Installation

Installation begins with loosening (not removing!) the four screws on the base plate, by just one or two turns, not more. At the gap that's created between the top and bottom parts of the base, slide in the retention clips, with the U-shaped openings fitting around the bolts. Tighten the screws.

Get to the back plate, at the part of the retention hole arms which is concave, pass the four hex-nuts through the holes. Use the set of holes closest to the center for LGA775, middle for LGA1156, farthest away for LGA1366. Slide the nut caps through, which retain the hex-nuts onto the back plate. Flip the back plate, stick one side of the square two-sided tape along the central square hole of the back plate.


Peel the tape cover on the top side, stick the back plate on the back of the motherboard, in a way that you're able to see the four nuts from the holes of the motherboard on the other side. Now flip the motherboard, the back plate won't fall off. Apply the thermal interface material (TIM) provided. Zalman's TIM is viscous and looks like a silver-based compound. Apply a small dab in the center, let the heatsink's pressure spread it out.


Place the heatsink on the socket, with the holes of the retention clips corresponding the holes on the motherboard. At this step, you get to pick the orientation of the heatsink, whether you want it to blow hot air out from the rear of the case, or from the top vents of the case (if available). Pick either the golden or silver bolts, pass them through the holes on the clips, through the holes on the motherboard, and into the hex-nuts. Loosely turn all four of them with your fingers, and fasten them with the Allen key provided. Connect the fan to the 4-pin CPU fan header.

On a scale of 10, I'd rate the ease of installation at 6. While there are fewer steps involved than on many other coolers, they're trickier. You need to ensure the screws on the base aren't loosened too much, then you need to pass the hex nuts through the back plate and then pass the caps right. Then there's the rather useless two-way tape which can be avoided, if you only hold the back plate in place while you're passing the bolts through. Lastly the retention bolts need an Allen key. Although one is provided, it should be retained well. Since there are two sets of bolts, one of them should have been a standard + screw type.