got a Noctua NH-U12P; is this going to kill my motherboard?

[Xenphor]

So I previously owned a CM 212 Evo that was decent enough but I hated the mounting system. I looked at Noctua's system and thought I could get a better mount with theirs and hopefully get some added performance.

Well to start off I didn't realize it was going to be so much bigger/heavier than my EVO. Now I'm actually worried that this thing could cause trouble with my motherboard. I also wonder how well it is in contact with the CPU, being that heavy and tilted on its side for years to come. Anybody else think it might be a problem? (my motherboard is a Asus p8z77v lk)

 

[Sleepingforest]

It's typically not a problem. Even if the motherboard starts bending or flexing slightly over a couple of months, remounting the thing will straighten the board out, with no permanent damages.

It's probably a good idea to remount every few months anyway; many thermal pastes suffer "bleed out" where they become less effective over a long period of time (think a year).

 

[Xenphor]

so the cooler could become loose just by gravity? How would re-screwing it in help? I screwed it in pretty tight but made sure not to over tighten.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Not become loose--the motherboard itself flexes slightly for some smaller motherboards. ATX and larger typically don't have to worry much.

 

[Kenmitch]

As long as the cooler is mounted correctly you shouldn't have any issue.

If you are paranoid then you could order some of these http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=1387&sk=MC71419&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Feed-_-CSE-_-Text&utm_source=google-product-search&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=161%2B0710&utm_campaign=product-search&gclid=CPf1_7221LUCFap_Qgod9zoAng

Mount one to top of case and then use something like a stiff wire attached from it to the heatsink. Do it while the case is laying on the side and just make the wire long enough so it doesn't pull or push on the heatsink.

 

[lehtv]

U12P is not even heavy, you're worried for no reason. 600 grams of heat sink is literally nothing. Noctua D14 is 50% heavier and I've never heard of anyone having problems with it installed.

The main reason that concerns over a kilogram of metal hanging off of the motherboard are unfounded is that it's mostly not hanging off of the motherboard, it's hanging off of the case. Most of the weight of the heat sink is absorbed by the case because the motherboard is tightly secured to it.

 

[Xenphor]

ok thanks for the advice.

 

[coffeejunkee]

I completely agree with lehtv. It's always being mentioned in the comments for big air cooler reviews: "ooh I would never let 1,2 kg hang from my motherboard" but I never managed to find even one example of this actually causing any damage whatsoever (outside of people transporting their pc in really dumb ways).

I guess motherboards are stronger than one might expect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLymhiNCwCs