[SOLVED] AM4 and AM3 CPU Retention Brackets Question

[box o rocks]

Can I use a (1-piece) AM3 retention bracket on an AM4 board? Will the mounting holes line up? Will the bracket's physical dimensions be identical?

 

[drea.drechsler]

Can I use a (1-piece) AM3 retention bracket on an AM4 board? Will the mounting holes line up? Will the bracket's physical dimensions be identical?

No you cannot use an AM3 bracket on AM4 motherboard. The spacing between the holes and the backplate mounting studs is different in one direction. You can, however, use the clip-on style mounts as they do match up.

Many of the popular heatsink mfr's provide new adapter brackets for AM4 to work with their AM3 model heatsinks. You might check their website. They're usually cheap if not free.

 

[box o rocks]

No you cannot use an AM3 bracket on AM4 motherboard. The spacing between the holes and the backplate mounting studs is different in one direction. You can, however, use the clip-on style mounts as they do match up.

Many of the popular heatsink mfr's provide new adapter brackets for AM4 to work with their AM3 model heatsinks. You might check their website. They're usually cheap if not free.

Thank you. If the direction they don't line up is vertical, could I instead use the 2-piece AM3 brackets w/0 the backplate? Or is that what you meant by 'clip on brackets'?

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thank you. If the direction they don't line up is vertical, could I instead use the 2-piece AM3 brackets w/0 the backplate? Or is that what you meant by 'clip on brackets'?

That is the clip-on brackets I'm speaking of. Except, you can't use the ones that fit an AM3 motherboard on an AM4 motherboard because the holes won't line up. But AM4 motherboards all come with both the two plastic brackets and the backplate so that shouldn't be a problem since any AM3 heatsink that uses the clip-on brackets will also be able to use the AM4 clip-on brackets.