10 Mammoth CPU Coolers: Size Does Matter

Installation

What's needed to mount the cooler: on the left, the H-plate; on the right, the two retention plates for sockets 478 and LGA775.

Anyone with an Athlon 64 can install this cooler in no time. It's simply a matter of placing the cooler on the socket, inserting the H-plate and bolting it on with 2 screws - installation complete! Only a boxed cooler would be quicker to install.

It's an entirely different story with the 478 and LGA775 Pentium 4 sockets though: you have to remove the motherboard, which, as we've said before, means the entire installation takes about an hour. The sole reason for all this effort is to mount a backplate. Self-adhesive foam ensures that the plate doesn't slip and that the mainboard can be replaced even without a cooler. The remaining installation is just as easy as with an AMD socket: just place the cooler onto the socket, then bolt it tight. However, unlike the AMD socket, four screws are needed to make sure the cooler sits tight. The knurled screws have a large, ribbed head which allows them to be tightened easily, even without tools.