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Push-pin mounting... is it ok?

J

jsl10

n00b
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
30
I'm having a hard time picking a cooler for my new build (probably a Q9550 on an Asus P5Q Deluxe w/Corsair Dominator memory with tall heat spreader). I was thinking that a down blowing cooler would be best (like the Noctua NH-C12P) to cool the whole area. But since the Lian-Li case I want has a fan that blows down on to the memory and other chips around the CPU maybe a side blowing fan would be ok. I was looking at the OCZ Vendetta 2 that I know many here love. But it uses push-pins to mount vs something like the Noctua NH-U12P.

Anyway, something in me keeps saying to stay away from little plastic mounts for a large heat sink that will be hanging sideways off the cpu. It just doesn't seem right. But yet these coolers are liked here and get good reviews. Anyway, should I just not worry about if a cooler uses plastic push-pins or not (vs a back plate with bolts)?
 
I'm guessing the OCZ cooler you're referring to is a re-branded Xigmatek HDT cooler.

If so, I believe there is a backplate you can use instead of the pushpins.
 
Push pins are fine. As long as you do it right, you won't have any issues. n00bs on newegg are like it's terrible, and it sucks, etc. They just don't know how to do it.
 
Spend under US$10 and get a Thermalright bolt through kit. Well worth the money to get away from the push pins.
 
Push-pins are adequate, just a pain in the ass to install sometimes. Especially if you have large hands working in a small case. Trying to get leverage in there to push them down is tight.

Ideally, if you install the HSF with pushpins with the mb ouside the case, it's simple.

I used the bolt through kit on my Xigmatek, and it made the whole process easier to install/uninstall the HSF once the backplate is in place.
 
you can use the backplate on the vendetta 2 aswell... it just depends on the individual cooler for me... on some of them the pushpins arent a fight to get onto the board like the intel stock cooler and im fine with that... but when you get things like the hyper tx2 from cooler master thats just too tight for me id rather use a backplate....
 
I have used a bunch of ArcticCooling Freezer Pros......yes the pins are a PITA sometimes and are quirky, depending on the MB, but they are easier to change and put on another board,IMO.
They have never come loose or fallen off.:eek:

I use a swiftech ApogeeGTX on my main computer, it has bolts and springs.....OK if you dont change MBs very often.
 
I have the Xigmatek and I think the pushpins were a pain. MB was already installed and my hands had a hard time fitting into the area to to push the pins in. The seem to hold ok once in though. I ended up slicing the crap outta my hand on the metal fins of the Xigmatek though.

Definately easier to mount the cooler with the MB OUT of the case ;)
 
It's not that the push pins don't work, but it's probably best to use the bolt thru mounting instead merely because of the fact that it doesn't provide as much stress to the mobo as does the push pins.
 
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