My MCX159-CU arrived yesterday (purchased from Sidewinder Computers), and I was anxious to install it.
The installation manual is pretty awful (the diagrams are really bad quality: it's hard to read the text, and it's nearly impossible to denote what direction pieces are supposed to go together, etc..).
The actual product is *wonderful*. The installation (once you figure out how to do it) is fairly easy, and isn't messy, nor is it one of those installs which makes you wish you had a third hand/arm to help out.
And of course, the temperatures: the sink is cold, 24x7. I've had the system running for over 24 hours now, and the sink remains cold. Having a 1500rpm fan blowing directly on it really makes a difference.
Some things I encountered during the installation which I'll make note of here for other users:
1) Remove/unscrew the fan completely before doing the installation. Just trust me -- it makes the whole job much easier. Keep in mind item #2 below, however...
2) The installation manual shows a diagram which states the mounting holes for the fan are spaced differently than the mounting holes for the motherboard; it's just a confusing diagram. To understand it, look very closely at where the actual mounting holes are in the heatsink -- look at the spacing between the outside edge of the sink and where the hole is. Then it'll all make sense.
I ended up using a permanent felt-tip marker to blacken the areas on the heatsink around the holes which were used for the fan, just so I didn't forget.
3) I used the Ceramique thermal paste which came with the MCX159-CU, rather than Arctic Silver 5. The reason is that, as far as I know, the Ceramique is *not* conductive while Silver 5 *is*. I'd rather not risk shorting out components if some paste decides to leak or during deinstallation (if necessary) ends up touching some traces or other components.
4) The Sunon fan which came with my product is quiet and has that "whoosh" noise instead of a buzzing. However, one piece of bad news: the fan also emits a "clicking" sound, which appears to be coming from the motor or the servo inside of the fan itself. This problem is likely specific to the fan I got and not specific to all of the MCX159-CUs out there.
I called up Swiftech and asked for them to replace the fan. I was transferred from the main number to another person, named Michelle, who seemed very eager to get me off the phone as soon as possible and made absolutely no effort to do an RMA over the telephone. She insisted I Email her with where I bought the product, when I bought it, what model it was, my telephone number, address, and full details of the fan itself. She gave me her Email address incorrectly as well (michelle@swiftech.com -- when it's actually
michelle@swiftnets.com). I still have yet to receive a response.
Those things aside...
I've taken some pictures of my installation to show what the end result looks like, and to help out with those who buy the product, see all the little metal pieces, and go "How the HELL does this work!? Where do I mount this? Which direction do the pieces go in?! AAHHH THE DIAGRAM IS HORRIBLE!!" ;-)
http://jdc.parodius.com/a8n-e/mcx159cu_01.jpg
http://jdc.parodius.com/a8n-e/mcx159cu_02.jpg
http://jdc.parodius.com/a8n-e/mcx159cu_03.jpg
People buying the MCX159-CU may find pictures #2 and #3 very helpful, as they show exactly how the little metal doo-dad should be mounted to the sink and the motherboard screws.
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