Installation

Installing the Bykski FOUR CPU block is easily its weakest point, even assuming you get the installation manual at all. You see, the installation manual is nearly impossible to follow if taken literally simply because the mounting screws are not long enough. The process begins easy enough with the socket backplate to be oriented correctly over the socket latch mechanism screws on the back of your Intel LGA 115x motherboard, as seen in the picture above, while making sure the backplate touches the motherboard's PCB with its plastic sheet side. The four mounting screws then go through four holes in the backplate, a washer each, and into the stamped threaded standoff on the block on the other side.


That is easier said than done, however, as you are also supposed to have a spacer on the other side, between the standoffs and the motherboard. So you have to manage five moving pieces for every corner and hope they all stay aligned to then apply pressure inward on the screw from the back to screw it in. In practice, there was no way I could do that with the spacer in place, so I used another washer on the other side instead. Indeed, a lot of the retailers mention that only washers and mounting screws are provided as part of the package, and many do not even mention the washers at all. Note that I tried three separate LGA 115x motherboards from Asus, EVGA, and Gigabyte, and it was the same everywhere.

I found the easiest way to get about things was to have the motherboard upright and on a box, with the block and top washer of one corner in place to then screw the rest in through the bottom for that same corner. Once one corner is done, the rest are a lot easier to do. Two sets of hands will make it a lot simpler, and make sure you have a Phillips PH 1.2 or 2 precision driver to help with the tiny Phillips head mounting screws. I also suggest trying different TIM application methods to see what works best for you, as in this case I found a pre-spread of Gelid GX Extreme (my test TIM) to result in a more even and consistent contact.


One last thing - the block may be too large for some motherboards no matter what. With the large cold plate area here, you may hit capacitors close to the CPU socket instead. I just managed to get away with it on this mITX motherboard, but map out a 90 mm x 90 mm area around the CPU socket and make sure there is nothing you will hit. For those wondering, two of the three boards tested do not have capacitors that close so that was not the only reason I had the difficulties I mentioned above.

Overall, a weak show here from Bykski. For a waterblock that supports specific Intel sockets only, this could be a lot better. So far, the larger cold plate only seems to be a drawback rather than a plus point. But let us now see whether it helps in terms of actual performance.