motherboard includes a heatsink for the cpu fan to manage heat effectively
motherboard includes a heatsink for the cpu fan to manage heat effectively
Mobo: Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler (with adapter bracket for AM4). This tiny component of the cooling setup prevents me from installing my CPU cooler properly. I've attempted to push it in from the side without success, and the screws are too short to secure it. Even if I remove the heatsink piece, I'm unsure about the consequences. Should I try taking it off completely? I suspect it's metal, so maybe sanding a small area could free up space. This design is really frustrating for me. Thanks ahead of time.
It's definitely metal. A friend had a heat sink that was too bulky for his CPU cooler, so he removed it to fit. If you're sure about your work, it should be fine. There doesn't seem to be a heat pipe inside, so you won't have to worry about damaging anything.
I believe I found a solution. The heatsink was uneven, giving one side more space than the other. I flipped it 180 degrees so the tighter side faced outward. Also, I installed the tricky side first, and it looks secure now. Hope this helps anyone reading this later!
I’m really considering this build. The MSI Z690 Tomahawk DDR4 plus Lian Li Galahad 240 RGB with Bequiet is a solid choice. Mounting the radiator at the top was tricky because of the heatsink protruding too much. I’d need more space—just a little extra clearance would have made it work. The fans in the front were supposed to pull cool air in, but now they’re sucking in warm air through side openings. It seems the radiator sits just above the pump, and after a year it still functions well. Temperatures look manageable even with an OC CPU and RTX 4070. I might need a better case for the radiator at the top, or maybe a wider model like the Fractal Design Pop XL would have helped.