Overheating: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe

KyleKyle Lafayette, LA New
edited April 2007 in Hardware
I've had this board in this machine since the beginning of December:

Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
AMD X2 4600+
2x1GB Corsair XMS
Asus x1900xt 512MB
1 SATA HD, 1 PATA HD, 1 Plextor DVD/RW
Asus 550W PSU

I haven't made any hardware changes recently, but a few days ago I started experiencing system crashes/reboots. XP would reboot and Vista would bluescreen (why would they keep that symbol of instability around?). I would also freeze in the BIOS. I updated to the latest BIOS and the problem persisted. I opened my case and found that the chipset was scalding to the touch. My CPU temps are fine and the "motherboard" temp in BIOS (which I assume is ambient) is fine. I added a fan on the side of my case and moved my huge video card down to the second PCI-E slot so it wouldn't trap the heat right above the chipset. I blew off a lot of what little dust was on my components. I also disabled every extra onboard system I didn't need (extra LAN, RAID, etc). It still overheats. I've already next-day'ed a new MSI board since I now need my machine for work, but any advice I can get to try and fix the problem before it arrives would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    Hey kyle,

    Overheating isn't the only problem with that board :bigggrin:

    Check out the thread here at short-media if you think it could be something other than overheating.

    http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48305
  • KyleKyle Lafayette, LA New
    edited April 2007
    I understand that this board has a lot of problems. I've dealt with the fickleness when it comes to RAM. I'm still pretty sure that it's the overheating that locks up my system. The heatsink on the chipset burned my finger... even with good ol' fashion spit on it!
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    Kyle wrote:
    I understand that this board has a lot of problems. I've dealt with the fickleness when it comes to RAM. I'm still pretty sure that it's the overheating that locks up my system. The heatsink on the chipset burned my finger... even with good ol' fashion spit on it!

    Good Luck then Sirrah!
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    Kyle, you refer to the "chipset" overheating. Can you give us an image with the chip(s) in question? Mosfetts? Northbridge?
  • KyleKyle Lafayette, LA New
    edited April 2007
    It's the northbridge... the one with the slick-looking heatpipe. You can see the pictures at the Newegg link I posted.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    If you just put this system together in December, it wouldn't seem that dust has already inhibited airflow or heat transfer from the heatsinks. But perhaps so. You've checked it lately for dust and lint buildup?

    It could be the passive cooling system is working as efficiently as it was when you first built your system, but the ambient temperature has risen in your home as spring progresses, revealing the limits of heatsinks, or the limits of the factory thermal paste.

    Perhaps the sink is no longer securely fastened to the motherboard. Sometimes those plastic tension pins don't hold the sinks down tight. If it were my board, I'd probably remove the passive cooling system, clean the factory silicon paste off the assembly and the chips, and apply some quality thermal paste such as Zalman's or Arctic Silver 5.
Sign In or Register to comment.