North bridge Overheating?

[A-J]

First of all here are my PC Specs:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 Stock Clocks
GPU: AMD HD 7870 XT Oc'd to 1100Mhz
RAM: AMD Entertainment 8GB
Motherboard: ASUS M5A78L-M LX V2 (Bios updated to accommodate FX-8350)
SSD/HDD: 64GB SSD (For OS) 1TB WD HDD
PSU: 600 OCZ StealthXtreme II 80 Plus


I use HWiNFO for hardware monitoring, I first thought the reading might have been of the CPU socket, but now I am reasonably sure it might be the North bridge that is overheating and throttling my CPU.

I want to know if 60C is too hot for the North bridge, and whether a northbridge being too hot can throttle an 8350 at stock clocks.

Every time the reading hits 60C when running Prim95 the CPU starts throttling, and the only thing I can suspect can get that hot is the north bridge.

 

[swifty_morgan]

put a fan on it and see what happens. back in the "old" days the north and south were as hot as the sun.

 

[A-J]

As a precaution I have already ordered a chipset heatsink with a small fan on it, as I can't put a fan on the side panel, as there is no room inside the case to do so (Fractal Design Core 1000) the GPU and SSD are blocking the side panel vent. So I guess my only option might be to replace the heatsink on the northbridge chipset.

 

[swifty_morgan]

I used to buy 40mm fans and attach any way I could.

 

[A-J]

There is literally no space inside the case to mount the fan, even on the outside using the zip tie screws method, unless I tape it on the outside, which will just look tacky.

Even if I was able to mount a fan, the vent is basically blocked by my GPU and SSD, plus the wiring for the SSD. I don't see a side panel fan helping the northbridge much when 80% of the air is blocked. I do have decent airflow through the case, from front to back, but I'm afraid I can't get any air directly onto the motherboard, without having to change the heatsink on the northbridge.

 

[swifty_morgan]

a 40mm fan is like an inch and a quarter square. you can sheet metal screw them to the NB heat sink or you can hot glue them or you can even use silicone caulk.

 

[A-J]

That's what I have ordered, a small Akasa 40mm fan with a heat sink attached to it. I don't think that a Fan will go on the current heat sink on the NB chipset, since it is unevenly shaped.

It should arrive tomorrow, and I will see what happens to the temperature after I put it in.

 

[swifty_morgan]

they never fit right for me. i had to get inventive.

 

[A-J]

Oh I see, hopefully mine fits right, otherwise I might need to get inventive, which doesn't usually end well 😀