cpu heatsink and fan?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DS
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D

DS

Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)

Thanks
D
 
Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)

Thanks
D
Click to expand...

The manual shows there are four holes next to the A7N8X socket.
Maybe you could find a heatsink that screws to the motherboard ?

http://www.overclockers.com/topiclist/index15.asp#HEATSINK REVIEWS AND TIPS

There is a summary here:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/socketA.asp

The SLK900 at the top of the list, will serve as a good example.
It uses a backing plate, and fastens to the board with four
spring loaded screws. All of that is straight forward, as is
the somewhat high weight of the heatsink.

The tough part with these oversized heatsinks, is figuring out
which way they will be oriented on your motherboard (long part
runs horizontal or runs vertical - does the long part
bump into the Northbridge heatsink, the DIMMs, any capacitors,
parts of the socket etc ? ) and whether there is any beneficial
spillage of air from the CPU heatsink, to help the Northbridge
heatsink and/or Vcore circuit etc. When I was shopping for
heatsinks a year ago, with some of these products, I read as
much as I could about the product, but was never sure what
I was getting into with the fit of the product.

If you find a heatsink that more or less has the same dimensions
as the socket, like the Swiftech MCX462-V, you don't get quite
as good performance, but have less potential trouble with the fit.
Notice how that heatsink actually uses the tabs on the heatsink,
and spring loaded screws pull on the clips, to make them tight.
The second page of the review for that heatsink, shows a thermal
resistance of about 0.35 degrees C per watt of power dissipated,
when a reasonably quiet fan configuration is used. That would
be an acceptable solution, whereas a heatsink with a 0.50 C/W
thermal resistance would be a waste of money. I think something
that gives 0.25C/W is worth the money.

The Zalman7000 (zalman.co.kr) is another option. In the case
of the A7N8X, you need 8-9mm distance between the upper edge of
the motherboard and the metal box of the PSU, in order to avoid
the fins of the Zalman from contacting the case of the PSU. The
AlCu is the lighter weight of the heatsinks (there are two
versions - a pure Cu one and the AlCu one). The 7000 comes in
7000, 7000a, and 7000b, and the later models have adapters to fit
more socket types. I believe the 7000 didn't fare well on the
"die simulator" used in the review, because the Zalman has a
"cloud" of warm air right around the heatsink. There has to be
a good flow of air through your computer case, to make the
7000 work well. There are two aluminum "arms" that bolt to the
four screw holes in the motherboard. Then, the Zalman clip screws
to the two arms, via two more screws. On my P4 board, the final
two screws are pretty easy to install, making it possible to
remove or reinstall the heatsink, after the rest of the adapter
has been installed. (Of course, to install the two arms, will require
removing the motherboard, so you can be absolutely sure the
parts used to screw the arms in place, don't short anything.)
Note that, on some Athlon boards, the ends of the heatsink clip
have to be sawed off, to clear capacitors near the mounting points.

So, alternate heatsinks are a lot of work and research. Generally
you just cannot buy a product, without doing as much work as the
guy who designed the heatsink in the first place. The smaller
heatsinks that don't have fit problems, probably don't have any
better performance than the AMD heatsink, and those would be a
waste of money.

*****
AMD has instructions for how to install an AMD heatsink. If you
look on page 16 of this document, it shows how to use a nutdriver
to push down the clip.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/23986.pdf

This works very nicely - all you have to do, is search through
your hex socket collection, for just the right size of socket
for the nutdriver. The nutdriver allows you to push down, but
also exert lateral force, to move the clip out a bit and then
under the tab. Much less risk than compared to a slot headed
screwdriver, which gives no lateral control at all.

HTH,
Paul
 
DS said:
Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip
Click to expand...

That's usually very bad (it's happened to me)
or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much.
Click to expand...

You can buy a thick and soft static matt and place the motherboard on
this. Then install the CPU. Do NOT install it on a motherboard already
mounted inside a case. Take the board OUT.
It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(
Click to expand...

Why do you need to check this?
 
Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)
Click to expand...
TR2-M1 (or M3, not M2). Cheap, under $10. Quiet, 21dba. Rated for up to
3400+. 3 prong clip that doesn't take much force to install and it has a
non slip slot for the screwdriver. So, it's cheap, quiet, performs very
good, and is easy to install. That makes it rate up at the top IMO.
 
Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)
Click to expand...


Spire heatsinks have captive screwdriver recesses on mounting spring ends,
so it is impossible to slip screwdriver from spring and strike motherboard.
Screwdriver is used like a tyre spoon, to easily guide (with leverage)
mounting spring opening onto socket lug.
Kind regards!
Tadeusz
 
DS said:
Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)

Thanks
D
Click to expand...
I'm sure this may draw fire, but it has worked for me. First, I remove
the spring, & bend it just a tad--lay it sideways on a piece of paper & mark
the original angle; then carefully bend it "flatter" so it won't take so
much force. Second,to protect the mobo from flexing, I use a piece of paper
towel, folded several times, & slide it under the mobo in an area that will
support the mobo from downward force when attaching hs/fan. Third, I took
a credit card & cut it so that it would just fit on top of the mobo to
hopefully catch the tip of the tool using to attach the clip. (I saw this
3rd idea of using a credit card posted on one of the newsgroups some months
back.) HTH & good luck, s
 
sdlomi2 said:
I'm sure this may draw fire, but it has worked for me. First, I remove
the spring, & bend it just a tad--lay it sideways on a piece of paper & mark
the original angle; then carefully bend it "flatter" so it won't take so
much force. Second,to protect the mobo from flexing, I use a piece of paper
towel, folded several times, & slide it under the mobo in an area that will
support the mobo from downward force when attaching hs/fan. Third, I took
a credit card & cut it so that it would just fit on top of the mobo to
hopefully catch the tip of the tool using to attach the clip. (I saw this
3rd idea of using a credit card posted on one of the newsgroups some months
back.) HTH & good luck, s
Click to expand...

You do realize there's a reason for the spring force on those things, right?
 
David Maynard said:
You do realize there's a reason for the spring force on those things, right?


Yes, and thanks for pointing that out to me. I just cannot see how
Click to expand...
they justify as much force as is put on some. On the ones I've done, they
seem plenty tight when I finish; however, noticeably easier to install. And
I've watched the temps closely when 1st using them to ensure that parameter
is still quite in line.
I'm open to any differing opinions. Heaven knows I don't wish to lose
ANOTHER cpu to an inadequate h/s-fan. BTW, the only one I have felt the
need to loosen was the Vantec Aeroflow 7040 for AMD. I honestly think they
could re-design their clips with 25-30% less force and do just as good a
job--as long as we use a good h/s compound. s
 
Ronald said:
To put out an eye?
Click to expand...

Of course. It's all a vast conspiracy to destroy you along with the
motherboard and processor.

But back to reality, thermal transfer increases with increased contact
pressure, and that's why modern heatsinks have higher spring pressure for
the higher power CPUs.
 
---snip---Second,to protect the mobo from flexing, I use a piece of paper
towel, folded several times, & slide it under the mobo in an area that will
support the mobo from downward force when attaching hs/fan.
---snip
Click to expand...
Very interesting, I use the wooden sticks from Haagen Dazs or Dove ice
cream bars. Of course, only after I make sure I get all the chocolate
off them. Any excuse for a good dessert. I'm not kidding. I just did
that on a Soyo K7VME and it worked fine. After I was done, they
conveniently slid all the way under the board and out into the bottom of
the case. Sometimes I have to wedge a little bit of paper under them to
make them slightly tight. It prevents the board from flexing too much.
 
stanmc said:
---snip---Second,to protect the mobo from flexing, I use a piece of paper
Very interesting, I use the wooden sticks from Haagen Dazs or Dove ice
cream bars. Of course, only after I make sure I get all the chocolate
off them. Any excuse for a good dessert. I'm not kidding. I just did
that on a Soyo K7VME and it worked fine. After I was done, they
conveniently slid all the way under the board and out into the bottom of
the case. Sometimes I have to wedge a little bit of paper under them to
make them slightly tight. It prevents the board from flexing too much.
Click to expand...

Talk about interesting! I think the Haagen Dazs solution is a great
idea-- as a saying that has travelled widely goes: "The worst ice cream I
ever tried tasted wonderful!" s
 
sdlomi2 said:
they justify as much force as is put on some.
Click to expand...

Well, you'd have to get a hold of their design engineers and find out what
the design requirements are and what equations they were using, but it
isn't as if someone just pulled 'X'lbs of force out of thin air for the fun
of it.

Thermal transfer increases with increased contact pressure.
 
¼" drive ratchet with a long extension like 6 or 8 inches and a socket that
just fits over the tab on the heatsink clip.
1) In order to make it slip off the tab you have to be braindamaged; and I
don't mean a little.
2) You can put a hell of a lot of pressure on the tab that way.... if you need to.
3) With most HS brackets in addition to pushing them down, you have to
hook them over the tabs on the ZIF socket. With the long extension, and not
having to balance the damn screwdriver on the metal tab, you can use your
other hand on the extension to guide the HS bracket to the ZIF tabs.
4) If you're using the socket to get the HS OFF, after you force the HS bracket
down, you can move it away from the ZIF tabs just by levering the extension
against the side of the heatsink.

I wouldn't put on that type heatsink any other way.

If you lay the MB on the desk to put on the HS, you can make neat patterns
in the desktop....

Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)

Thanks
D
Click to expand...
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Overlord said:
¼" drive ratchet with a long extension like 6 or 8 inches and a socket that
just fits over the tab on the heatsink clip.
Click to expand...

That is a good idea for clips that have a 'tab'.

Not all do.
1) In order to make it slip off the tab you have to be braindamaged; and I
don't mean a little.
2) You can put a hell of a lot of pressure on the tab that way.... if you need to.
3) With most HS brackets in addition to pushing them down, you have to
hook them over the tabs on the ZIF socket. With the long extension, and not
having to balance the damn screwdriver on the metal tab, you can use your
other hand on the extension to guide the HS bracket to the ZIF tabs.
4) If you're using the socket to get the HS OFF, after you force the HSbracket
down, you can move it away from the ZIF tabs just by levering the extension
against the side of the heatsink.

I wouldn't put on that type heatsink any other way.

If you lay the MB on the desk to put on the HS, you can make neat patterns
in the desktop....

Hi

I always find leaving the heatsink from a cpu a little worrying! Maybe I am
doing it wrong but following the instructions that come with the basic amd
xp hsf, I seem to need to put a lot of force on the spring clip to get it to
engage, it always worries me that either my screwdriver will slip or i will
be damaging the motherboard by flexing it too much. It also seems that to
check the cpu hs compound on my a7n8x + Aopen h600 case i will need to
remove the motherboard :(

Is there a hsf that has an easier way of connecting to the cpu? Any chance
of it being quiet and good at cooling too? ;)

Thanks
D
Click to expand...

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Bait for spammers:
root@localhost
postmaster@localhost
admin@localhost
abuse@localhost
postmaster@[127.0.0.1]
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Click to expand...
 
spodosaurus said:
I've had one break on me during attachment as well!
Click to expand...

Hmm. I never had that problem.

But what I was referring to are clips that have a recessed slot rather than
a protruding 'tab'. Simply nothing to put a socket ON. On the other hand,
if you use a right sized screw driver it won't slip out.
 
But what I was referring to are clips that have a recessed slot rather than
a protruding 'tab'. Simply nothing to put a socket ON. On the other hand,
if you use a right sized screw driver it won't slip out.

Concentrate... concentrate... or it will!


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