Finding a Replacement Fan

The 40mm fan over the MB chipset on my Gigabyte 81-EXP (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassV alue=Motherboard&ProductID=1437&ProductName=GA-8IEXP) motherboard doesn't seem to spin much anymore and I'd like to replace it.

Here's a blurry picture of it:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/7269/40mmchipsetfande7.jpg

This one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168 35119049) kind of looks like it, but its a case fan and the connector is wrong. The fan I'm trying to replace plugs directly into the motherboard with a 2-pin connector. Also, the fan I'm replacing sits over a heatsink.

Where can I find a replacement? And, is the fan necessary at all?

Thanks for your help.

After further investigation it seems it is the NB_fan (Northbridge Fan). Searching for that on newegg leads to gargantuan devices which seem over-the-top for my needs.

Vantec Iceberq Aluminum VGA and Chipset Cooling Kit CCB-A1A at TigerDirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=993564&CatId=498)

Even if the connector is wrong, most have an adapter to connect to the big 4-pin plugs from your PSU.

Peel the label back, pull the plug, 1-2 drops of 3-in-1, spin it up,. put the plug back on, and you're good to go.

are you sure that some type of bios fan control isn't reducing/stopping it?

Looks like a 10mm, measure it, if its about 10mm, go by a 10mm fan and throw it on.

10mm? :rofl: do you know how big a 10mm fan actually is?

are you sure that some type of bios fan control isn't reducing/stopping it?

I'll look into that, but it seems like its struggling to turn. Most of the time it doesn't move at all.

Looks like a 10mm, measure it, if its about 10mm, go by a 10mm fan and throw it on.

Definitely 40mm.

peel the label back, pull the plug, 1-2 drops of 3-in-1, spin it up,. put the plug back on, and you're good to go.

I peeled back the label, but where am I lubing it, the center spindle? Other than that I only see circuit board.

He wants you to lube the bearings in the fan. That may or may not help you depending on how old this fan is, how much use it's seen, and how deteriorated the moving parts are.

But give it a whirl. Free solutions are sometimes the best.