Unable to install Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 on MSI X99S

[digvijit]

Hey guys i have an issue installing my cooler. Trying to fit the Noctua NH-D14 SE 2011 on motherboard MSI X99S Gaming 7. My case is Phanteks Enthoo Pro. The problem is that the 4 long screws that came along with Noctua that we put initially from the rear of the motherboard/backplate are not going through the 4 rear holes fully(meaning it just goes partly - the ring part on the screws leaving behind the rest of it). It is to be noted that this is my first build so i don't have any actual experience(tried youtube but am stuck on cooler build part)Please let me know where could i be going wrong? Thanks.

 

[KingDingDong]

I do not have experience with the Noctua but recently did a build with that MB (it was open box and had to return due to faulty USB ports). My understanding with the x99 boards is they already have a backplate for the processor so you should only need to install some standoffs or something into the already provided female screw slots. I don't think there is a way to put a screw all the way through the board. Check the Noctua website for any x99 install directions. Hope this helps some.

 

[digvijit]

Thanks for replying KingDingDong. I have gone through the installation videos on the website and strangely enough didn't get any for NH-D14. There is a manual though but that doesn't solve the problem as i have that too. Plus the screws that i received in the box(for the pre-installed backplate) seem to be different than what are shown in the videos i have seen so far including the one on the noctua website..and the ones which seemed right at the time had a different motherboard altogether in those vids (youtube)..And in the youtube videos the screws DID seem to go through completely. :/ I guess i might have to purchase new screws .might solve the problem. If not, i'll have to post a pic soon to show the exact problem and hope for the best!
P.S. - The 4 long screws giving me the problem are the ones that are hexagon shaped at one end and have partial rings on the other. ( '4x bolts for backplate' in the NH D14 manual)
I'm beginning to think that these 4 screws aren't meant for my motherboard. 🙁

 

[KingDingDong]

I am in Napa drinking copious amounts of wine 2k miles away from my build right now so I can't even look at my board for you. Surely someone one pop in here that has installed one on a x99 board.

 

[digvijit]

It seems Noctua really DID make a mistake with the screws(as per reply i received from them) but i somehow managed to work my way around (after LOADS od research) using a similiar set of screws for the time being.. *whew* Now that the cooler's set, could you advise me where to put the wire that i'm supposed to connect to the motherboard - CpuFan1 or SysFan1? I do not have a default fan with the cpu it's just the Noctua.
Thanks!

 

[johnplow]

hey digvijit,

Glad to see you figured out your problem! I do not have that board but I do have its big brother the x99s gaming 9AC, and as king mentioned the X99 boards do not require a back plate (just for future reference ;D)

you should always plug your CPU cooler into the CPU 1 spot first because the system will likely not boot without some kind of fan in that slot (some systems are different but most by default won't let you boot. I am sure there are some outliers here with super OC boards but... for our purposes the system will likely not boot) If you upgrade to a AIO liquid cooler in the future you will want to plug the pump in CPU 1 and the fans in CPU 2.

Probably a bit more info than you were looking but I hope this helps!

 

[digvijit]

Hey thanks john..as i mentioned in my original comment my case is Phanteks Enthoo Pro, so as you can imagine i'm confused so as to which fan wire to put under CPU1 on the motherboard - Enthoo default fans or Noctua's? Also, i'm assuming the secondary fan - whichever it may be..would go under SysFan or would it be CPU2?
Sorry if i wasn't clear before.

 

[KingDingDong]

Does that Noctua have 1 or 2 fans? IIRC it is two so if you have CPU 1 and 2 headers use those for the Noctua fans. You want those to run at the same speed. Case fans would plug into any Sysfan headers you have. Newegg says your case comes with 2 fans by default, but has space for many more. If you do not have enough headers for all your fans you can purchase a fan controller. There are a lot of options for configuring fans from simple hubs all the way up to a front panel display.

 

[johnplow]

Hey thanks john..as i mentioned in my original comment my case is Phanteks Enthoo Pro, so as you can imagine i'm confused so as to which fan wire to put under CPU1 on the motherboard - Enthoo default fans or Noctua's? Also, i'm assuming the secondary fan - whichever it may be..would go under SysFan or would it be CPU2?
Sorry if i wasn't clear before.

Ah sorry about that I misunderstood your question. So for your setup you have a couple of different approaches.

Option 01: Plug the NH-D14 fans into CPU 1 and CPU 2 fan headers. This will allow you to make custom fan profiles based off temperature for each fan in the D14. This is good if you want to tune the machine for noise, but I am not %100 sure of how practical this would be in a 2 Fan setup like the D14 since you would likely want to have both fans running at about the same RPM for the best efficiency.

Option 2: Use a Y-splitter from the CPU 1 fan header into both fans on the D14. This will allow you to build a custom fan profile that will control both fans the same way. I use this setup on my rig. You can just leave the CPU 2 header empty.

In both of these cases you will want to plug your case fans into the SYSFAN headers on the board. You can also run a Y-splitter off of these headers for easy profile management. For your case though you would want to plug in all of your fans to the PWM fan controller provided with the case, and then plug the fan controller into an available SYSFAN header (the number doesn't matter just use whatever is closest). This will be the cleanest way to do this. I am not sure how that fan hub will work but my best guess is that it will control all of your fans the same way. If you want more control you can always plug your fans into the various SYSFAN headers on the board and be able to control them individually.

Either way that was a long way of saying plug the 2 Noctua CPU cooler fans into CPU 1 with a Y-splitter and and plug the case fans into the closest SYSFAN header (remember the number doesn't matter just use what is closest)

I hope I got it right this time. If not feel free to smack me over the head.

 

[digvijit]

You are a star! It seems to be a whole lot easier now. Yes, i think Option 2 seems to be the best for me. I've already used the splitter for both my noctua fans. I just need to switch them from SysFan to CPU1(alongside the splitter) for control and vice versa for the case fans. Thanks again John!