Installation procedure
As you may be aware the mounting systems vary between the socket that you actually mount the cooler to. We mounted our Dark Rock Advanced to the AM3/AM3+ socket, which is the latest socket from AMD. Installing the backplate was very simple. It simply required the removal of the screws holding in the old backplate and bracket, then the parts can be simply lifted off. This process was made easier by the fact our case had a large CPU backplate cut out meaning there was no need to remove the motherboard.
As far as the rest of the installation goes it was on the very ‘fiddly’ side. Using the required mounting brackets which are appropriately labelled in the instruction guide as ‘for AMD’ we attached these to the cooler with the provided screws. Note for this you need a smaller than standard screwdriver, a normal size screwdriver will be too big to fit in these screws. Once the backplate was in place, held on by the screws and the small rubber black rings on the top side of the motherboard we then attempted to attach these screws through the brackets which we had previously screwed into the CPU cooler.
This was the hard part since the screws which are used to attach the CPU cooler to the backplate have to be inserted from the underside of the motherboard and go through both the backplate and the CPU at the same time. So in essence you have to be able to hold the CPU cooler sturdy, keep the backplate in place, keep the screw holes lined up and screw the four screws through all at the same time. If, like me, you choose to leave your motherboard in your system then this is made even more difficult by the fact your CPU cooler has to be mounted horizontally (if your case is standing upright), I would recommend turning your case onto its side so the CPU is easier to mount or taking the motherboard out and mounting it that way.
One final issue I personally noticed is that when mounting this cooler the fan will either face to the bottom of your case or top of your case there is no way of changing this due to the nature of the mounting system for AMD. You cannot have the fan facing the rear of your case, which would give better thermal performance as the flow of the air in most cases is from front to back not from top to bottom or bottom to top.
The installation procedure will vary between sockets so we suggest you consult the instruction manual in detail when undertaking the installation. If you’re an AM3/AM3+ user then the above information should provide you with a ‘warning’ of the rather fiddly nature of installing this cooler.
Page 1: Introduction and test rig
Page 2: Packaging and Package Contents
Page 3: Product Overview with Specifications
Page 4: Installation procedure
Page 5: Thermal performance and Conclusion
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