Using your own logic we can say other coolers not being shipped while mounted and/or receiving rough handling are not causing "breakage of the substrate". Therefore it's a shipping / handling issue.
It's not a "mounting method" issue, it's a "movement method" issue .. with one company reporting it while showing an image of only one instance of it happening.
While it's probably a combination of things, spring mounts versus non-spring mounts is not the problem.
In the first sentence of Scythe's news release they say:
" All coolers are in fact generally compatible with Skylake sockets, but it can in some cases result in damage to CPU and motherboard when the PC is exposed to stronger shocks (eg shipping or relocation). "
Nothing new in that statement.
Other coolers without springs are not causing breaking of CPU substrate either, so it's not the mounting method their either.
Springs used in most of the spring mounts are more twisted wire than real load rated springs. Good rule of thumb is any spring that is chrome plated isn't much of a spring .. and most mount springs are chromed.
Have you ever noticed how stiff the spring tension is the first time a cooler is mounted compared to later remounts?
Have you ever noticed how many of the "spring" mounts fully compress the springs when mounting screws are tight?
Wish I had the equipment to test the different mounts to see just how much pressure they actually produce.
Really, the best "proof" this is a non-issue is that the only company have "mounting issues" is Scythe .. while EKL Alpenföhn, Noctua, EK Water Blocks, Arctic, Thermaltake, Thermalright, Cooler Master, Prolimatech and Silence PC have all said their mounts are comparable.
Also, Intel says the 1151 PCB is rated for same load as other PCBs. Just because it's thinner does not mean it is weaker.
