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CWX and WHX AMD64 and Intel Fitting guide

October 09, 2006

Revised October 09, 2006

Recent changes in the AMD and Intel line up of CPU's have meant that several methods of fitting are now required to accommodate the various AMD and Intel CPU's. In this revision of the AMD and Intel Fitting guide we address the changing socket fitting methods and add the AM2 mounting plate into the guide. The first part of this guide discusses the fitting method for the soon to be redundant Socket 939 fitting.

Fitting the AMD 64 back plate Socket 939

Preparation for fitting the water block involves attaching the back plate supplied with the socket 939 motherboard. With the CWX and WHX blocks the fitting method is set out below.

Figure One Front of Backing Plate

Screws are inserted from the back of the backing plate as illustrated in Figure Two.

Figure Two Rear of Backing Plate Shown

The completed backing plate with both screws inserted is shown in Figure Three.

Figure Three Top View of Completed Backing Plate

The completed backing plate is then placed on the back of the motherboard with the two screws poking through. The two wing nuts are temporarily fitted to the screws to avoid the backing plate becoming dislodged during motherboard fitting. This is shown in Figure Four below.

Figure Four

The water block fitted with the multi plate adaptor, shown below in Figure five, is then ready to be installed.

Figure Five

The water block is placed in position as per Figure Six. The wing nuts are refitted to the two screws and tensioned.

Figure Six

Final fitting is by adjustment of the tension on the water block by tightening the wing nuts.The wing nuts are tightened until they contact the top mounting plate and then tightened, using a figure of eight tightening sequence, until the water block cannot be rotated using gentle pressure. Do not over tighten the wing nuts as considerable force can be exerted on the motherboard with the potential to damage the motherboard permanently.

The multi plate adaptor

With the development of the Multi Plate the CWX and WHX blocks have been extended to fit most of the AMD CPU types (an AM2 bracket is available and can be included at the time of purchase) and current Intel CPU's. The fitting procedure to be used with socket 939 has been explained above in figures 1-5. Fitting using the four post screws is discussed next.

The "Winchester" S939 AMD 64 CPU Four post fitting

The fitting instructions for S939 and the more recent AM2 CPU's with the four post fitting system are the same as those for the Intel P4 and LGA775 CPU's using the four through the motherboard mounting screws. The Intel P4 plate screw patterns matches that for AMD 64 S939. A separate set of screw holes have been provided in the multi plate to fit the LGA775 socket. If you purchased your block for use on an AMD XP or early version of the AMD 64 CPU you will need to obtain from us a multi plate kit to fit the newer CPU's.

To attach the multi plate to the motherboard it will first be necessary to attach the four retaining screws into the motherboard. To do this you will need to remove the plastic cradle fitting used to mount the HSF assembly to the motherboard. This will expose the four holes in the motherboard. The four longer screws shown in Figure Seven are then inserted into the motherboard through the holes previously used by the plastic cradle.

Figure Seven

The order of fitting is shown in Figure Eight below.

Figure Eight

We supply springs with our fitting kit so as to avoid damage to the motherboard by over tightening of the fitting wing nuts. If you are new to water cooling or have not fitted a water block we strongly suggest their use. More experienced users may wish to direct mount their water block without the use of the springs. When the P4 multi plate and fitting screws have been fitted the water block is placed on the motherboard screws as shown in figure nine.

Figure Nine

Please Note that a P4 motherboard has been used for demonstration purposes without the mounting springs fitted as an illustration. The same principle is used for AMD motherboards which use the four hole mounting system.

If the springs are used then eight turns from contact with the spring washer and wing nuts should be sufficient. If no springs are used the wing nuts should be turned until first contact is made with the water block. Further adjustment should then be made by tightening the wing nuts until the water block cannot be rotated by gentle turning. Care should be taken not to over tighten the wing nuts or damage to the motherboard may occur.

AMD AM2

One of the recent changes from AMD has been the move away from two screw mounting to the use of the four hole "through the motherboard mounting" system similar to the socket 939. This has required the development of another mounting plate to accommodate AMD AM2 socket. To avoid overloading the multi plate we have decided to add an additional plate to address mounting the AMD AM2 CPU. In the next iteration the multi plate will lose some of its adaptability for earlier AMD CPU's as the AM2 mouniting points are added.

Fitting for the AM2 CPU using the new plate is the same that used in socket 939, Intel P4 and LGA775. Please refer to the installation instructions above.

TIM

Do not forget to use Thermal Interface Material (TIM) on the cpu die surface before fitting the water block.

Leak Testing

As always leak test the water block before final fitting to ensure a smooth installation.

Copyright Radiical Pty Ltd 2006