Alpha Heatsink on Epox 8KHA+

[CKDragon]

Hey all,

I've read on a few sites that the Alpha heatsink that everyone raves about needs to be modified in order to fit on the Epox 8KHA+ while on other sites it says you just have to bend a part on the board. I'd like to get the Alpha, but I have no dremel and I'm not particularly interested in risking the board, can anyone share their experiences/recommendations?

Thanks for your time,

CK

 

[dunkster]

When I was trying to decide which mobo to buy for an upgrade, I found the Epox Motherboards forum section on amdmb.com useful.

I think there was a user who reported a physical interference with a capacitor. Rather than bending the capacitor leads, he chose the dremel route to remove some metal. Another commented about using thinner through-board studs for mounting the 88045 on an Epox mobo.

I have the 8045U on KR7A with mildly overclocked 1600+, and I've never seen a cpu temp higher than 42C under load. Great cooler.

You'll get great advice by posting your question on the Epox Motherboards forum at amdmb.com.

Hope this helps!

 

[ilikemovie]

I have alpha 8045 sitting on my epox 8kha+ now. Dont worry, no mod is needed. It fits perfectly fine on the mobo.

 

[CKDragon]

dunkster - Thanks for the referal to the message board, I'll try it tonight, hopefully get even more results.

ilikemovie - Thanks for your help, is the HSF sitting close to the capacitator? I believe the major fear was that the vibration of the HSF would eventually affect the capacitator, not usually immediately.

Thanks for all your time and help,

CK

 

[Nack]

I have this combo. Yes, it fits. No, it doesn't have to be modified to fit. Yes, it just barely sort of touches one of the capacitors on the motherboard. I very carefully pushed the capacitor away from the sink by about .5 millimeter. I can now see a very very small sliver of daylight between that capacitor and the heatsink when it is mounted - barely. There is also about .5mm of play in the heatsink depending on the position of the mounting screws when you tighten them, etc. I used that, along with pushing the capacitor slightly, to achieve that very small space between them. It is a royal pain in the arse to attach the sink to this board, but it can be done if you are careful (at least with my particular board and my particular heatsink). If something is off by .5mm on either of your parts, your mileage may vary, and you may end up having to get out the old dremel. Runs fine this way.

Nack

 

[Divebrake]

Some people swear their 8045 was a perfect fit on their 8KHA+ but my 8045 definitely would have touched that capacitor if I hadn't filed it some. I used a $3.50 file from Ace hardware and it took about half an hour. You don't need expensive tools for this. Afterwards I gave it a hot water bath to clean away metal shavings and dried it in front of a space heater. It's really not a major hassle and I wouldn't let it stop you from buying this awesome heatsink. Who knows, maybe you won't have to file yours.

 

[mamisano]

Thats odd, my 8045 fit perfectly on my 8KHA+ with no modification.

 

[Divebrake]

I suppose I could have pushed the capacitor out of the way but I thought filing the heatsink would be more prudent. I guess slight variations in the way that capacitor is soldererd onto the board account for the fact that some people have to file and some don't. But like I said, this is not a major problem. If ya gotta file a little, do it. It's not brain surgery.

 

[gaidin123]

Just for the record, I recently got an Epox 8kha+ and Alpha 8045 heatsink. The heatsink is less than 1mm from touching that capacitor but there is a very small open space between the two. Filing down the Alpha just a little bit would probably be a good idea, or just covering a small part of the capacitor with electrical tape or something.

Gaidin

 

[CKDragon]

Thanks for your responses, the Alpha is ordered and on the way!

Got a shim, just to protect myself from... myself.

Thank you for your time and info,

CK