AM3 cooler direction

WildW

Senior member
Oct 3, 2008
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evilpicard.com
This may have been asked before, but a quick search didn't reveal anything.

Can any folks recommend a not-super-expensive CPU cooler for AM3 sockets that points in the "correct" direction? Most coolers I see attach with the standard clip, and because of the usual heat-pipe arrangement they end up pointing up/down rather than front-to-back.

I've had this problem with my own rig and have to keep the side off my case as a result. Now a friend has asked me to recommend a cooler for his Athlon X3, and I notice that pretty much every cooler I can find uses the cheap AMD-clip approach, so points the wrong way.

The options seem to be to go H50/H70 (too expensive really in this case), find a cooler with a backplate (which tends to be the more pricy ones, and its hard to tell from most of the online store pictures), or change case - at the moment I've suggested he consider something with a fan on the top like an Antec 300, which would also solve the problem.

He quite likes his current case though, and doesn't want to spend a fortune on a new cooler...just that the mid-range ones I'd usually recommend all point the wrong way. Any suggestions?
 

faxon

Platinum Member
May 23, 2008
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i know it isnt cheap, but the megahalems does have an AMD mounting bracket as well which allows you to situate it in either direction. for anyone who already has a megahalems (originally came with only intel mounts) its a good deal. was a lot cheaper to get a $15 mount for the cooler i already had than getting a new AMD cooler, when i picked up my x3 720 OEM for my server