# PC Hardware Gurus - Question regarding fans and heatsinks.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 5, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573 "2002-12-05T00:35:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/1 "2002-12-05T00:35:46Z")
I have recently bought a Motherboard heatsink from [Quietpc.com](http://Quietpc.com). They claim that it is the replacement for a heatsink **and** fan. But it does not have a fan itself.
My question is - how safe is it to replace a [5mm ‘high’] heatsink and fan with a [5cm high] heatsink?
I’d assume the answer is ‘pretty safe’ as a company probably wouldn’t sell something that might result in damage. But I thought I’d make sure and ask here.
89
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/2 "2002-12-05T01:15:52Z")
you don’t give that much info. Normally the heatsink/ fan is for the cpu not the motherboard. I would say that most modern non laptop cpu’s need a fan. Early pentiums (apx 120 mhz) could function w/ only a heatskin but anything past that is almost required. Also 5mm is 1/2 a cm which is not all that much - my fan heatsink is at least 5 cm for a 1ghz athlon and about 2 cm for a amd k6-2.
Motherboards don’t require a heatsink (unless something new cam e out) if your’s has one (I don’t even know how you would attach one) I have no idea.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/3 "2002-12-05T01:18:22Z")
OK missed something - if the heatsnk is 5cm’s (and is a cpu heatsink) and you have enough ventilation inthe case you _may_ get away with it but don’'t try overclocking.
Perhaps you cound provide a link
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### Author:  [@deathawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deathawk)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/4 "2002-12-05T02:20:54Z")
I would assume he is referring to the CPU as well, but as an FYI, most Mobo’s I’ve seen over the last few years also have a small heatsink on the Northbridge chip.
I’d be interested in the specific link as well. I’d be real carefull about using something like that with an AMD unless the mobo has a thermal shutdown sensor.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/5 "2002-12-05T02:29:17Z")
No, forget the CPU, the CPU is completely irrelevant in this thread. I have a heatsink and fan on the motherboard (I thought I gave enough info in the OP). I have bought a heatsink, without fan, specifically designed for the motherboard.
I am wondering if (from experience and/or knowledge of current motherboards) it is safe to not have a fan, but rather have a very tall heatsink on the motherboard.
If you must have more info 0- I have an AMD Athlon 1000 with a monster of a heatsink/fan on it, and a motherboard designed to suit. I can’t remember what it’s called but it’s the type where the processor sits flat in a square slot.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/6 "2002-12-05T02:30:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> have a small heatsink on the Northbridge chip.
That’s what I am talking about - the ‘northbridge chip’ Mine has a fan/heatsink on it.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/7 "2002-12-05T02:33:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> (and is a cpu heatsink)
I did not say it was a cpu heatsink. I did not mention ‘cpu’ at all.
Did _anyone_ spot the word ‘motherboard’ in my OP? It seems not to be the case.
P.S. Sorry. I am drunk so I may have missed things.
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### Author:  [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/8 "2002-12-05T02:36:07Z")
What is your mobo?
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### Author:  [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/9 "2002-12-05T02:43:07Z")
FWIW, I believe that this is the [motherboard heatsink](http://www.quietpc.com/vgamb.php) (scroll to the bottom) of which he speaks. I can’t speak to the efficacy of the product as I don’t have a northbridge chipset and the referenced site is short on specs.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/10 "2002-12-05T02:46:46Z")
Correct Hodge. Urban - I will find out tomorow.
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### Author:  [@deathawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deathawk)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/11 "2002-12-05T03:01:59Z")
Ah - you did mean the Northbridge. As a general comment, this is probably fine, although I will disclaimer that I am unfamiliar with this specific product. The concept is solid hower.
Hodge - the northbridge is not a specific chipset, it refers to a chip with a specific function in standard Mobo design. The Northbridge controlls input to the cpu from Memery etc. The Sothbridge controls most of the PCI bridge functions. The names more or less reference the placement of the chips on the Mobo.
The illustration in this link should give you an idea.
[http://www17.tomshardware.com/howto/02q3/020904/diy-06.html](http://www17.tomshardware.com/howto/02q3/020904/diy-06.html)
I find this site quite good for hardware reviews/benchmarking/etc.
Unless you meant you use a MAC/sun etc. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/12 "2002-12-05T06:45:32Z")
You won’t have a problem using a large heatsink to replace the small included HSF, assuming you have adequate case ventillation. If your case temp is 40C, your components will be sweltering no matter how big the heatsinks are. Northbridge chips don’t produce too much heat, just make sure you remove the thermal pad on the bottom of the heatsink and replace it with a thin layer of thermal paste, assuming the heatsink has some mounting mechanism besides a sticky pad.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/13 "2002-12-05T10:31:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Lobsang \*
> \*\*I did not say it was a cpu heatsink. I did not mention ‘cpu’ at all.
>
> Did _anyone_ spot the word ‘motherboard’ in my OP? It seems not to be the case.
>
> P.S. Sorry. I am drunk so I may have missed things. \*\*
Yeah. I spotted the word “motherboard” and immediately thought “this question makes no sense whatsoever and I wish it had been phrased better”. There are _no_ fans on the motherboard itself. The motherboard holds dozens of components, a few of which, like the CPU or the Chipset, _may_ have a fan. So, finally now we know it is the Nrothbridge chip and not the CPU. You could have made that clear in the OP and saved evrybody some time. We are not psychics here.
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### Author:  [@TECHNOGHOST](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TECHNOGHOST)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/14 "2002-12-05T11:55:46Z")
Replacing the Heatsink Fan with only a heatsink is perfectly safe unless your planning to do massive overclocking.
Some boards come factory fitted with HSF on the Northbridge/Chipset whereas other manufactured content themselves with only a passive HS.
Worse comes to worse, you will get only stability issues if temperature goes too high (unlikely for base speed) but your motherboard will NOT fry…
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/15 "2002-12-05T12:07:36Z")
‘All’ the fan does is circulate cooler air near to the heatsink so that heat can be transferred away from it (i.e. it’s not ‘cooling’ in the same way that a fan cools a person through evaporation of sweat).
However it’s quite an inportant job; you should be able to replace a small heatsink + fan for a large one with much greater surface area, particularly if it hase been designed in such a way as to circulate air itself through convection (in which case the vanes will probably be aligned vertically).
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/16 "2002-12-05T22:44:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by sailor \*
> \*\*Yeah. I spotted the word “motherboard” and immediately thought “this question makes no sense whatsoever and I wish it had been phrased better”. There are _no_ fans on the motherboard itself. The motherboard holds dozens of components, a few of which, like the CPU or the Chipset, _may_ have a fan. So, finally now we know it is the Nrothbridge chip and not the CPU. You could have made that clear in the OP and saved evrybody some time. We are not psychics here. \*\*
Oh come on! Have you any idea how pedantic you sound? Anyone would realize that I mean a chip on the motherboard, and not the cpu itself. I certainly would. If someone had said to me “I have a fan and heatsink on my motherboard” I would know instantly that their fan and heatsink is on one of the chips on the motherboard.
And since I did not know the name of the chip at the time I thought it would be prefectly fine to say ‘motherboard’. I did not count on there being any _pedantic_ hardware gurus.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/17 "2002-12-05T23:52:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Lobsang \*
> \*\* I did not count on there being any _pedantic_ hardware gurus. \*\*
Then count on it in the future. Incorrect questions are unlikely to solicit correct answers. Pedantic is our middle name around here, and not without reason.
Get over it, thank the nice people for helping you and move on.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/18 "2002-12-05T23:55:10Z")
And speaking of pedantic, _elicit_. Not solicit. Elicit.
Doh!
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/19 "2002-12-06T00:13:11Z")
I don’t know your computer proficency and have know many people who call the motherboard the cpu, the cpu the motherboard and the cpu the case+ all contents. So I don’t think it’s out of line asking what you ment by motherboard
Why would you want to make this replacement anyway?
The only possible reason I could say is a small power savings but the cost of the unit would far exceed the cost of running that fan for 20 yrs.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-hardware-gurus-question-regarding-fans-and-heatsinks/140573/20 "2002-12-06T00:22:13Z")
Noise I suspect; The Quest For Silence is one of the latest things in the whole modding craze, along with:
Weird cooling systems.
Coloured LEDs, cold cathode lamps, electroluminescent plastics.
what next, I wonder…
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