Trouble installing fan to Athlon 950 CPU

[Turdorf]

I purchased the Epox motherboard with the 950 Athlon from Tiger Direct last month. I'm having trouble attaching the dual fan/heatsink to the Athlon CPU. The fan came with two metal spring clips. When I attach everything and assemble it, the bottom of the fan/heatsink tends to swing away from the CPU. There is nothing that attaches the fan to the bottom of the CPU. With the fan blowing, I'm afraid that this constant pressure against the CPU will cause the fan to pull away from the CPU and I will lose my heat sink. A friend gave me another similar fan but this one had a long 2-piece plastic clip that seem to attach to the two holes an inch or two away from the CPU slot on the motherboard. When I used this clip to attach the bottom of the dual fan, it did still did not feel real secure and I felt that the bottom of the fan/heatsink could again pull away from the CPU. Any suggestions?

Should I just go out and purchase another fan? Any recommendation? Orb?

 

[NMS]

I bought the same products and had the same problem initially. I stared at the damn HSF for about an hour. The thing actually WILL snap on, but I shed a little blood to get it to work. The picture of the metal clips and HSF/CPU assembly on the blue box the HSF came in is the best description of how to get it to work. If you put the clips through the approprite gaps in the heatsink, they'll dangle there. Either the tops or the bottoms will protrude from the front of the HSF. Try to get the bottoms to clip over the bottom of the CPU. Then you can grab the top parts of the clips (the parts the stick up) and pull/push/force the top parts of the clips over the top of the CPU. I used a pen to help hold the bottoms in place until I could get the tops snapped on. This might be obvious, but it helps to get the clips on one at a time.

The plastic base that the HSF is supposed to rest on probably won't work with the Epox MB. The power connector on the MB is in the way. The entire assembly seems pretty secure without it, though.

Good Luck!!!
NMS

 

[Turdorf]

Now I'm even more confused. Bottom clip?

You must be doing better than me, because I stared at this for 2 hours and ended up breaking a clip! I now have a new clip, but you message implies a bottom clip? I thought both clips went on the top? Can you elaborate a bit more on this?

 

[NMS]

Sorry -- didn't mean to be vague. Let me try again.

There is only one orientation that the HSF lines up with the CPU so that the top and bottom of each are flush. The little pegs on the back of the HSF will fit in the holes on the back of the CPU. Take your remaining clip and put it in one of the holes on top of the HSF (there are two, right up against the CPU). The top of the clip will be the long flat bit that sticks up (1) -- the picture on the blue HSF box shows the correct orientation. Face the clip so that the part that looks like a hanger (2):
|
| 1
_____|
/ | 2
/
4 /
\
|
\___| 3

... faces the CPU. The clip will just dangle there, but you can actually hook the bottom part of it (3) around the rim of the CPU and HSF where they meet. Now hold it there (with a finger if you can, but I used a pen), and grab section (1) and pull/force it toward the top of the CPU -- it can be pulled so that (2) also hooks over the HSF/CPU where they meet. The little bend in the middle of th clip (4) acts as a spring to hold the whole contraption together. Again, I shed blood doing this. However, this DOES firmly attach the HSF and CPU together the way they are supposed to be. I doubt that having the fan simply hang from the top of the CPU gets you good cooling. Good Luck!!!

NMS

 

[NMS]

My "drawing" didn't come out right. Let me try it again -- ignore the dots...

..........|
..........| 1
._____|
/....... | 2
......../
....4 /
......\
........|
...\___| 3

Hope that helps.