Features of compatibility of processor coolers using the example of Zalman cooling systems and MSI motherboards. Correct installation of any cooler on any processor: the secret is revealed Installing coolers on AMD processors

Question: Installing a cooler on LGA1151

Hello. New Intel sixth series processors based on LGA1151 will appear soon. My cooling system supports 1156/1155/1150. Will it be possible to install it on 1151? Are the connectors different?

Answer:

Message from 1inkin1

6. The sixth series will be skylake on LGA1151. Fifth Broadwell series

Yes, I’m the one who got confused with them. About Broadway on the desktop, you sometimes forget that there is such a thing.

Question: Installing a cooler on an ASUS X99 board

In general, the essence of the problem is that when installing the Zalman CNPS11X Performa cooler on an X99 mother with socket 2011-3, there are no open holes on the back side of the board, and it is not clear how to screw it in. Has anyone encountered something similar? The cooler says it fits socket 2011. Is there a difference between socket 2011 and socket 2011-3 when installing the cooler? It fits in size and everything else.
In general, the motherboard has something similar to holes in these places, but they are closed. Maybe they need to be pierced or are they removable? Please help me, I'm not an expert in these matters at all.

Answer: Yeah, I got it! Thank you)

Question: Mat bending. boards after installing the cooler

Hello. Yesterday I installed a cooler for a friend's processor, socket 775. He wanted to change the paste, but ended up breaking off the "legs" of the mount. We bought a used cooler, with a radiator, a boxed Intel one. Exactly the same as he had. At least it seems so to me. So, I smeared the paste on it and started putting those fasteners into the holes of the mat. fees. And they went there too tightly. It seems like those legs are short or something. Mat. The board bent slightly from this tension. Is it dangerous? Maybe the cooler is not what it should be? What do you say? Motherboard ASRock G41M-VS3.
I have an AMD platform, and I did not have such a strong mount.

Answer: This is normal. Everything will fall into place after installing the board in the case. Asrok is famous for boards made from a piece of snot instead of PCB, so bending takes place.

Question: Correct installation of the cooler on the radiator

Hello.
There are such radiators (photo below).
It is supposed to install two 40mm coolers on the side, thus minimizing the accumulation of dust in the radiator. The “laboratory” sample is in the second photo.
Experimentally, it was found that part of the air flow leaves from the top side of the radiator. If the radiator is closed from above, the air flow on the side opposite to the coolers increases significantly.
Question: is it worth covering the radiator from the top? Will this increase cooling efficiency or, conversely, increase the temperature?

Thanks to all.

Answer:

Message from kassad

It is supposed to install two 40mm coolers on the side, thus minimizing the accumulation of dust in the radiator. The “laboratory” sample is in the second photo.

How will this reduce the amount of dust?
Is there no way to put 92-120mm on top? Or is the forty taking air from somewhere overboard?

Message from kassad

If the radiator is closed from above, the air flow on the side opposite to the coolers increases significantly.

Logical, because the air has nowhere else to go and has to go through the entire radiator. But, if there is a fan Not sufficient for cooling, the rate may be higher than with an open radiator. This needs to be verified experimentally.

Question: What do the sounds mean when you turn it on after installing the cooler?

Hi everybody. Yesterday I bought a cooler for the processor, because the bearing in the old one began to make noise. After installing the new cooler, the computer did not turn on, the cooler accelerated and died down cyclically, and nothing happened. Then a black screen with a list of devices appeared periodically and somehow in the end I managed to turn on the computer, but the problem was the cooler overclocked so that I thought it was about to take off, apparently the speed was maximum (and increased further?.. I don’t know exactly), I turned off the computer, changed the cooler to the old one, the same thing, now this one also began to accelerate, then die down, and when turned on, it accelerated unrealistically. Having installed a new cooler and manually adjusted rotation speeds, etc. in the BIOS, the computer began to turn on and the cooler stopped bothering me. But when you turn it on, the computer now makes sounds that have never happened before, and if you change the cooler to an old one, the sounds do not disappear.

New cooler - Cooler Master Cooler<4пин, 754-AM2/AM3/FM1, 16дБ, 800-4500об/мин, AI)

Answer: IggyAzalea,
When you installed the cooler, did you accidentally damage the processor in the socket?
Just try to pull it out of there, check the integrity of the legs, and then put it back in,
and wipe the RAM feet with an eraser.

Question: Is it necessary to change the paste after cleaning the cooler?

Hello.
The computer, Pentium 4, sat for a bunch of years, I cleaned the computer itself, and before that the cooler - well, it just worked without removing it.
I’m watching it now in the summer, it’s super hot and the computer started to reboot itself.
I looked at its temperature in the BIOS, it says about 60 on the processor.
I removed and cleaned the cooler, put it back, and the computer immediately turned off when turned on.
I guess the problem is that the paste must be reapplied when removing/installing the cooler?

Answer:

it's that bad right?

The service did everything for $2. If you do it yourself, only the paste costs so much, and besides, I somehow installed the cooler askew.

Question: Regarding installing a cooler on a nettop

Good afternoon colleagues!!!
The next question has arisen - I have a Pegatron Mercury L6 nettop - link to the description here -
The problem is that it does not have a cooler, i.e. passive cooling (fanless). Question: is it possible to install a separate cooler on it? Has anyone encountered this? I attach a photo with the cover removed. Theoretically, you can remove the radiator and use one of the connectors for connecting the COM ports (top right) to connect the cooler. But this is theoretical, I don’t want to take risks at random. Thank you in advance...

Answer: Well, he feeds on something, isn’t it logical? from there and get your food... don’t touch com, I don’t recommend it
you won’t find 12 volts on the mother anyway...

Question: Need advice on installing a cooler

Recently a question arose about how to install the only cooler on the back of the system unit (not counting the cooler from the processor, video card and power supply). I don’t know much about this, but I need advice on how to install the cooler, for blowing or blowing? I read that it is better to blow it out, because otherwise the air coming out of the power supply unit will be forced back into the system unit. But the fact is that my case is completely open on both sides.

Answer:

Message from UV1L

The temperature of the video card when idle is about 47 degrees.

The normal temperature of a desktop computer's video card is about 55-65 degrees. As for critical temperatures, it starts from 70-75 C, depending on the manufacturer of the video card itself.

Mistakes lurk at every step

Good afternoon, dear subscribers of the tech blog. Today I want to tell you how to properly install a cooler on a processor. It would seem that there is nothing to think about: you take the turntable, attach it to the corresponding slots on the motherboard, plug in the 4-pin connector, start it up - you’re happy. But horseradish was floating there, errors lie in wait for unlucky users at every step, and now I’ll explain why.

The most common mistakes when purchasing and installing:

• banal ignorance of the processor socket (775, 1151, 1155, am3, am4, etc.);
• ignorance of the thermal package of the chip;
• saving money on good cooling;
• buying a dubious cooler secondhand without checking the package contents;
• I forgot to place the reinforcing plate on the back side of the MP;
• applying too thin (thick) layer of thermal paste;
• the height of the tower is too high (the side wall does not close);
• the heatsink is too wide, covering the RAM slots;
• crookedness (no comment).

What does the cooling system consist of?

In simple terms and without going into varying degrees of specificity, a processor cooler, be it a product for Intel or AMD, always consists of 2 elements:

• radiator;
• fan.

But then it gets more interesting. Radiators can be either classic (an aluminum bar with fins, sometimes with a copper contact patch to the processor) or tower (an impressively shaped aluminum structure, often pierced with copper heat pipes, and also having direct contact of these same tubes with the processor or a copper intermediary plate ).
There are also radiators oriented under the air cooler, but they are mounted in a completely different place.

Classic ones are designed for office assemblies, since they are not much different from boxed coolers (which come in a box with the processor). They are capable of dissipating up to 95 W of heat and are not designed to overclock the chip, even if you really want to. EVEN if the board has a good power subsystem.

Tower ones already allow you to dissipate from 130 to 250 W of heat, depending on the model. Take for example the bestseller of past years - Zalman CNPS10X Performa (or Optima) and its 150 W performance thanks to the proprietary spinner with “shark fins” and a successful radiator design.

Don't know what kind of turntable you need? Google the characteristics of your stone and find out its thermal package.

Installation process of a box cooling system

I took a little longer with the preface, but for many this fact should become useful material for thought. Now let's proceed to the installation process itself and start with the box turntables.

If you have a system on an Intel chip, starting with socket 775 and higher, then things couldn’t be simpler. Firstly, the stock fans, which are in the box with the chip, are already lubricated with thermal paste, and therefore there is no need to apply it additionally. But if you really want to, you can look here and read about it.

Then everything is simple: install the Carlson according to the 4 holes and insert 4 plastic latches into them. Everything is ready - you are amazing.
Now let's talk about AMD and their latches, which, by the way, look much more reliable and hold up like Soviet spies. Around the processor socket there is a plastic square insert with two “tongues”, to which the radiator of the box turntable clings.

You just need to throw the eye over one eye, and then do the same with the second, at the same time fixing the Carlson in a certain position with a special limiter. You can’t tear off such a structure with your teeth.

Installation of a custom cooler

Now let's look at a more complex case - a tower. I’ll say right away that a layer of thermal paste is also applied to such models, but often its quality leaves much to be desired, so we wipe off the factory one and apply a thin layer of a new layer to the surface of the crystal. How to do it right -.

But before you start, you need to do what everyone most likely forgets - read the instructions! It's in the box, if anything. Tower models in the vast majority of cases are universal in terms of fastening. They have a list of suitable sockets on the packaging, which I I advise you to read BEFORE purchasing so that it’s not like last time.

Now we separate the AMD plates from the parts for Intel and put the unnecessary ones back into the box. The fan is removed from the radiator, which only gets in the way during installation, after which you try on the installation location and attach the back plate - the backplate, to which the cooler is attached with screws (not in all models, but still).

The main thing is to clearly get into the holes for the bolts so that there is no distortion. The radiator must be screwed strictly crosswise (first the first bolt, then the next one diagonally, and so on all 4).
The entire process is carried out on the table, while the motherboard also lies on the table outside the case on the included dielectric film, or box, which does not allow static current to pass through. Otherwise it will be very inconvenient.

You check the fastening system, fix the turntable using brackets, connect the latter to the connector on the CPU and check the functionality of your work. It works - it's already good.

The paste should be changed at least once a year, although more about this is already in.

If you need a huge selection of cooling Carlsons, then “welcome” to this internet shop.)

I hope the above tips will help you do everything wisely and without incident. Subscribe to everything for now.

CPU cooling is a fundamental factor in the performance and performance of a computer. No matter how powerful the processor you have, if the cooling is poor, the system will slow down, generate errors and spontaneously reboot (shut down). Previously, processors did not have a special controller, which, when a certain temperature limit was reached, gave a reboot or shutdown command, which subsequently led to breakdown, beyond the possibility of repair.

And although such controllers are now being built in, increased processor temperature can significantly affect the functionality and not provide the declared characteristics. That is why high quality installing a cooler on the processor very important.

There are two types of cooling: active, passive.

• Passive refers to the installation of only a radiator, which is energy efficient in operation, but has lower quality characteristics compared to active.
• The active one includes the installation of a radiator on which the fan is attached. Active radiators also include radiators that independently emit cold, the so-called Peltier chips.

The most popular cooling system is a radiator with a cooler. This system provides fairly maximum efficiency and is relatively inexpensive. The only drawback can be noted - noise. It's no secret that the fan produces not only cold, but also makes quite a loud noise, the same applies to a computer fan. But by driving cold air through the slots of the radiator, constant cooling occurs, which is necessary for the processor. Also, if excessive noise occurs, it is always recommended to lubricate the fan rotor with machine oil. Under no circumstances use vegetable oil for lubrication, because after it dries, the fan will stop working, and subsequent disassembly may be impossible.

Cooler structure and main components

As already mentioned, the main task of the cooler is to distribute the heat generated by the processor, thereby cooling the component part. To do this, the flat side of the heatsink, called the sole, is secured tightly to the processor. All the heat generated by the processor hits the base of the heatsink and is distributed throughout the entire case.

Aluminum, copper and combined alloys of copper and aluminum are used as materials for the manufacture of the radiator. It is worth noting that a copper cooler provides the most, but its cost is quite high, and its weight can be up to one kilogram.

For the greatest effect, a fan is attached to the top of the radiator. They can be axial or radial.

Axial fans are conventional fans with a propeller whose air flow is directed along the axis of rotation. In radial coolers, the air flow is directed perpendicularly. It consists of several impellers. This type of fan is much larger in size and also consumes significantly more energy, but the cooling quality is an order of magnitude better than axial fans.

Installing coolers on AMD processors

The process of installing a cooler is quite simple, but it requires care and there is no need to rush this process. To place the cooler on the processor, follow these steps:

1. If you purchased a new cooler, most likely there will be thermal paste placed on the base of the radiator. In this case, you can proceed to step 3, but if thermal paste is not applied, it must be placed;
2. squeeze a little thermal paste onto the attached processor (usually this paste is placed in syringes). A generous layer of this material will not lead to a greater effect, and may even cause harm, because in this case the cooler will be placed far from the processor. Rub it over the entire area;

Apply thermal paste to the processor

Installing a cooler on Intel processors

The principle of attaching the cooler to it is no different from installing it on an AMD crystal. The only difference is the mount itself. It consists of four pins that are inserted into special grooves and, when rotated 90 degrees, are tightly secured.

The pin is recessed into the groove

Many experts argue that such a mount is not reliable and recommend using a screw mount, which can be purchased separately or is supplied directly with the cooler. In this case, a special plate is placed on the back side. Next, four plates are placed on the cooler and then it is necessary to tighten the bolts and fully fix them.

Cooler selection

Coolers differ only in the method of mounting, as well as cooling efficiency. The more powerful the processor, the more powerful the cooler you need to purchase.

If you decide to purchase a fan, try to choose one that is slower to reduce noise as much as possible, as well as identical sizes so that it can be tightly secured.

This review is a synthesis of personal experience, publicly known information and empirical measurement data. If you are not interested in the author's theoretical speculations and well-known facts, you can go straight to the second and third parts, which directly provide data on the compatibility of specific models of boards and coolers with each other. Or take a look at the conclusions, where the main points of this article are briefly summarized.

Formulation of the problem

Having read the title, you might think that all compatibility problems between coolers and motherboards are simply limited to whether the mounts of a particular cooling system support installation on one of the few processor sockets that are relevant today. In fact, most non-stock coolers are now universal in terms of compatibility. Why? Everything is very simple. AMD has not changed anything at all in its mounts since the AM2 socket. That is, all subsequent connectors AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2 and FM2+ are completely identical with regard to installing coolers.

The most advanced Intel LGA1150 socket completely inherited the reinforcement plate and the location of the mounting holes (75x75 mm) from the LGA1155 and LGA1156 sockets.

Only Intel LGA2011 stands apart, for which not all cooling systems have suitable mounts (and not all coolers are suitable for it in terms of efficiency).

Many still use Intel LGA775 or Intel LGA1366 sockets, but they are gradually being phased out due to their advanced age. Thus, in the segment of “desktop” solutions we essentially have only three types of connectors left: Intel LGA115x, Intel LGA2011 and AMD. Making a universal mount for them is not difficult at all. But let’s take a closer look, because the motherboard has many other elements besides the processor socket. In addition to capacitors, transistors and microcircuits, there are expansion slots, memory slots, transistor and chipset radiators, and various connectors for wires. The cooler can conflict in size with each of these elements.

As a result, the support of a radiator mount for a particular processor socket does not guarantee compatibility of the cooler with the motherboard. Are there really no uniform standards that manufacturers of motherboards and cooling systems adhere to? Of course they exist, but there are many aspects to them that are simply not specified. And the only cooling system manufacturer today that has taken an extremely responsible approach to the issue of cooler and motherboard compatibility is the Austrian brand Noctua.

For each of their products, the official website provides relevant information. But this is not always enough. Therefore, I propose to consider all possible problems separately.

Cooler compatibility with processor socket

As mentioned above, the first thing you should look at when choosing a cooler is official support for a particular processor socket. This information is indicated on the manufacturer's official website and is a 95% guarantee of compatibility. What falls into the remaining 5% of cases that can lead to the return of goods to the store? They go there:

1) Conflicts regarding dimensions on the front side of the motherboard during installation.

As a rule, the main troubles are caused by massive heatsinks of power circuits, which conflict either directly with the processor heatsink or with its mounting elements.

Or some capacitor located too close to the processor socket rests on one of the cooler elements. It may also be impossible to install the cooler correctly due to limited access to the fastening elements, in other words, there is no way to get to them.

2) Conflicts when installing the reinforcement plate with elements located on the back of the motherboard.

If the cooler is equipped with a non-standard reinforcement plate, it can cause a number of inconveniences to the user. This can be either physical contact with microcircuits or solder fragments on the back of the motherboard, or exceeding the permissible dimensions for the thickness of the plate, which prevents the motherboard from being secured in the case.

Therefore, when installing a cooler, it is better to make sure that the mentioned conflicts do not exist. Otherwise, at best, the cooler will have insufficient pressure or overheating, and at worst, damage to the motherboard.

Features of the processor design in relation to the device and orientation of the cooler

Although this issue does not directly relate to the topic of the article, it is still worth mentioning. It so happened that the size of the processor chip decreased year after year, following a decrease in the technical process of its manufacture. The linear dimensions of the protective cover of the central processor, which protects the crystal from damage, remained the same. For example, for AMD and Intel LGA2011 processors, the size of the processor cover is 38x38 mm, under the cover there is a rather large crystal. And for Intel LGA 115x sockets, the cover size is only 22x22 mm, while the size of the crystal under it is even smaller. Now let's do a simple calculation: the standard heat pipe diameter is 6 mm. Therefore, to completely cover the Intel LGA115x cover, four heat pipes are enough.

And an AMD processor will fit all six.

Hence the need to understand the difference between direct contact and solid contact cooler bases. The advantage of direct contact is that there are no unnecessary obstacles to the spread of heat. The disadvantage is that if the heat pipes do not go directly into the warm zone on the processor, their efficiency becomes extremely low. That is, direct contact is not the best choice for small-sized Intel LGA115x, especially if there are more than four heat pipes in the cooler - all the rest are simply idle.

But it's a pretty good option for larger AMD and Intel LGA2011. The advantage of a solid cooler base is the uniform, albeit slower distribution of heat over a larger number of tubes. Therefore, it is somewhat more universal.

Another aspect that affects compatibility is the orientation of the cooler. Many models, especially when installed on Intel sockets, allow you to choose one of four orientations. In this case, not only the quality of heat transfer changes (since the heat pipes change their position relative to the crystal), but also the direction of the air flow, and possible points of conflict with the main elements of the motherboard.

Cooler compatibility with RAM

Conflicts between the cooler and RAM are determined by how close they are located. There are three possible options. Firstly, the dimensions of the cooler can cover the memory slot completely or partially, limiting the permissible height of the bar or making it impossible to install memory without removing the cooler.

Secondly, the heatsink can completely block the memory slot when it is impossible to install any memory in the slot along with this cooler. Thirdly, the cooler may not be in contact with the plane of the memory slot at all, and this is the best option.

Problems most often arise with the first processor slot, and somewhat less frequently with the second. Large two-piece cooling systems tend to cover all four memory slots at once. It is especially difficult for unfortunate owners of Intel LGA2011, because there the memory is located on both sides of the processor and the problem with choosing a cooler will arise in the vast majority of cases.

Without getting into arguments about the practical value of high heatsink scallops for DDR3 memory, standard RAM sticks can be divided into three categories:

1) low profile (LP) - height is slightly less than 19 mm (there are also options with low radiators);

2) standard (SP) - the height is exactly 30 mm (can be with or without radiators);

3) high (HP) - everything higher than 30 mm.

It is quite possible that on DDR4 and DDR5, due to increased heating, there will be more benefit from additional cooling. But so far, it is memory with heatsinks of the HP category that brings nothing but problems to users, limiting them in the choice of suitable cooling systems.

Cooler compatibility with expansion slots

As you know, different board sizes have different numbers of PCI expansion slots. Mini-ITX has only one.

Micro-ATX and its derivatives have up to four slots.

ATX and E-ATX have no more than seven slots.

XL-ATX and HPTX can occupy up to nine expansion slots. Moreover, sometimes they simply do not have the first two slots, and the installation of expansion cards can begin immediately from the second or third slots.

Expansion slots are interesting to us primarily because their position and size (each slot is exactly 20 mm wide) are clearly specified in the ATX standard, unlike the processor socket, the location of which is by no means fixed relative to the form factor of the motherboard. As a rule, the first slot, and very rarely the second, is at risk of conflict with the cooler due to its dimensions, because there are only a few such monstrous cooling systems. How to predict conflict? If the cooler is wider than 130mm, you should double-check compatibility. If it is larger than 140 mm, then with a high probability the first slot will be closed. But it is worth remembering that the socket may still be too close to the first PCI-E slot. This is a small problem for ATX boards, because, as a rule, there is only PCI-E x1 in place of the first slot, and full-fledged PCI-E x16 starts from the second slot and further. But for MicroATX and Mini-ITX boards this can result in great inconvenience when choosing a cooling system. In addition, some video cards have a very large reinforcement plate on the reverse side (for example, massive pieces of metal on video cards from ASUS) or an add-on (let us remember the kindly silent word GPU Reactor on MSI video cards), which makes a conflict with the processor cooler even more likely.

Exotic compatibility issues

Sometimes extremely rare variants of conflicts between the cooler and the motherboard occur, such as the inability to connect power to the processor, a closed processor fan connector, the cooler extending beyond the dimensions of the motherboard and the impossibility of installing it in the case, and so on. Unfortunately, such moments are extremely difficult to predict, and they become clear during the installation process. In addition, on some AMD motherboards, the processor socket is rotated 90 degrees - perpendicular to the rear panel. This circumstance requires special attention when choosing a cooling system, because not only the position of possible “conflict” points changes, but also the direction of air flows.

Cooler height and case

Another parameter that indirectly relates to the problem of cooler compatibility is the correspondence of their height dimensions to the width of the PC case. There is a fairly simple way to establish this correspondence, having the case in hand and knowing the official declared height of the cooler. The fact is that the size and position of the motherboard rear plug is standard, regardless of the case format. The right edge of the plug is at a height of 37 mm, relative to the plane of the processor cover. Therefore, by measuring the distance from the indicated edge to the nearest obstacle (for example, the side wall of the case) with a ruler and adding 37 mm to it, we obtain the permissible height of the cooler in the case with an accuracy of +/- 1 mm.

Thus, we have considered all possible conflict points when installing and using a processor cooler. Now let's move on to a practical test of this theory, in order to determine whether such conflicts really occur often. Zalman coolers and Intel LGA1150 socket

This section provides compatibility lists for eleven current Zalman air coolers and ten MSI motherboards based on the Intel LGA1150 socket and Intel Z87 system logic set. The lists were compiled taking into account all the possibilities of compatibility conflict mentioned in the first section. All coolers were directly installed on motherboards, in all possible orientations, to eliminate incompatibility. Interpretation of the results includes: possible orientations of the cooling system, position relative to the first expansion slot, position relative to the memory slots, and noted conflicts on the front and back of the board. Non-conflict positions are marked in green, conflicts that do not interfere with installing the cooler or using the system are marked in yellow, and the impossibility of installing a cooling system or starting the system is marked in red.

MSI Z87 XPOWER (XL-ATX)

Apart from the three younger Zalman models, everything else installs without any problems. The first memory slot is traditionally closed in the vast majority of cases.

MSI Z87 MPOWER (ATX)

Despite the standard form factor, large radiators on power circuit transistors make installing three coolers impossible and greatly complicate the installation of all other models. Two memory slots are permanently closed. The board is probably more suitable for installing CBO water blocks than air cooling systems.

MSI Z87 MPOWER MAX (ATX)

Even larger transistor heatsinks than on a regular MPOWER prevent the installation of five coolers out of 11 tested. However, the most popular models, for example Zalman CNPS10X and 11X, are mounted without problems. The first memory slot is often covered by a heatsink or processor cooling fan.

MSI Z87-G43 (ATX)

The most problematic for this board were Zalman CNPS14X, Zalman CNPS 8900QUIET and Zalman CNPS 8000B. In addition to the conflict of mounts and heat pipes, a problem appeared here for the first time in the form of a capacitor located too close to the processor socket and interfering with the installation of the cooler.

MSI Z87-G45 GAMING (ATX)

Has almost the same problems as MSI Z87-G43.

MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING (ATX)

There is a conflict with the first memory slot, as well as with the Zalman CNPS14X mount and socket binding in the case of the Zalman CNPS 8900QUIET. Otherwise everything is standard.

MSI Z87M GAMING (Micro-ATX)

The most problematic cooler for this board is the Zalman CNPS14X, although all other large coolers consistently cover the first PCI-E slot, and most coolers cover the first RAM slot. Medium-sized single-section models of processor coolers are recommended for installation.

MSI Z87M-G43 (Micro-ATX)

In terms of compatibility, it has a lot in common with the MSI Z87M GAMING. A surprise was the impossibility of installing the Zalman CNPS 5x Performa cooler in a vertical position. The fastening screw rested against the motherboard heatsink.

MSI Z87I GAMING AC (Mini-ITX)

Although the processor socket is too close to the memory and the only PCI-E slot, it turned out that by playing with the orientation of the heatsink, most coolers can be installed on the board. But large radiators will, in any case, cover the video adapter connector. The Zalman CNPS14X has traditionally become an outsider in terms of compatibility. An exotic conflict also arose with the Zalman CNPS8000B - in one of the positions its heat pipes did not make it possible to connect power to the processor fan.

MSI Z87I (Mini-ITX)

The compatibility scheme is completely similar to the MSI Z87I GAMING AC, since the boards are essentially the same.

Zalman coolers and AMD FM2+ socket

This section contains compatibility lists for eleven current Zalman air coolers and six MSI motherboards based on the AMD FM2+ socket. The lists were compiled taking into account all the possibilities of compatibility conflict mentioned in the first section. All coolers were directly installed on motherboards, in all possible orientations, to eliminate incompatibility. Interpretation of the results includes: possible orientations of the cooling system, position relative to the first expansion slot, position relative to the memory slots, and noted conflicts on the front and back of the board. Non-conflict positions are marked in green, conflicts that do not interfere with installing the cooler or using the system are marked in yellow, and the impossibility of installing a cooling system or starting the system is marked in red.

MSI A88X-G43 (ATX)

In general, the board is compatible with most coolers, provided that the first PCI-E x1 is not used. As always, the first slot is occasionally closed, and the transistor heatsinks do not fit well with the horizontal heatsinks.

MSI A88X-G45 Gaming (ATX)

In terms of compatibility with processor coolers, the board is completely similar to the MSI A88X-G43 model.

MSI A88XM Gaming (Micro-ATX)

Large-sized CNPS12X and FX100 are not suitable for this board, but other coolers fit it normally. Occasionally the first memory slot is closed, and large coolers cover the second slot and the first PCI-E connector.

MSI A78M-E45 (Micro-ATX)

This board does not fit well with the large CNPS12X and FX100, but other coolers fit it fine. Sometimes the first memory slot is closed.

MSI A55M-E33 (Micro-ATX)

Despite its small size, this motherboard is compatible with most Zalman coolers, except for the CNPS12X, which covers the first PCI-E slot. The first memory slot is located close to the processor socket, so it is also often closed.

MSI A88XIAC (Mini-ITX)

The smallest and most problematic motherboard. Since the chips on the back of the processor socket conflict with the non-standard amplifier plate, we were able to install only two coolers - Zalman CNPS 5x Performa and Zalman CNPS 7x. Although they do not interfere with RAM, they block the PCI-E slot in any orientation.

conclusions

As the study showed, officially declared support for a particular socket by a processor cooler does not guarantee its smooth installation on the motherboard. The vast majority of cooling system manufacturers complete their products with universal mounting kits, but checking the actual compatibility of motherboards and coolers is considered the responsibility of the user. Therefore, we will try to formulate several universal tips that can simplify the selection of a processor cooler:

• Do not try to install the most powerful cooling system on the processor; pay attention to its design features - the number and location of heat pipes. Their configuration must match the type of processor used. Ideally, the central, warmest zone of the processor cover should contain the maximum number of heat pipes. Direct contact of heat pipes is more suitable for AMD and Intel LGA2011 processors than for Intel LGA115x, and the solid base of the cooler sole is a more universal solution.

• Pay attention to the cooler mounting features and the dimensions of the included reinforcement plate. They may conflict with elements of the motherboard on the front or back side.

• Most cooling systems can be oriented in any of four directions on Intel sockets. AMD sockets, as a rule, do not have this opportunity due to savings on mounting by cooler manufacturers.

• The position of the socket relative to the rest of the board elements is “movable”, so visual similarity with a similar board on which the cooler fits does not give confidence that it will fit on yours.

• If you want to use memory with tall heatsinks, consider sets of two rather than four sticks. Then the conflicting first slot will be empty, and choosing a cooler will become much easier.

• The most common conflicts on ATX format motherboards are conflicts between the cooler and the first RAM slot and transistor heatsinks.

• Owners of MicroATX motherboards should avoid cooling systems that are too large in width, otherwise the first PCI-E slot will be closed. With regard to transistor heatsinks and RAM, the situation is the same as with the ATX form factor.

• Mini-ITX motherboards are the most problematic in terms of compatibility with large coolers. Apparently, such boards were originally designed only for stock coolers, which is where all the other problems stem from. When choosing a cooler for them, you need to pay attention to the location of the processor socket, the presence of “extra” elements on the back side that may conflict with the reinforcement plate, the presence of large power circuit radiators on the front side, the possibility of the cooler exceeding the dimensions of the board and a conflict with the case during installation. Using low profile RAM can help solve the dilemma of choosing either a large vertical cooler or a low horizontal cooler.

The following features were noticed regarding the tested Zalman coolers. The Zalman CNPS11X Performa turned out to be the most memory-friendly (in most cases it simply does not affect it) and easy to install. The older versions of the Zalman CNPS10X Optima and Performa still represent the best choice for a combination of price, compatibility, power and ease of use. If you need to get by with a smaller cooler, then the Zalman CNPS7X is also suitable, which almost never interferes with the memory or the first PCI-E slot and, unlike the Zalman CNPS5X Performa, has a quiet and replaceable fan. The most problematic Zalman coolers in terms of compatibility are: CNPS14X (large size, universal mount), CNPS12X (displaced radiator symmetry axis, direct contact of tubes), FX100 (large size) and Zalman CNPS 8000B (flat shape, protruding heat pipes).