X-bit labs

ASUS Silent Square CPU Cooler: New Candidate for Super Cooler Title? (page 5)

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 10/20/2006 | 12:20 PM ]

Assembly and Installation

It’s easy to install the Silent Square on any of the platforms supported. It can be installed not only on the modern Socket AM2, LGA775 and Socket 754/939/940 platforms, but also on the outdated Socket 478. In every case you have to take the mainboard out of the system case to attach the universal mounting frame to it:

Depending on the platform type, you use two or four screws with plastic spacers and a back-plate. The fastening is very secure and reliable. The screws have such a length that they do not stick out beyond the back-plate on the reverse side of the mainboard.

When the mounting frame is attached, you put the cooler in place and secure it with a universal clip that is hitched on the internal juts of the frame.

The standard frame of Socket 754/939/940 or Socket AM2 cannot be used with this cooler. You need to use the original mounting frame included with the Silent Square.

Then you fix the cooler with a fastening lock:

The lock creates enough pressure to ensure proper contact between the cooler’s base and the CPU heat-spreader. The design of the lock prevents it from opening accidentally.

The orientation of the cooler inside the system case on AMD K8 and Socket 478 platforms depends on the position of the near-socket mounting holes on the mainboard. The best orientation – when the air stream from the cooler’s fan is directed at the rear panel of the case – can be achieved when the axis of the mounting holes on the mainboard is parallel to the system case’s rear panel, like on the ABIT AN8 SLI mainboard:

As for the cooler’s compatibility with mainboards, there shouldn’t be any problems considering the high altitude of the bottommost rib of the heatsink, fastening frame, and the compactness of the heat pipes. However, the official ASUS website lists mainboards, but only from ASUS itself, that are officially compatible with the Silent Square.

If you are into modding or just like colorful illumination, the cooler will please you with a directed blue light:

Looks pretty, indeed.