I have a version 1.0 and the second fan (the "on-board" one) sounds like it is about to take off....
Instead of trying to find a replacement one is it safe to just remove it?
The other fan works fine.
Full Version: Can I Remove The 2nd Fan From A V1.0?
removing it would be a great idea!
that is, if you're in the market for a thermal failure.
the 1.0 GPU had a fan-cooled heatsink probably because MS was scared of possible overheating when out in "the field". they smartened up soon enough though, and replaced it in favour of just a plain old passive heatsink.
the problem is, the heatsink on the 1.0 is designed with the intention of a fan blowing air into it....hence, they can get away with having small spaces between the fins because they have a fan forcing air through them. this allows for more fins, which increases the overall surface area - which is a great way to dissapate heat. if you look at a 1.1-onward heatsink, it has big, spaced out fins, which cool off more easily in whatever air happens to be around them. if you remove the fan on a 1.0 heatsink, there won't be enough air blowing over it to cool it sufficiently, and soon enough your Xbox will shutdown. you can power it up in a few minutes after it cools off, but it'll just repeat. if you keep doing this, the GPU will get baked, and you'll have a useless motherboard.
there are a few ways around this.
one would be to replace the stock heatsink. you can take a risk on this and end up with great results. Zalman sells a nice yellow heatsink for Northbridge chips. if you freeze the motherboard and carefully remove the chip and the clip holding it in, you can remove the heatsink and clean off the chip, then attach a new heatsink - either the Zalman, or buy a 1.1 or later heatsink.
or, you could replace the fan with something better. the problem is you'd have a hard time finding a fan that moved enough air and didn't sound like a dentist's drill. such a fan does exist, maybe you'd just have to look around a bit.
that is, if you're in the market for a thermal failure.
the 1.0 GPU had a fan-cooled heatsink probably because MS was scared of possible overheating when out in "the field". they smartened up soon enough though, and replaced it in favour of just a plain old passive heatsink.
the problem is, the heatsink on the 1.0 is designed with the intention of a fan blowing air into it....hence, they can get away with having small spaces between the fins because they have a fan forcing air through them. this allows for more fins, which increases the overall surface area - which is a great way to dissapate heat. if you look at a 1.1-onward heatsink, it has big, spaced out fins, which cool off more easily in whatever air happens to be around them. if you remove the fan on a 1.0 heatsink, there won't be enough air blowing over it to cool it sufficiently, and soon enough your Xbox will shutdown. you can power it up in a few minutes after it cools off, but it'll just repeat. if you keep doing this, the GPU will get baked, and you'll have a useless motherboard.
there are a few ways around this.
one would be to replace the stock heatsink. you can take a risk on this and end up with great results. Zalman sells a nice yellow heatsink for Northbridge chips. if you freeze the motherboard and carefully remove the chip and the clip holding it in, you can remove the heatsink and clean off the chip, then attach a new heatsink - either the Zalman, or buy a 1.1 or later heatsink.
or, you could replace the fan with something better. the problem is you'd have a hard time finding a fan that moved enough air and didn't sound like a dentist's drill. such a fan does exist, maybe you'd just have to look around a bit.
just replace it it was sooooo simple i did it and it was great lol 
I also sell replacement fans, or 1.1+ heatsinks to replace the HSF, for cheaper than the llamma. PM if interested.
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