Installation

Since the sample provided came with Intel LGA 115x mounting hardware in the box, I began with it for the demonstration. Begin with the backplate and rubber gasket on the back of the motherboard by aligning the holes in the backplate with the socket latch mechanism's screws and having the ribbed end of the backplate facing away from the PCB. Now, flip the assembly over carefully or hold it from the side while screwing in the posts with the washers in between on the other side to prevent electrical shorting there as well. With the four posts screwed in, the assembly will be held in place, allowing you to apply TIM on the CPU IHS to then place the block on top. Given the nature of the display and the possibility of capacitors near the CPU socket, there is really only one orientation that is practical here (the two ports parallel to the memory slots), so once done, place a metal spring on each post to finally lock it all in place with the provided nuts and Allen wrench. This low-profile mounting solution is what Aqua Computer calls their Flush Mount System, wherein the springs are below the mounting brackets and, thus, the locking nuts are flush with the bracket.


Installation on Intel LGA 2011(-3) and the new LGA 2066 socket is even simpler. Make sure the correct mounting brackets are installed if you have a conversion kit (see page 3) and begin by screwing the M4-threaded mounting posts into the cooler's mounting holes on the motherboard. Now, apply TIM on the IHS and go through the same steps as before. This should take no more than five minutes in total, and as before, it is best to do this with the motherboard outside the case.


The default TIM spread was fairly good on LGA 115x, but could be better on the larger LGA 2011-3 socket. This is where the VARIO feature comes in. Use the provided Allen wrench on the four points such that you go inwards all the way and slowly move outwards. Have the loop completed already before doing so, and have the CPU be stressed so that you can monitor the CPU temperature as well. The goal is to basically find the spot where you have the lowest temperature (keeping all other conditions the same), and these are small changes overall, so you would find the optimal settings for each point with one full revolution in either direction.

No complaints as far as installation goes, and the L-shaped wrench coupled with the VARIO points being on the sloped sides means you can access them in nearly all situations. If you are going to use this in a crowded mITX case, I recommend doing the VARIO optimizations outside the case.