Installation (Cont’d)
Overall, the IFX-14 proved very easy to install onto my LGA775 test bed. Even though the main cooler is so large, clearance around the socket area components was very good and there were no problems with interference. My only minor complaint is that the mounting cross bar does not hold the heatsink base captive so it is free to rotate if you push on it hard enough (just like the SI-128 SE).
The main cooler can be oriented either front-to-back or side-to-side depending on what arrangement of case fans and airflow works best for your application. However, using the orientation shown above makes inserting and tightening the hold down screws much easier.
Thermalright uses a variant of their classic wire retention clips to secure the fan onto the main cooler along with two anti-vibration strips that mount under the fan frame. The clips hook into ridges on the fin arrays and loop around to engage the bottom flanges of the fan. This design works great with most fan housings except for the ones that have the area between the flanges filled in solid at the corners.
Several different mounting positions can be used for attaching one or more 140mm or 120mm fans to the main cooling towers. I elected to use one 120mm x 38mm fan positioned in the center for testing.
IFX-14 Main Cooler Fan Mounting Options:
• One fan mounted in the center (can be up to 38mm thick)
• One fan on the front blowing in
• One fan on the back pulling thru
• Two fans, one in the front and one in the back in a push-pull configuration
• Three fans, front middle and back
Note: The backside cooler does not require a fan but one can be installed if you like.
As we mentioned earlier in the introduction, you must have at least 70mm (2-3/4”) of open space around the top-front corner of the motherboard (in front of the PSU and behind the 5.25” optical drive bays) in a standard ATX tower style case to use the IFX-10 backside cooler. Most SFF and HTPC cases will not work and you will most likely not be able to use a slide out motherboard tray feature if your enclosure has one.
Here is the IFX-14 installed on our LGA775 motherboard inside a typical mid-tower ATX case with a 600W power supply. As you can see, there is plenty of room for the little IFX-10 cooler to breathe.
Idea: Looks like a simple 90° air duct could be used to couple the backside heatsink to the main heatsink.
