Help installing a Rosewill RCX-Z940-SL

[thelastpriest]

So i just put this system together about a week ago, I had intended to use the rosewill cooler on top of the Athlon 7750 black edition however during installation I could not get the tensioning clamp to lock and for fear of ripping the mobo (Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3) to pieces or crushing the processor I installed the stock cooler instead.

Now after using the computer for a week it is hitting 44-45c under load/37-39c at idle and I am thinking of pulling it apart and putting the Rosewill on there however my problem still stands.

I guess my questions are, is the entire heatsink/fan supposed to clamp directly to the processor and not touch anything else?(this scares me that the force the tension produces to hold it in place is not distributed to anything but the processor). Second question, has anyone here ever mounted the Rosewill RCX-Z940-SL on a GA-MA770-UD3? It took me a long time to be able to justify to my wife the need for me to build this system and it would be just my luck to snap the mobo in half trying to wedge that giant fan on there. Any help, words of guidence, technical knowledge or just a good old fashioned "You can do it!!" would be awesome right now, I know I am going to talk myself into attempting it again when I open the case back up to drop in the other 4gb of ram, I would like to be better prepared this time. Thank you in advance for any and all help you can provide.

 

[thelastpriest]

Wow nothing huh?

 

[someguy7]

You dont even need to switch the cooler. You're at 44c 45c degrees under load. That is cool. You could overclock a good deal on the current cooler if you wanted. If the cooler is not loud then dont even bother changing it.

 

[aford10]

Mobos and cpu's are pretty solid. It's normal for there to be a lot of pressure when installing a cooler. The best way to do it, is when the board is outside the case. Then you can help support the board so it doesn't crack as you clamp it down.

 

[thelastpriest]

someguy7: Thanks for that, I felt like the mid 40's is on the top end of where I would want to be. What temp would you all say your CPU and System could get to without getting worried?

aford10: I guess that kinda answers my question, or at least smashes my motivation, I am going to have to open her up to put the next 4gb or ram in however not sure I want to take the time to pull the mobo, especially if the temp is fine.

Thanks guys

 

[aford10]

An aftermarket cooler can be put on without removing the board. It's just easier if the board isn't mounted. At loads, temps can get up over 50C, but if it's idling up near 50, then you may want to get that cooler on.

 

[someguy7]

Alot of us like to keep our machines way cooler than they have to be. That doesnt mean you should be worried if your temps are higher then those people.

The max for my cpu I believe is 85C. At full load it doesnt even get close to that. Maybe 70C in the summer. Which is where I would start to get concerned a bit.

But with your idle/load temps that low you dont have to worry about temps at all. If you want to be at the mid 40s for under load thats fine. But if you are higher than that you dont have anything to worry about at all.

 

[aford10]

Here's some good reading
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/143

 

[thelastpriest]

You guys rock, I will save the aftermarket cooler for some larger surgery. I just put this thing together last weekend and I am already pricing out the 3ghz phenom II 4x and radeon 4870. Been that long since I have had a good machine(I think that last good rig I had was rated in the Mhz when that was fast) I forgot how addicting of a hobby this is...well if the wife says anything about it, at least i am not in the bar anymore. Thanks again guys.

 

[aford10]

Lol...building can be just as addicting and much more expensive than the bars

I always like to crack a 12pak for building.

 

[thelastpriest]

Yeah but you could then probably go the next night without having to crack another 12 pack, these are the differences between normal people and addicts, thats why it is good to channel addictive impulses into more constructive means. Even if it does mean its more expensive, its a whole lot more fun. I can be up all night playing with the computer, I will remember all of it the next day.

 

[thelastpriest]

Update

Alright, so I started overclocking, had the temps around 27c and they started climbing of course as the multiplier went up. So i got the bug tore the rig down and installed the rosewell. got a decent 5c drop from it, not bad. Before I did the install I took some of my high grade sanding and polishing sticks to the bracket that went through the legs of the thing to attach it and the area on the heat sink where the bracket makes contact pulled enough mental burrs off of there and smoothed it out real nice and it went on just fine. Its a good thing I didnt install it to begin with, the directions for the install say nothing about the blue/silver piece of plastic tape that goes over the copper where it makes contact with the processor, looking at it I decided that should come off, I cant imagine what would have happened had I left it on, but I can say I am pretty sure I know why so many people on the new egg reviews say it doesnt work, they forgot the plastic...Thanks for the help guys