rounded plate and it took a special kind of saw to cut in length without destroying the laminate in the proces - have had it for more than 35 years so a quality product indeed

 

[Waldorf]

@jesdals
ok, just looked to me like (one) rad is mounted on the bottom, hoses going up to block. (seen it multiple times).

blowing the heat in the case will surely give you lower temps on the cpu, but unless the gpu is under water,
it will eff up your gaming perf, as the gpu will throttle (boost) clocks, hurting overall perf much more,
than the few degrees you gain on the cpu temp.
especially on things like ryzen, which will run at a high temp to begin with, so you will not lower temps,
as the cpu will just start to boost more.
one reason i stick to 240/280 (rads), so i can (always) mount them on the top/rear as exhaust.

the question "for what gain" was regarding the shims/modification needed/small fans added,
all to have less gains compared to going from air to water (cooling the cpu).
ignoring of course if its already on water, then: "let the modding begin.."

 

[mclaren85]

My orders have arrived, now it's time for the most fun part..

 

[P4-630]

I don't think it'll make it any better than it already was though...

And how you gonna fasten the motherboard heatsink with the shim as sandwich?
Not surely understand your plan here.

If you had a nice copper heatsink and a fan straight on it it might have helped a bit.

 

[mclaren85]

I don't think it'll make it any better than it already was though...

If you had a nice copper heatsink and a fan straight on it it might have helped a bit.

At the moment it is running cooler than before but not sure if it's because of my mod since the weather is also 3 degree lower than yesterday.

 

[P4-630]

At the moment it is running cooler than before but not sure if it's because of my mod since the weather is also 3 degree lower than yesterday.
View attachment 308580

A bare flat shim with the fan on it?

See if you can find a proper (copper)heatsink somewhere and stick the little fan to that if you don't plan to use the default mb heatsink anymore.

 

[mclaren85]

A bare flat shim with the fan on it?

See if you can find a proper (copper)heatsink somewhere and stick the little fan to that if you don't plan to use the default mb heatsink anymore.

Ah sorry for confusion, my bad.. I attached the original heatsink. Differences are, there is a copper plate instead of thermal pad, and there is a noctua fan on the outer edge of the hs.

After stress testing with full throttle (via power options in windows and bios) it reached up to 53C of celsius.
At regular browsing it is sitting on 43-44C of celsius.

Conclusion:

- The biggest cooling improvement was when the GPU placed vertical.
- Copper shim is definitely working, but expecting a miracle would be disappointing.
- There is only a little difference between pads and shims when the cooling is passive.
- Front intake fans are the most directly related with heat of the pch.

 

[Noci]

As mentioned before in this thread, the best thermal conductivity is between bare metal contact.
So if you want to maximize your modded chipset cooling solution, I may have a tip for a possible minor improvement without investing money.

Your heatsink is made from aluminium and most likely anodized (if not so, it's paint coated). This means it's surface is covered with a thin aluminium oxide layer or paint, which both have a lower thermal conductivity coefficient than aluminium.
With some fine (wet) sanding paper you can relativily easy remove that oxide layer on the bottom side of your heatsink, exactely on the location where it contacts the copper shim. I would advise to use some thermal paste between the heatsink and the copper shim as they probably are not 100% flat. The heat can then easier been transported to the heatsink which in order can dissipate it in your case with the forced airflow.

It could help a little in the way you modded the chipset cooling. It just might increase the heat transfer speed a little.
Nevertheless, the increased cooling effect will be marginal, it's just optimizing thermal conductivity as you did with the copper shim.

More important is adequate airflow trough your case to remove the generated heat of all components out as quick as possible and preferably low ambient temperatures.

As for the comments on the poor design of this heatsink, from an engineering point of view it almost looks like they just used a model which originally was ment to be actively cooled, or to maximize cooling without compromising the asteatic aspects on the frontside. The latter most likely is the culprit here, so form over functionallity as for the majority of mainboards.
If you look at this grey section, that's probably the rear side of the ACE logo sticker. If you're bold enough and willing to remove that sticker and relocate the 40mm fan a little, the airflow will have even a better effect with cooling, as the heat disipating surface is the biggest here on the rear side of the heatsink and probably no airflow at the moment.
It will than most likely have the same effect as the previous models with an active chipset cooling.

Personally, I've always made sure with my personal builds, there is also some forced airflow at the backside of the mainboard. You would be amazed by how much heat radiates through the PCB. Known hotspots are the VRM's, CPU and Chipset and it's always better to remove that heat also.
Eventhough your mainboard is by all means not a cheap mainboard, it does not have a backplate as some expensive models do. Blackplates on mainboards, just as with GPU's normally have this heatsink functionallity, besides just looking premium/nice.

Hope you can use some of this info.

 

[jesdals]

Personally, I've always made sure with my personal builds, there is also some forced airflow at the backside of the mainboard. You would be amazed by how much heat radiates through the PCB. Known hotspots are the VRM's, CPU and Chipset and it's always better to remove that heat also.

I have a cut out for a 120/15mm noctua fan on the backside of my cabinet for the same reason

 

[mclaren85]

I have a cut out for a 120/15mm noctua fan on the backside of my cabinet for the same reason
View attachment 308691

Does it work as you were expecting?

 

[Noci]

Does it work as you were expecting?

It is nearly impossible to have a subtantiated expectation on this, as it is very hard to make accurate measurements even if you have a professional FLIR camera and/or thermocouple, infrared or other temperature measurement equipment with a high accuracy. The space between the mountingplate of the PC-case and the PCB is only the height of the stand-offs.

In my situation I tried to make an objective evaluation on this, based on visual and touch observations.

• Visual: with a very thin piece of cigarette paper I can prove there is an airflow.
• Touch: with my fingertips I can feel the outcoming air is warmer than the ambient temperature.

Using common sense and applying basic facts of physics, removed heat will have impact, however this aspect most likely will be marginal. If it would have a major positive effect on the overall cooling of mainboard components, don't you think the R&D departments of the big mainboard brands would already have jumped on that train?

In my opinion the way to investigate if there is some impact, is to set up a test making heavy loaded runs with and without this specific airflow and record the sensor readings.
To make this credible, you have to make sure all the applicable parameters and variables stay well within the margin of error during all tests, which requires almost laboratory conditions.
Sensor readings can than be evaluated, to see if it does have impact.
Also keep in mind that heavy loaded runs don't represent daily computer use and if any results do show you still have to consider how to interpret these.

Consider it just tweaking/fine tuning of the cooling, which if it does not show in numbers, it is still usefull and no harm done.
So going back to your question, don't expect anything, if you do see any improvement in your sensor readings no matter how low, it's a win.

 

[jesdals]

Does it work as you were expecting?

Its hard to prove but have had a cut out in the motherboard tray back to my old Core 2 Duo machines in old Chieftec Dragon kabinets with the same side intakes near CPU and GPU on the other side. When my newst Fractal Meshify C had the same cut out in the motherboard tray - it was naturally to make the last modification
BTW loved ASUS heatpipes on the VRMs and chipset

 

[mclaren85]

Honestly, it did not worth the effort. The chipset is running at the same temp as before. It is what it is. Only good airflow would help more than anything. There's not much I can do now.

I would humbly suggest to anyone who complains about the high pch temperature: just ignore it. And enjoy.

 

[Noci]

Honestly, it did not worth the effort. The chipset is running at the same temp as before. It is what it is. Only good airflow would help more than anything. There's not much I can do now.

I would humbly suggest to anyone who complains about the high pch temperature: just ignore it. And enjoy.

Fully agree, proper airflow over any heat producing part is a must to have any effect, even if it is not (directly) measurable.

 

[Braegnok]

Honestly, it did not worth the effort. The chipset is running at the same temp as before. It is what it is. Only good airflow would help more than anything. There's not much I can do now.

I would humbly suggest to anyone who complains about the high pch temperature: just ignore it. And enjoy.

Watercooling PCH chipset helps maintain the heat dissipation under heavy loads,.. if you have a water loop it's a simple add-on.

PCH block Watercool Heatkiller NSB Rev 3.0: https://shop.watercool.de/HEATKILLERZ-NSB-Rev30

30x30x2.0mm Thermal Grizzly Minus Pad 8 works nicely for the thermal pad.

 

[Noci]

Watercooling is of course better, but I think he wants to keep the 'looks' of the mb.

By the way, do you use a chiller, those temps are really low. Lower than the ambient temps in my room, so I will always stay well above the ones you posted.

 

[mclaren85]

Putting my PCH chipset underwater maintains heat dissipation under heavy loads,.. if you have a water loop it's a simple add-on.

PCH block Watercool Heatkiller NSB Rev 3.0: https://shop.watercool.de/HEATKILLERZ-NSB-Rev30

30x30x2.0mm Thermal Grizzly Minus Pad 8 works nicely for the thermal pad.

View attachment 308951 View attachment 308953 View attachment 308954 View attachment 308957

As I stated above, I totally ignore it.

I checked 5 different models of laptops and the average pch temp is well above 65 degree celcius.

 

[Braegnok]

Watercooling is of course better, but I think he wants to keep the 'looks' of the mb.

By the way, do you use a chiller, those temps are really low. Lower than the ambient temps in my room, so I will always stay well above the ones you posted.

No chiller, just MORA 420 Pro pulling fresh outside air through an open window.

I live in Colorado above 9000 feet. It was 49 last night, about 52 when I took the screenshot this morning.