mounting cpu heatsink/fan, messed up

**satch4684** · December 26th, 2010, 04:18 PM

so i got this finally

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler

and i have to believe my mobo really sucks or i did something wrong (even though the instructions are so simple) because I could not get this thing on correctly, it was just too big. the final conclusion i came to was to remove the actual plastic "bracket" on the mobo, attach the heatsink/fan to it, then screw back into the mobo. for some reason, now it will NOT screw back in, and because of the size of the heatsink, it cannot be flush with the board even if the screws would tighten.

so what i have here is the heatsink touching the cpu where it should be, with the plastic bracket hovering over the board, with four long screws simply hanging into the holes to hold this abomination in place. after leaving the computer on all day, playing a couple games and doing some other stuff, it shut off by itself and upon restart noticed the cpu was 78C

so i don't know what im suppose to do now, maybe buy a new heatsink/fan that is comes with its own mounting system, if they make such a thing? this one came with a bunch of stuff, but all for mounting to intel boards, the AMD instructions gave me nothing but a couple metal brace things that are suppose to attach to the default plastic bracket on the mobo. and they didn't work well for me.

I don't know if thermal compound could be the problem (does it dry out?) i had this thing out for a LONG time trying to problem solve, pressed it on and off the cpu, i even left a spot of some compound on the desk because I'd accidentally put it compound-side down on there.

**KaiHallarn111** · December 26th, 2010, 08:04 PM

and i have to believe my mobo really sucks or i did something wrong (even though the instructions are so simple) because I could not get this thing on correctly

What mobo do you have?

I don't know if thermal compound could be the problem (does it dry out?)

Some thermal pastes do, but from what I have heard, it won't start doing that for about 6 months or longer.

after leaving the computer on all day, playing a couple games and doing some other stuff, it shut off by itself and upon restart noticed the cpu was 78C

What do you have in terms of chassis fans. At that sort of temperature you run the risk of damaging other components in your rig

**satch4684** · December 26th, 2010, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by KaiHallarn111

What mobo do you have?

biostar a770e, i know its cheaper and you get what you pay for, i just didn't think there would be so many downfalls, i don't like the design. the new heatsink/fan completely covers 2 out of 4 memory slots.

Originally Posted by KaiHallarn111

Some thermal pastes do, but from what I have heard, it won't start doing that for about 6 months or longer.

hmm, just thinking since i was out messing with it for so long, pressing it on/off the cpu, and actually pressed some onto the table accidentally, that it needed to be "re-pasted" maybe.

Originally Posted by KaiHallarn111

What do you have in terms of chassis fans. At that sort of temperature you run the risk of damaging other components in your rig

well, i can tell you the system temp was the same as always at that time, only the cpu temp was so high. though i was always hoping there would be some way to improve airflow, another crappy aspect of this mobo is one fan plug, so all i have for chassis is the rear fan that came with it.

other than that, i tried re-adjusting the heatsink a bit, making sure it was 'stuck good' to the cpu, and i've been messing around on the computer in short spurts and re-starting to check the temp. last thing i did was play titan quest for a while and on re-start CPU temp was 37.

**Aaron_8015** · December 26th, 2010, 10:33 PM

Your description is unclear as to what exactly you have done.... Anyway to remove motherboard from the case and post some pictures?

**satch4684** · December 27th, 2010, 01:34 AM

Originally Posted by Aaron_8015

Your description is unclear as to what exactly you have done.... Anyway to remove motherboard from the case and post some pictures?

i figured that, im not good at explaining without visual aide. also the fact that its a little weird and even i dont 100% understand why it turned out the way it did. so far the temps have been stable, so i don't know if it was a simple matter (since its not quite attached right) of just needing to be adjusted so the heatsink, cpu, and paste inbetween are 'together' enough.

i'll do the best i can for pics, right now have to start getting ready for work soon (my job is extremely early in the morning or late at night, depending how u look at it) and then got some stuff to take care off later in the day. i'll try to post back asap, hopefully my temps stay fairly stable until then like they have been.

**stroyal** · December 27th, 2010, 03:35 PM

Not sure about your bracket, but you do know that thermal compound is not, the primary contact, between the heat sink, and the CPU.

Compound is only for the parts, that do not make metal to metal contact, on there own.

When applied properly, and the clamp is exerting the proper pressure, the compound should be opaque, when the heat sink is removed.

If the CPU has a solid covering of paste, after removal, after some use, you have TOO MUCH paste.

No paste made conducts heat through it faster than direct contact, past is only for the imperfections. On a quality heat sink, this will almost be on a microscopic basis.

**satch4684** · December 31st, 2010, 12:12 AM

interesting, i didn't apply the paste myself, though, the new heat sink came with it applied already, as did the stock version when i first bought the processor.

thats another thing that surprised me, when you talk about proper pressure with the clamp, this heatsink came with almost nothing for AMD sockets, i expected some sort of clamp or some device that held it tight.

there's a bunch of parts and steps for intel, but the AMD side tells you just to screw the thing to the plastic bracket on the motherboard, thats it. it just sits there like that.

i can't really get any pictures, tried but they came out worthless. its just not seated right or screwed into the board really, but it does make contact as it should. the temps have been fine lately so i don't know what else to do besides hope it stays that way.

**stroyal** · December 31st, 2010, 12:43 AM

If your temps are OK you must be getting pretty good contact.

Pre-applied thermal past is usually, what is called a Pad, and they do not allow direct contact, for the most part, so they are the most in officiant type of contact media.
Most pre-builds use pads, as well as CPUs that come with heat sinks.

I would want to make sure it is secure though, and it should have a spring type clamping action.
Not just screwed down solid.

**ShyguyXPC** · December 31st, 2010, 03:20 AM

the pictures for the Heatsink show the clamps right there for AMD sockets, looks like Old school Athlon Socket A style clamps, but they attach to the plastic Frame on AMD Socket AM2 or newer Motherboards.

Its pretty straight forward, read this PDF file, Page 2 Shows how the AMD method attaches.

http://www.arctic.ac/index.php?eID=t...94d1d7e4d3b251

The only screw down method is for Intel Sockets, not AMD.

**stroyal** · December 31st, 2010, 11:44 AM

Yep, standard socket A, now that I looked at it.
The only difference, it looks like, you place the metal clips in the side of the socket then screw the cooler to it.
The square plastic piece is defiantly not used for AMD

**JPMiller** · December 31st, 2010, 12:20 PM

Shyguy got it exactly right.
You need to undo what youve done, retighten the plastic mount on the mobo, and then attach the 2 AMD fins correctly...
Perfectly simple after that.

**satch4684** · January 6th, 2011, 06:28 PM

i can't, for whatever reason the plastic mobo mount will NOT retighten, i have no idea why. that really frustrated me but it just won't work.

yes, it is definitely simple, and i'm pretty sure the AMD fins are on correct, but they were a pain. that PDF is the same instructions i used. it just wouldn't fit on my mobo to make contact with my CPU, that's why i took the plastic mount off the mobo in the first place.

also, if you notice the instruction shows you clip the fan onto the heatsink, mine came already on and it made it impossible to work with while on the mobo. don't think i could've removed the fan without breaking it either.

**ShyguyXPC** · January 6th, 2011, 06:54 PM

Fan comes off easy enough, just take a flat head screw driver and pry the tabs a bit, and pop it off on each end.

I used to have 2 of the Older original versions of these, one for an AMD system and one for Intel.

The fans come off pretty easily, and do not break that easily, as long as you don't be too rough and careless with them.

the only part of the fan thats a bit fragile is the thin tubular like arcs that surround the fan on its sides. their just there to guard against the fan blades, but aren't necessary for the fan to be mounted or anything.