LGA1366 Bolt-thru kit question

I just setup my new i7 setup. I am using an Ultima 90 heatsink and I bought the 1366 bolt thru kit. Question is regarding the screws. I read on their website that you are supposed to "bolt down" on the screws in a criss-cross manner. I did this, but I went until the screws stopped turning anymore. The springs are not fully compressed either. I'd say mine are 1/2 compressed. The board isn't warped either. Did I do it right?

If you went all the way until the screws are flush, your good. They have to be all the way down.

-D

diaz said:

If you went all the way until the screws are flush, your good. They have to be all the way down.

-D

Click to expand...

Flush with what? These are spring loaded screws that go through the RM and into the backplate.

If the screws quit turning, you're done. Remember this is a kit meant to work with quite a few different HSF which all have different base heights. The spring should give the proper tension against the IHS no matter what HSF you are using, assuming the screws are fully torqued. The cross pattern is to assure that the thermal paste is evenly...squished against the IHS.

erasmus372 said:

If the screws quit turning, you're done. Remember this is a kit meant to work with quite a few different HSF which all have different base heights. The spring should give the proper tension against the IHS no matter what HSF you are using, assuming the screws are fully torqued. The cross pattern is to assure that the thermal paste is evenly...squished against the IHS.

Click to expand...

+1.
What are your temps like? If they are really out of whack, that should be an indicator that the mount is not proper.

Idle:




Load:

your temps look fine for i7 so i wouldnt worry if i were you. its typical to have a few c diff between cores.

I know this is stupid to ask now but, what is the likelihood you could do damage to the CPU or socket during installation? I mean the load plate pretty much keeps the CPU from moving, but other than too much pressure being put on the socket or CPU by cranking down on the screws (even though i know the spring-loaded screws are meant to prevent that and the screws themselves stop once they can go no more)--how tough is the socket once the CPU is in it?

I ask because during my installation, 2 of the opposing screws (diagonally from each other) went on the bracket fine, while the other two, while cranking them down, kinda caused the bracket to slide down a bit rough over the backplate screw holes. Not sure if that would do any damage. In the end they are all even and the board isn't warped, I am just paranoid that I may have damaged the socket (bent a pin) or the CPU by putting too much pressure on the IHS during the semi-uneven install. I ave had no issues with the board at all since my install.

Thank you

Also, does anyone notice that the 'arms' of the retention mechanism have a slight bend in them after being securely mounted?