No back plate on motherboard

[lsherry]

Hello,
I installed a CM N520 heat sink to my Asus motherboard, but forgot to used the back plate underneath..Do not even ask...i tried to unscrew the nuts...3 came off..the third stripped and I cannot remove. So..I decided to just screw all the nuts down..I have three tight and holding the heatsink in place nicely...the question is the back plate..With no back plate and only 3 nuts holding the heatsink am i at any risk of messing the system up?..will having the nuts screwed down directly touching the motherboard cause any long term issues...At present the system is running good..but I have not tried any heavy games or anything remotely taxing.....Thanks for your reply in advance....

 

[bucknutty]

Having the screws and nuts directly on board is not an issue as long as you did not overtighten them to the point they are cutting into the board. Many of the early zalman cooler simply screwed on from the back side.

With only 3 mounting points putting tension on the cooler it may not get a good seat. You may end up running too hot. Chances are the screws are shouldered to prevent over tighting with the back plate. So with out it you may not be able to get it tight enough.

I recomend using a pair of needle nose vice grips to grab the stripped nut and unscrew it. Then get replacement hardware.

If you really dont want to mess with it I guess you can use coretemp to check the cpu while running a game, its a free and easy program that will monitor the temps.

 

[lsherry]

Thank you for the reply ....Unfortunately, the one nut is stripped badly and it just spins around and around..i tried pliers, vice grip turning and pulling at the same time, but it just would not come off. I feared any more roughness with the board could damage it. I really could be stuck here..with no way to remove the nut...and hence no way to remove the heatsink....that is why i just tightened all back down. I figured, no matter what i would probably have to buy a new board and heatsink...I will take your advice and check the temps.

 

[bucknutty]

If your stuck and you think your going to need a board anyway you could get a dremel for like $10 at the local hardware store. If your careful you can cut the bolt from the back.

Just use a bit of carboard and some tape so if you slip with the dremel you dont hit the board.

 

[lsherry]

My son ran Skyrim yesterday for about 6 hours...and the system seemed ok..The Cpu meter did not show any abnormal temp. I think I am going to leave it be and just keep monitoring it. I would hate to tinker with it at this point if no issues are evident. I certainly appreciate your time in replying. Thank you again and have a safe and enjoyable weekend....Lee

 

[lsherry]

Best answer selected by lsherry.

 

[lsherry]

One more thing just as an FYI - My System: Asus 880 EVO board, - AMD 955 x4 3.2Ghz - 16G Gskill Ram- Trio 750 Watt PS - EVGA 560ti 2GB video - WD Black 500GB HD.