Installation

Our test bench uses an LGA1155 processor so those will be the directions we follow for our installation. After a bit of part gathering we are left with quite the task as securing the backplate and mounting brackets is a nineteen (19) piece affair requiring plastic spacers, threaded screws and a pair of nuts to hold the backplate and mounting brackets firmly in place.

Admittedly my task was made easier due to the removable motherboard try in the test bench but this particular part of the install did not turn out to be too taxing as about 10 minutes later I had both the backplate and mounting bracket secured and ready for install.

The next part is where the whole process went south. The first hurdle encountered was the fact that the Black Edition’s heatpipe arrangement crowed the P67 Sabertooth’s MOSFET heatsinks and simply would not fit in its optimal positioning. This is something to consider before purchasing if your board has similarly large heatsinks around your processor.

After removing the mounting brackets and arranging them to face the other direction the second hurdle came when trying to secure the spring screws that hold the base of the cooler to the processor. To accomplish this feat you are told to remove the Silent PWM fan in the center and tighten down the screws but the space allotted for this task is incredibly small for the task especially if you are someone like me without small fingers. I’ve included a few pictures for reference pertaining to this particular ordeal. What is worse is the fins inside the cooler are not dull and it was close to a half hour struggle just to tighten down a pair of screws.

The last issue arises in securing the Silent PWM fan back into the center of the cooler with its clamps. As the coolers position is set in stone, the clamps have to essentially be secured in place blind. This task was made a bit easier for me with a removable motherboard tray but I cannot imagine the problem installing it in a standard case would be. All said and done, I wrestled with the Black Edition for close to an hour but it was finally tamed and quite secure to the board. It is here You can see the requirement for low profile RAM DIMMs when unsing this cooler as even with the thinner orientation facing the RAM we still crowd the first slot.