AMD Athlon 64 X2 Heatsink/Fan

J

jazzyJ

Geek Trainee
Hi there,

I am putting together an Athlon 64 X2 4400+ system on an Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. I have chosen to use the heatsink/fan unit that came with
the Processor as I am a newbie and don't think I'll be overclocking just yet.

I have now fitted the heatsink/fan, but I am worried that I did something wrong.
When looked at from above, the unit is seen to be slightly off centre, despite both clips being attached to the frame on the motherboard. The bracket with the clips on either side, which goes through the heatsink, is tilted towards one side due to this - it is not parallel with the grooves in the heatsink, which I imagine it should be.

I'm not sure if I've described the problem well enough to give an idea, but I would appreciate any advice. If I need to re-install the hsf (which I hope is not the case), does this mean I will have to replace the thermal interface material? It's the grey thermal pad at the moment.

Thanks.
 
As long as the system runs ok with low temperatures, i don't see the need to worry just yet. It's probably a good idea to replace the TIM anyway. The basic thermal pads provided aren't very good, they are just there to provide 'Adequate' cooling. Arctic Silver 5 is the best stuff to use.
Feel free to post a close up image of the heatsink setup.
 
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will try to get hold of a digital camera off a friend and then post a picture.

J
 
http://img83.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hsf17vd.jpg
http://img83.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hsf26oi.jpg
http://img456.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hsf33xb.jpg
http://img419.imageshack.us/img419/5467/hsf48th.jpg

Finally got hold of a camera!

As can be seen in the pictures, the two metal strips that pass through the heatsink, which have the clips on each end, are not parallel with the grooves through which they pass. As the clips are both fastened to the motherboard bracket, this shows that the HSF is slightly crooked. The slight off-centeredness of the whole unit can be seen in the third picture.

Admittedly it's only a matter of a degree or two, and seeing as the clips are in place, this must mean that there is proper contact between the heatsink and CPU, right? I am not sure whether I am worrying about nothing or whether I do actually have to refit the HSF.

Advice much appreciated.

J
 
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