P4 fan assembly

[Propofol]

I just put my first Socket 478 P4 together today and I was amazed to see that Intel actually includes a notice in their retail box saying that their fan assembly will warp the motherboard.

Installation was very touchy. I heard that plastic clicking noise as I flipped the fan levers down. It was also impossible to install unless the mobo was free of the case. If it had already been screwed down, there was no way.

Is this normal? Geez.. I was sweating bullets.

-P

 

[Gunbuster]

Yes, the board is designed to flex.

At least you dont need a case with the 4 heatsink mounts anyomore

 

[jcmkk]

That is normal. If you think that was bad, try putting a cheap coolermaster heatsink on an athlon. It was my first PC build and I swear, I had to put all of my body weight on it to get it to clip. At least with a P4 heatsink you don't have to hold the heatsink down with extreme force, then try to push it onto the clip. Latteral and downward force at the same time; now that is an experience. The P4 heatsink that I put on my uncles was, in my opinion, the easiest one I have ever put on.

 

[cockeyed]

It should take some force to close the levers, but if should not be excessive. If you installed a board stiffner on the back of the mobo, it should be removed. Some mobos come with a plastic piece that goes on the back of the mobo to screw the bracket into. If this is the case and you installed it; remove it and only use the nuts. A stiffner will make the heatsink very hard to clamp and can damage the CPU. The mobo must be allowed to flex and the heatsink should be installed after the mobo is screwed into place. This applies to an Intel HSF assembly and might not to other HSFs. Also, once you remove the HSF, the heat transfer pad is shot. Best to use some heatsink compoud instead.