[Question] Asus A8N-SLI Single Video card application question

Hello all.

I am considering the following main/motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

The Asus A8N-SLI ATX. Non-Deluxe or Premium variety.

I have read about and know to not expect much from the chipset fan and
am thus considering the Zalman Northbridge cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118214

Now the question.

Is there a mandatory order when populating the PCI slots for the video
card? I have an X800GTO2 with the Arctic Cooling device:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186136

I am concerned/wondering if the Zalman will interfere with the PCI-e
slot closest to the processor for the cooler on the video card.

So, again, is either of the SLI slots OK for a single video card
application?

Thanks,

PB

Why not download the manual from support.asus.com?

I have a vanilla A8N-SLI. I have only used my single graphics card in the
PCI-E 16X slot nearest the CPU (aka the blue slot), but the manual suggests
that either is usable with a single card. (If you were running in SLI mode -
not possible with an ATI card on an nVidia mainboard, of course - the
monitor is supposed to be connected to the card in the blue slot.)

My graphics card is an EVGA 256 MB 7800GTX ACS3, and it's quite long. I
believe that it would interfere with a tall chipset cooler if the card was
in *either* slot.

Also, even if your card clears the Zalman chipset cooler, you may need to
arrange additional airflow over the heatsink. I have read postings that
suggest that there may not be sufficient cooling without it.

My choice was to replace the fan with the passive cooler from the A8N-SLI
Premium:

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp...2535&catid=136

(Price is $15. Surface shipping was $5.) It was a fairly easy replacement,
strictly a snap-in (no modifications to the board or the cooler), but it
must be done with the mainboard out of the case. Its radiator is positioned
to receive airflow from the CPU fan. If you decide to try this approach,
make sure you have lots of heatsink compound on hand (probably a dielectric
variety, rather than Arctic Silver). The radiator for the heatpipe replaces
the cooler for the VRMs, and they came from Asus liberally slathered with
heatsink goop. (The replacement heatpipe came with thermal tape applied, but
I didn't use it.)


Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"PB" wrote in message
news:mWiZf.880126$x96.336452@attbi_s72...
Hello all.

I am considering the following main/motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

The Asus A8N-SLI ATX. Non-Deluxe or Premium variety.

I have read about and know to not expect much from the chipset fan and am
thus considering the Zalman Northbridge cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118214

Now the question.

Is there a mandatory order when populating the PCI slots for the video
card? I have an X800GTO2 with the Arctic Cooling device:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186136

I am concerned/wondering if the Zalman will interfere with the PCI-e slot
closest to the processor for the cooler on the video card.

So, again, is either of the SLI slots OK for a single video card
application?

Thanks,

PB

Good points.

Thanks for the prompt response.

PB

Bob Knowlden wrote:
Why not download the manual from support.asus.com?

I have a vanilla A8N-SLI. I have only used my single graphics card in the
PCI-E 16X slot nearest the CPU (aka the blue slot), but the manual suggests
that either is usable with a single card. (If you were running in SLI mode -
not possible with an ATI card on an nVidia mainboard, of course - the
monitor is supposed to be connected to the card in the blue slot.)

My graphics card is an EVGA 256 MB 7800GTX ACS3, and it's quite long. I
believe that it would interfere with a tall chipset cooler if the card was
in *either* slot.

Also, even if your card clears the Zalman chipset cooler, you may need to
arrange additional airflow over the heatsink. I have read postings that
suggest that there may not be sufficient cooling without it.

My choice was to replace the fan with the passive cooler from the A8N-SLI
Premium:

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp...2535&catid=136

(Price is $15. Surface shipping was $5.) It was a fairly easy replacement,
strictly a snap-in (no modifications to the board or the cooler), but it
must be done with the mainboard out of the case. Its radiator is positioned
to receive airflow from the CPU fan. If you decide to try this approach,
make sure you have lots of heatsink compound on hand (probably a dielectric
variety, rather than Arctic Silver). The radiator for the heatpipe replaces
the cooler for the VRMs, and they came from Asus liberally slathered with
heatsink goop. (The replacement heatpipe came with thermal tape applied, but
I didn't use it.)


Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"PB" wrote in message
news:mWiZf.880126$x96.336452@attbi_s72...
Hello all.

I am considering the following main/motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

The Asus A8N-SLI ATX. Non-Deluxe or Premium variety.

I have read about and know to not expect much from the chipset fan and am
thus considering the Zalman Northbridge cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118214

Now the question.

Is there a mandatory order when populating the PCI slots for the video
card? I have an X800GTO2 with the Arctic Cooling device:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186136

I am concerned/wondering if the Zalman will interfere with the PCI-e slot
closest to the processor for the cooler on the video card.

So, again, is either of the SLI slots OK for a single video card
application?

Thanks,

PB

"Bob Knowlden" wrote

Why not download the manual from support.asus.com?

The downloadable manual differs from the printed version that came with my
board, which says that in single card mode the blue slot works as a x16
graphics slot and the black as x1. Tried my graphics card in the black slot,
no video, no post.

I have a vanilla A8N-SLI. I have only used my single graphics card in the
PCI-E 16X slot nearest the CPU (aka the blue slot), but the manual
suggests that either is usable with a single card. (If you were running in
SLI mode - not possible with an ATI card on an nVidia mainboard, of
course - the monitor is supposed to be connected to the card in the blue
slot.)

My graphics card is an EVGA 256 MB 7800GTX ACS3, and it's quite long. I
believe that it would interfere with a tall chipset cooler if the card was
in *either* slot.

Also, even if your card clears the Zalman chipset cooler, you may need to
arrange additional airflow over the heatsink. I have read postings that
suggest that there may not be sufficient cooling without it.

My choice was to replace the fan with the passive cooler from the A8N-SLI
Premium:

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp...2535&catid=136

(Price is $15. Surface shipping was $5.) It was a fairly easy replacement,
strictly a snap-in (no modifications to the board or the cooler), but it
must be done with the mainboard out of the case. Its radiator is
positioned to receive airflow from the CPU fan. If you decide to try this
approach, make sure you have lots of heatsink compound on hand (probably a
dielectric variety, rather than Arctic Silver). The radiator for the
heatpipe replaces the cooler for the VRMs, and they came from Asus
liberally slathered with heatsink goop. (The replacement heatpipe came
with thermal tape applied, but I didn't use it.)


Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"PB" wrote in message
news:mWiZf.880126$x96.336452@attbi_s72...
Hello all.

I am considering the following main/motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

The Asus A8N-SLI ATX. Non-Deluxe or Premium variety.

I have read about and know to not expect much from the chipset fan and am
thus considering the Zalman Northbridge cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118214

Now the question.

Is there a mandatory order when populating the PCI slots for the video
card? I have an X800GTO2 with the Arctic Cooling device:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186136

I am concerned/wondering if the Zalman will interfere with the PCI-e slot
closest to the processor for the cooler on the video card.

So, again, is either of the SLI slots OK for a single video card
application?

Thanks,

PB