Installation (continued):
Once installed, the compact overall size of the cooler can be appreciated. It doesn't tower over the board, and it doesn't overhang the edge of the board, either. Clearance around components on the motherboard was generally good, but every board is dififerent and issues could arise on some.
 
Although there was no problem with interference on this system, there were some close fits, as detailed below. The left image shows just how close the edge of the cooler gets to the motherboard chipset cooler. It still had about a half inch, but larger chipset coolers or a tighter layout may create problems. The right image shows an even closer call, as the mounting bracket is just a couple millimeters from the last capacitor in this row at the base of the processor socket.
 
I had made a few references to things to be discussed later (the small amount of thermal paste and the lack of confidence in the LGA 775 mounting bracket design). Well, we are about to address both. The images below should tell the tale without any description necessary, but what we see is that the cooler did not make good contact with the CPU in a couple different fit ups. I have never had this happen before, and I always check. The fact that the area not being contacted was in the "center" was even more troubling, as you might expect it to be in one corner or on one edge.
 
I had to remove the cooler each time and fiddle with the catch on the sliding part of the mounting bracket, check that nothing was caught in the track, do my best to tighten the screws evenly and securely, and otherwise drive myself nuts trying to figure this out. I discovered yet another shortcoming with the mounting bracket in the process, and that is that it flexes quite easily. As you tighten down each corner, the black bars flex, and as a result the pressure is not evenly distributed. The corners have a good tight fit, but since the bars have flexed upward near the center of the span they are not pushing down on the processor. This has to be the cause of the patterns of untouched thermal paste shown below.
I used the included Zalman paste for the first fit up which failed, and subsequently used some other generic paste for the balance of my my fit up trials. Once I was a bit more confident in my ability to get it seated properly I went back to the Zalman paste for thermal testing. I can't really say what the trick is for making good contact with this cooler, but it was a matter of trial and error, which should not be necessary. I eventually got it to seat well a few times in a row, and moved on. The only way you know if any particular install went well is to take it apart again... not cool!
In my close inspections of this cooler I discovered something else unpleasant... a smell. The cooler had a faint smell of foul body odor, and I feared the installation as I assumed the heat from the processor and the air from the fan would just make it worse. I have never smelled anything like this on a computer component before, but recognized the smell from a few summer days riding in cabs with bad air conditioning!
|
|
