Installation

For testing purposes, I used a DFI nF4 Expert and an Opteron 144 CPU.


To start off, I installed 3/8" barbs that are provided with the block. The well known problem with the DFI board is its backplate, which is not identical to the standard AMD one. From the pictures above, you can see that I had to use longer screws – I took the ones from the Xeon package. These were too long, so I used some nuts and washers to make them have contact with the block's plate. I tightened everything down, and booted the PC. I was alarmed by the very high temperatures I got from the system. I thought I must have bad contact, so I redid the mounting, only to arrive at the same outcome.


I then decided that the best idea would be to use my “old” mounting system – so, I re-drilled the Apogee’s mounting plate to accept slightly larger screws, and mounted it. Temperatures instantly dropped to much more acceptable levels. Even Apogee’s original mounting mechanism is great, it holds the block down firmly, provided that you have the correct backplate. All in all, it was DFI’s mistake for having such a bad backplate that would not let users achieve good temperatures. The Apogee’s mounting is a breeze.