Installation

Installation varies from system to system, depending on what kind of CPU you have and how the motherboard manufacturer implements the retention module for your CPU (if it has one). I was disappointed to see that I would have to completely remove the retention module (RM) and the backplate, which meant removing the motherboard from the tray. Aside from that, the installation is simple, although it may be somewhat lengthy. First I had to remove the screws for the RM, then remove it. Next I flipped the board over and removed the backplate.


Now, I needed to assemble the Thermaltake backplate. It consists of a chrome plate, a plastic insulator and a foam pad, each shaped like an “H.” I took the foam pad and removed the protective paper from one side, exposing the adhesive tape underneath. I then took the plastic insulator and mated it to the foam, pressing down to ensure even contact.


The assembly we just made gets attached to the backside of the CPU socket with the foam side down. You can remove the protective paper from the other side of the foam for a more permanent installation, or those of us that swap hardware often can skip this step to make the plate easier to remove (as I did). On top of the foam/plastic assembly goes one of the chrome H-plates, which will provide all the strength.


The next steps require the two long screws, two washers, two nuts and two stand-offs. First, with the motherboard still upside-down, insert the two long screws through the holes in the H-plate and the motherboard. Then, while holding everything in place with one hand, flip the motherboard over and let it rest on the backplate assembly. Over the top of the two long screws flanking your CPU you will need to slide the washers and install the two stand-offs. At this point I prepped the CPU by cleaning it with Arctic Silver’s ArcticClean and added the appropriate amount of AS5.


Now we need to get the heatsink itself ready by adding the other chrome H-plate over the base. It sits in a small track on top of the base, but unfortunately it does not lock or snap into place. It remains free and is able to slide around, which complicates the installation by having one more thing to deal with as you are lining everything up. So while keeping the H-plate centered over the base, you need to lower the heatsink down over the screws, trying to keep the heatsink centered as well. Once it is in place the next step is to thread the two nuts over the screws and hand-tighten them down onto the H-plate.

I found this to be rather difficult due to the size of the nuts, my pudgy fingers and the limited amount of space under the heatsink. What I ended up doing was using a socket (without the wrench) to tighten the nuts up. This gave me more control and I feel it helped me to tighten the nuts evenly.


At this point all that is left is to marvel at the enormity of this heatsink and plug the fan into the motherboard header.


As you can see below the heatsink is so large that it leaves little space between itself and the video card. And the case fans in the side window? It is hard to tell from the picture but there is only about ¼” left between them and the Big Typhoon.