Anyone buying an Abit KR7A or similar, look out for this.....

[AMDnut]

I started putting my new rig together and found that the Northbridge heatsink was a little loose. One of the cheapo clip/pins was deformed at the tip and would not keep tension. I had some better pins with nice springs on that would keep the tension nice. The stock Abit pins are the ones without the springs (upper right)

 

[AMDnut]

So, first thing, check these pins for tension. Then, when I took things apart to replace the cheapo pins, this is what I found....

 

[AMDnut]

Man, is that lame or what?!?!? How are we supposed to hit 150FSB with the Northbridge in that shape? Not gonna do it like that! So, I did the job myself and it looked like this when I put it back together. And the new pins have good tension too!!!

 

[AMDnut]

Now she is running at 145FSB with default voltage! I haven't tried 150FSB yet, but I think I might be able to hit it (I hope!).

Anyways, be on the lookout for the above problems. A lot of mobo's have terrible applications of grease on the Northbridge so It's not just Abit. Just a heads up!!!

 

[Kruz]

I have the KG7... same thing on my board! I took off the stock fan to apply some ASII and found the POOR JOB of applying the thermal paste Abit did!!!
BTW I can reach 161fsb stable with the stock HSF with ASII...
It will probably go higher, but I loose one of my NIC's at 162fsb...

 

[AMDnut]

Keeping things cool in various ways......

 

[AMDnut]

Man, I don't have much Karma......

 

[AMDnut]

and I would like to get to 200 posts.......

 

[AMDnut]

A good drill and holesaw are a guys best friends!!!

 

[AMDnut]

Maybe I'll talk to NEO about a case modding article.......

 

[fury]

Nice mods, and thanks for the heads up on the loose clippage.

 

[Acid]

ya. how long did it take you to do that?

 

[Neo]

i really like what you did to the case. someday I will have the nerve to try it my self.
A casemod article would be nice...

 

[AMDnut]

Fury - No prob dude. If you look closely at the clips with no springs, you can see that the curls on one of them are tighter which caused the lighter/loose tension. Typical assembly line product......

Acid - The fan mods do not take much time. The holesaw takes about 30 seconds to cut through! After that, you need to figure the bolt holes for mounting the fan guards. That takes a few minutes. Then, bolt together and route wiring. Adhesive clips help keep wires out of the way.......

NEO - Thanks man! I suggest you try your first mod on a case you may not want to keep! Maybe a spare! I screwed my first case up slightly, but not to bad!

What do I need to do for an article? Would you want it in any certain layout/program? I could do the text in Word, then supply pix with indicators in the text body as to where they go......

 

[AMDnut]

Wiring layout takes a little time/thought..........

 

[AMDnut]

The little white clips are from Meijer store........

 

[AMDnut]

While I was at it, I modded the power supply exhaust too! Took it apart and used the Dremel to trim out the stamped steel fan guard. Replaced it with a wire guard to help airflow.........

I love to tweak.............

 

[Neo]

Text with pics would be fine. just tag the text area with where you want the pics placed.

Man i gotta try this. Didyou get the fan guards here in town?

 

[AMDnut]

I wish I could find them in town. I ordered from www.coolerguys.com as they were the cheapest at the time. I think that Grainger has them here in town, but I haven't checked what they look like or sizing yet.......

I'll try to get someting together for an article........