[SOLVED] Strange issues with Intel P35

[projectfixit]

Got an ancient Gigabyte motherboard yesterday. I'm happy that I got it up and running. However, there is one issue: The P35 chipset gets unnaturally hot really fast.
When it gets so hot, I can't even touch it the computer promptly locks up.
Then I have to wait a few minutes before booting it or else it won't boot at all. (All fans spinning, no display)
I have replaced the paste, and I have my eyes on a chipset cooler with a fan.

Any ideas?

 

[projectfixit]

UPDATE: found some options.

Option 1: Realistic

Option 2: Extreme

Feedback?

 

[Rogue Leader]

If that board didn't have a cooler or heatsink on there from the factory (or it dos but its overheating anyway) then that chipset is overheating because there is something WRONG with it. Its likely failing. Based on how old it is, its not surprising. I'd imagine you got it used, and therefore wouldn't know what kind of environment it was in, whether it was bused, overheated, etc.

Toss the board, no reason to throw good money after bad.

 

[BFG-9000]

P35 northbridge always ran searingly hot with just a tiny passive cooler, because it's rated 16w TDP. They were made on the same 90nm process as Prescott Pentium 4. You think that's hot--its successor the P45 had a 26w TDP because of PCIe 2.0 (that's why the laptop version of this chipset in the Cantiga PM45 lacked this feature). And even overclocking-oriented boards came with the same tiny passive coolers.

The free solution is just to ziptie a spare case fan nearby pointed at the passive heatsink, as it just needs a little airflow. This was pretty much mandatory for overclocking to 1600FSB.

For reference, the original 5 volt Pentium P5, that was lambasted for running so hot that it actually burned people working in the case, also had a TDP of 16w for the top 66MHz model. It was made on an 800nm process, and the reference passive heatsink was a huge 3" x 3" x 3" block of aluminum with fins cut into it.

 

[projectfixit]

If that board didn't have a cooler or heatsink on there from the factory (or it dos but its overheating anyway) then that chipset is overheating because there is something WRONG with it. Its likely failing. Based on how old it is, its not surprising. I'd imagine you got it used, and therefore wouldn't know what kind of environment it was in, whether it was bused, overheated, etc.

Toss the board, no reason to throw good money after bad.

It heats up its block pretty fast, no difference when underclocked.

P35 northbridge always ran searingly hot with just a tiny passive cooler, because it's rated 16w TDP. They were made on the same 90nm process as Prescott Pentium 4. You think that's hot--its successor the P45 had a 26w TDP because of PCIe 2.0 (that's why the laptop version of this chipset in the Cantiga PM45 lacked this feature). And even overclocking-oriented boards came with the same tiny passive coolers.

The free solution is just to ziptie a spare case fan nearby pointed at the passive heatsink, as it just needs a little airflow. This was pretty much mandatory for overclocking to 1600FSB.

For reference, the original 5 volt Pentium P5, that was lambasted for running so hot that it actually burned people working in the case, also had a TDP of 16w for the top 66MHz model. It was made on an 800nm process, and the reference passive heatsink was a huge 3" x 3" x 3" block of aluminum with fins cut into it.

I replaced the paste but no difference. :/

Putting a case fan near it is a really good idea.
However, I would like a more permanent solution and I'm prepared to spend a little.
I dislike small fans because they whine more often than not. The extreme option has room for a full blown 80mm fan.

The chipset already receives some air from the stock cooler. It's pretty close to the fan. The motherboard is a gigabyte ga-p35-ds3l.

What's funny is the installed CPU (a Xeon) doesn't even GET hot, while the chipset is smoldering.

 

[projectfixit]

Oh and the original p35 heatsink is a 2 inch cube with fins in it

 

[logainofhades]

Which gigabyte P35 model?

 

[projectfixit]

Which gigabyte P35 model?

The DS3L one

 

[logainofhades]

I had that board, also. It definitely wasn't fond of the overclocked X3210 that I had in it. It died, and I replaced it with an Abit P35 pro, which at the time, was the best P35 board you could get. I ran a 450fsb on that Abit board. The DS3L was unstable beyond 400. That's when I learned I shouldn't cheap out so much, on motherboard.

 

[projectfixit]

UPDATE: Found out what was causing most of the issues.
RAM was undervolted so I fixed that.