Socket AM2 brackets

[opmike]

This may indeed be an asinine question, but why did the bracket change for the AM2 sockets? Would keeping the 939 brackets be that much of a hassle for this new socket, certainly some sort of workaround could have been implemented?

I only ask because, the choices with AM2 are very limited, and the "premium" heatsinks like the Zalman 9500 and Scythe Infinity are going to run most people 50+ dollars.

Seems like finding a way to keep the same bracket would simplfy matters...

I am currently using a Freezer 64 Pro which is working great, but I was just wondering. Anyone willing to enlighten me?

 

[VinDSL]

The only purpose for a retention frame is to hold the HSF on the CPU. AMD revised theirs to allow for bigger, e.g. quieter HSFs. It was long overdue, and AMD finally bit the bullet!

I wish I could give you a more glamorous explanation, but it's as simple as that...

 

[Bull Dog]

Thermalright has a nice selection of high performance heatsinks for AM2