• Happy holidays, folks! Thanks to each and every one of you for being part of the Tom's Hardware community!

[SOLVED] Removing one heatsink because CPU COOLER AIO not fitting

Feb 25, 2022
14
0
10
Hello guys, I just want to ask if it is okay to remove one heatsink (the one with MAG in it) from the motherboard because my CPU Cooler Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 A-RGB couldn't fit on the case , I tried putting it back on after finishing putting the cooler but I couldn't so I just let it that way (it has thermalpads under the heatsink which u can't see in the image).

Thankz in advance.
board03.png
 
Solution
Just one Question, do you guys think I can keep playing games (for like a month until I buy another cooler) or is it too dangerous for the motherboard ?

Monitor your temperatures.

Nobody here knows how demanding your gaming is or what temps you will actually realize.

Motherboards are among the least durable items in your PC and can fail at any time regardless of heat....for unknowable reasons.
About all you can do is monitor temperatures without the heatsink and then decide if those temperatures are "too high".

I assume you have no idea what temperature would have been with the heatsink.
I've been checking the temperatures and it looks normal tbh, and no I don't know how they would be with heatsink.

What parts should i be looking for in case of temperatures ? CPU ?
 
What temps are you seeing and what application are you using to read temperatures?

HWInfo can read temps at various locations throughout the system, but the locations can vary with each motherboard.

You might want to try more than one application to read the temps just as a double-check.
 
It would be helpful if you mentioned the cpu you are using.
And, how is the radiator mounted?

The vrm heatsinks are there for a reason.
If you have such a strong processor that requires a hefty aio cooler, then it is going to use a lot of power that needs to be dissipated.

HWmonitor will show a variety of temperatures.
The most likely relevant temperature might be the package temperature.
I do not know what might constitute a dangerous max level.

If your aio is mounted in front as intake, the heat issue to the motherboard and graphics card is worse since it will be using heated cpu air for cooling.
 
Your current setup seems to be ok.

I would not change anything out unless you are having a problem that could be resolved with a change.
Changing would just cost you more.
I'm just afraid that removing that heatsink may cause trouble to the motherboard, and consequently ruin everything else.
 
Your current setup seems to be ok.

I would not change anything out unless you are having a problem that could be resolved with a change.
Changing would just cost you more.
Love the 200mm front intakes of the case.
It is an excellent air cooling case.
If you can return the aio cooler, and lose no money, I might consider it,
You can use most any air cooler you want up to 160mm.
 
Should fit just fine.
Both - top and front supports 2x 140mm fans.

Another option - replace radiator fans with slim type fans.
It should I know, I checked the sizes of everything before mounting but it just doesn't, the top of the motherboard inside the case is just incredible small and I even had to smash the CPU cable coming from the PSU to fit the AIO.
 
To remove a cooler heatsink, the trick is to run the cpu a bit to heat it up first.
That softens the paste, making it easy to remove the cooler.
Thankz for the tip, I know what you're talking about but I was talking about removing the heatsink from the motherboard which I did
 
Your cpu should have come with a stock air cooler that is adequate, just barely up to a point.
To run more quietly and effectively, I might use a stronger cooler.
I like the noctua units,
They are high quality, quiet, and easy to install.
Noctua maintains a cpu suitability list.
Here is the chart for the i5-11600 processor:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-11600-1279
NH-U12s would be a decent pick.
NH-U12A or NH-D15s would be about the strongest that would fit your case .
 
Your cpu should have come with a stock air cooler that is adequate, just barely up to a point.
To run more quietly and effectively, I might use a stronger cooler.
I like the noctua units,
They are high quality, quiet, and easy to install.
Noctua maintains a cpu suitability list.
Here is the chart for the i5-11600 processor:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-11600-1279
NH-U12s would be a decent pick.
NH-U12A or NH-D15s would be about the strongest that would fit your case .
Thank you, I will check the list.
 
Just one Question, do you guys think I can keep playing games (for like a month until I buy another cooler) or is it too dangerous for the motherboard ?