'Sticky' AMD Ryzen Processors Got You Down? ProArtist's New Bracket Has You Covered

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As posted to the Chiphell forums by kthlon, a new mounting mechanism for Socket AM4 processors, including AMD's venerable Ryzen series, has appeared that prevents the processor from 'sticking' to the cooler when you remove it. Though the product hasn't made it to the U.S. market yet, it also comes in Noctua- and Thermaltake-compatible flavors.

While the AM4 socket is perhaps the longest-lived socket in x86 history, supporting more chips than we can recall from any other single socket, it does have one annoying tendency–When you remove a cooler, the chip can become stuck to the cooling plate due to a suction-like effect created by the thermal interface material (TIM). This results in the chip being pulled from the pin grid array (PGA) socket even though the socket arm is still firmly latched in a 'closed' position.

This problem isn't entirely dangerous if you notice the processor is stuck to the cooler (it certainly doesn't damage the socket or chip). Still, it could be dangerous if you didn't notice and sat the cooler/chip down on another surface, thus bending the pins. It also takes some patience to slide the 'stuck' processor off the edge of the cooling plate, and you risk getting TIM between the processors' pins.

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Necessity is the mother of invention, though. As seen in the album above, the new ProArtist IFE2 cooler bracket is designed to completely eliminate the problem by firmly holding the processor in place via a secondary bracket that extends downward to surround the processor. A secondary mount installs over the IFE2 bracket so you can mount the cooler, but the net effect is that you can remove the heatsink without any chance of the processor coming along with it. 

The IFE2 bracket is sold as a stand-alone kit in China, but we can't find any listings for the product in the United States. According to a post by momomo_us, Noctua- and Thermaltake-compatible kits are available in China. 

You could theoretically use the bracket with other coolers, but compatibility with standard coolers might be a bit spotty due to varying standoff heights, so you'll need to make sure the cooler still has a good firm fit with acceptable mounting pressure. However, the bracket is also sold in bundles with some coolers, like ProArtist's Desserts 3, which we also can't find for sale in the western hemisphere. We wouldn't be surprised to see similar brackets eventually make their way to western shores, though.

Admittedly, removing a processor isn't a frequent task for 'normal' users unless they frequently swap processors or re-TIM the chip, and the problem is easy to fix: You can either twist the cooler as you remove it, or remove it while the chip is still warm.