Installation

A downfall to the Gyre’s installation design is that for all Intel Socket 775 based installations, the motherboard must be removed from the case and / or motherboard tray. This is simply due to the fact that the Intel plate must be installed on the back of the motherboard, so the screws on the heatsink have something to screw into. The installation of this plate is very easy. The sticker on the plate covering the adhesive tape needs to be peeled away, the screw holes on the plate need to be aligned with the screw holes on the motherboard and then the plate needs to be gently yet firmly pressed against the back of the motherboard.


Once completed, the motherboard can be put back in its tray or in the case as all that needs to be done is the cooler needs to be screwed into the board. AMD based sockets feature a simplified process as the motherboard does not need to be removed from the case or its tray. AMD based installations simply have to apply the included AMD clip for support, align the screws into the retention bracket holes and screw the clips in. The thermal paste was applied according to the manufacturers specifications. Once applied, the thermal compound spread evenly among both the CPU and base of the cooler, as shown in the images.


The cooler was placed in the appropriate position and the heat pipes were positioned away from the RAM modules to prevent excess heat near the RAM. The 4-pin fan connection was simply plugged into the 4-pin CPU fan slot on the motherboard.


Once the back plate was installed, the spring screws were lined up to their holes and were screwed in using the L shaped screwdriver which was supplied. Each screw was screwed in to about half of its maximum pressure. When all screws were in, they were all tightened. This is not necessary but recommended for both ease (as other screws don’t need as much pressure if the initial ones aren’t totally in) as well as keeping anything from breaking (due to too much pressure). The CPU was relatively secure, yet the supplied wrench was then use to further tighten the screws close to their limit. It is never recommended to tighten the screws to their maximum limit as this may cause damage to the threads. This process was quite easy to achieve whether in the computer case or not as the L shaped screwdriver removes most awkward positions caused by limited space. However, if the cooler is being installed into the motherboard from within the case, it may be too hard to use the wrench.


Once all four screws are tightened, the cooler does not move very much and is firmly attached to the motherboard. There were no problems or compatibility issues with the physical size of the cooler when used on the ASUS P5B Deluxe and Thermaltake Soprano case (with 90 mm side case fan attached), although there is only a 2mm gap between the side panel fan and top of cooler. This can cause problems when installed on any case smaller than the Thermaltake Soprano that have a side panel fan or relatively any ATX case with a side panel vent. It can also affect cases which have 120mm or larger fans on their side panel.