What's the metal bracket around the cpu for?

JonJ678

JonJ678

JonJ678

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On 775 and 1366 motherboards the processor is placed in the socket, then a bracket goes over the top and is firmly clamped down. Then a cooler is clamped on top.

Does the board still work if the bracket is absent, and the pressure from the cooler is the only thing holding the cpu in position? I reason that it should, but I'm not brave enough to take the bracket off to find out.
 
I would have thought it would be fine, however you would also have to fit the cooler out of the case/case on its side etc.
 
I'm sure I read a thread on XS where people that were using phase change recommended removing this bracket as it made insulating the socket easier..
 
JonJ678 said:
What's the metal bracket around the cpu for?
Click to expand...
It's to push the processor so the grid ball array makes nice pressured contact with the pins in the socket. The other good thing (more of a bonus really) is the clamp also prevents the CPU being ripped out the socket when removing the heatsink! :eek:
 
Big.Wayne said:
the clamp also prevents the CPU being ripped out the socket when removing the heatsink! :eek:
Click to expand...

God knows how many times that used to happen to me when I had AMD systems, that locking bar on AMD sockets are useless!!

Or maybe it was just on the cheap and nasty mobos (MSI K9N Neo and K9N SLi) I was using, but everytime I removed a cooler from my old AMD rig I would always find the processor stuck to the base of the cooler.
 
I know one thing, on an asus p6t series board it makes the fitting of the new TRUE bracket a bloody curse, but i gotta admit once the bracket is in place its the best fitting heatsink arrangement ive ever used (and ive used quite a few) if someone comes to me with another push pin setup im gonna shoot them:D, worst fitting system ive ever seen.
 
DavyBoy said:
used to happen to me when I had AMD systems
Click to expand...
Indeed! :D

It's one of the things I remembered as I set-up my new AM2+ system, when I took the oem chip out the box I was a little suprised to see pins on the CPU! . . . I've been using LGA775 so long I forgot! :p

amdathlonii.jpg


I've pulled a socket 478 pentium 4 straight out its socket before, using an old Copper SP-94 and a slap of arctic silver 5 . . . it survived but had to straighten out several pins which isn't my favourite pastime!

I'm a little more wary now so will be mindful next time I come to swap out chips as I've got a Premium heatsink running passive thats probably welded to the AMD chips IHS heh! :o

Thats one of the tiny tiny downsides with the AM2+/AM3 platform so hopefully we will see AMD move to pinless processors and a hold down clamp also . . . .would make lapping easier too! :cool:

amdathlonii1.jpg

Credit where credit is due . . . . Intel® got is right with the new socket! . . . dunno about the HSF Push-Pins though!
 
Ive never heard of anyone lapping an amd cpu wayne, most i know have done it with intel quads, tbh i know nothing of amd since s939 days (amazing chips, still have one). I think i maybe became a core 2 quad snob on s775, by only using an e6600 for a while before getting a q6600 then a q9550 intel quads were my main chip of choice (i7 as well) i think its time i done a bit of reading up on amd's offerings, i remember when i first got into pc's. s939 was the socket of choice for a gamer, ran so much cooler than the equivalent intels of the time, great sli support on nforce amd boards as well.
 
I remember seeing this wayne on various forums years ago (think its actually stickied here on ocuk) i still have an athlon 64 4000 cpu running stock in an asus a8n32 sli board (great reliability with that board), chip is 4 years old and still pretty ok, bit slow theese days. I lapped my q6600 and it made a hell of a difference, didnt bother with my q9550 and definitely will not lap my i7, besides it runs pretty cool at 4ghz under a TRUE black and 2 pwm sharkoon silent eagles that run 400-1200 rpm, virtually silent to me as i suffer from hearing loss due to to much shooting without wearing adequate hearing protection.:D
 
Cheers all. Always good to have more options available, I think I'll take the bracket off before playing with liquid pro.

Thanks for the photos
 
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