Even though installation of aftermarket chipset cooling isn't within the realms of 'rocket science' I thought it would be nice to include an 'how to' for those who have never done/contemplated it. Please bear in mind that the P965 motherboard that I took the images of is in fact dead, and not the one I will be using for testing purposes. The observant ones will also notice that I haven't removed the paper backing from the foam shim in an effort to protect the adhesive backing.

 

Firstly you will need to remove your existing chipset cooling solution and remove any traces of TIM or thermal compound that the manufacturer has used. Nail polish remover or ArctiClean used in conjunction with ear sticks (cotton buds) are my two favoured methods of removal.

 

 

Neatly place the foam shim (after removing the backing paper lol) over your chosen chipset. The foam shim is to help balance the downward pressure of the heatsink when installing it, and to also prevent shorting from the base touching the chipset componentry or traces.

 

 

Place a small dob of your chosen TIM (the one in the image below is Noctua's NH-1) in the centre of the chipset die and then place the included push-pins into the adjustable arms on the ChipChilla...or use the hook if your motherboard requires it.

 

 

Orient the ChipChilla according to whichever direction you prefer (or CPU heatsink dictates - pls see below) and push down lightly on the heatsink while pushing in the push-pins into the motherboard mounting holes. Following the mounting of the ChipChilla the only other requirement is to plug in the 3-pin connector into one of your motherboard's fan headers. Voila, you're done! 

 

 

One area for concern that I highlighted on the previous page was that the ChipChilla's increased width may cause compatibility issues with larger CPU heatsinks. On the ASUS P5B Deluxe that I'm using for illustrative purposes I have included a couple of images below to show you a little better. Furthermore, you will notice that I have had to install the ChipChilla parallel to the PCI-E 16x slot on my P5B otherwise the fins obstruct the installation of a graphics card regardless of its size. Ideally I would have liked to have run the ChipChilla with airflow running from front-to-back in my chosen chassis, but it's unfortunately not pissible.

 

I ran some compatibility testing with a small assortment of CPU heatsinks that I have lurking around my house in an effort to reinforce the point I made above. CPU heatsink width is the issue here not height. I have included the following CPU heatsinks and images below: the Intel socket 775 reference cooler; a Thermalright XP-90C and Scythe Ninja Mini.

 

  

 

You can see from the images above that the ChipChilla would work fine with the Intel reference heatsink, but with the larger aftermarket varieties like the XP-90C or Scythe Ninja you're really going to be cramped for room. Admittedly, both of the larger heatsinks do fit but it is very tight. You would be well advised to check with Coolink's support before making a purchase if you're not sure.

 

I also ran a few quick and nasty compatibility tests with some universal mounts for CPU waterblocks and am pleased to report that they do not cause an issue with the ChipChilla.