Yes, it appears correct. (NH-D15)
Yes, it appears correct. (NH-D15)
I've already shared this on Reddit, now I'm curious what the Linus folks think. These pictures—one with flash, one without—show one of the two spring-loaded mounting screws on my NH-D15, where the cooler attaches to the bracket below. (I didn’t have time to capture the side view, but it looks similar to the one shown.) Is it okay that the screw isn’t fully seated? Some threads of the vertical bolt are still visible, and the spring isn’t completely compressed. In case you’re wondering: yes, both screws are tightened properly and making good contact... I’m not sure if I should remove it, clean it, re-paste, or just tighten it further this time. Any advice?
You apply force just enough to secure them, stopping once they're secure. They aren't meant to be completely flush.
These washers serve as the final anchor for the mount. Noctua generally incorporates this feature well across many of their coolers, with the NH-D15 being a prime example. Continue tightening until you reach the maximum limit.
OP is inquiring about the screws that include springs for applying pressure, not the plastic separators.
I wasn't referring to the spacers, but rather the washers attached to the main screws with springs. The spring's deformation stops once it reaches the stop on the threads, which is located between the washers or clips. It doesn't matter if they're fully compressed or not because one of the screws is already at its limit.
They seem to function as spring clips, which also explains how they secure the spring and screw onto the bracket. I’ll check once I’m home because I have an NH-D15 nearby. I’m just making an educated guess until I can confirm. From what I see, the tightening points are at the end of the threads, so fully snugging them will push the spring clip to its limit. You might also notice the plastic spacers used for the motherboard mounting hardware.
I'm confirming the right plastic spacers are being used for the mounting brackets. The gray ones are suitable for AM4.