How to swap the mounting bracket? Easy!
Jan 08, 2017 | 4-Min. Read
Atila Gobor
AMD is heating things up their new Zen microarchitecture and we came prepared to the party! With the release of the new Ryzen™ CPUs and A-series APUs codenamed Bristol Ridge, the AMD water cooling community will bloom again and that is why we prepared a short tutorial. Yes, the manual is detailed with nice illustrations, but we took the time to make a colorful demonstration on how to swap the CPU water block mounting bracket.
First off, let’s start with the new AM4 socket that is not compatible with the AM3 mounting holes.
The now old AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM2, FM2+ sockets all share the same mounting mechanism, with the holes being apart by 96mm lengthwise and 48mm sidewise. The new AM4 socket features mounting holes that are distanced by 90mm lengthwise and 54mm sidewise. AMD moved the holes around, for a few millimeters, and so did we, with the new mounting bracket. All new AM4 AMD CPU water block mounting kits are also reverse-compatible with the older AMD sockets.
With that sorted out, we can move forward to the actual tutorial, since every previously sold CPU water block will need the new „ Mounting plate Supremacy AMD “ bracket to fit the new AM4 socket. Whether you are jumping from a previous AMD socket, an Intel platform, or you just purchased an EK-Supremacy EVO water block that has the Intel bracket pre-mounted, the process is the same.
To disassemble the water block, you will need a 2.5mm Allen key, that comes with every EK-Supremacy EVO.
After you have unscrewed the four bolts that hold the water block together, you can disassemble it to its key components. The EK-Supremacy EVO water block consists of:
the top (in this case a nickel plated brass top),
base (in this case a nickel plated copper cold plate),
jet plate,
the insert and insert pin,
rubber gasket,
mounting bracket (in this case an Intel bracket).
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2
3
4
5
6
1
the top (in this case a nickel plated brass top)
2
base (in this case a nickel plated copper cold plate)
3
jet plate
4
the insert and insert pin
5
rubber gasket
6
mounting bracket (in this case an Intel bracket)
It is important to know all the components of the water block, in order to put it all back together properly. The easiest way to build up the water block is by:
placing the rubber gasket over the well-defined groove,
adding the insert along with the insert pin,
placing the jet plate over the insert,
placing the desired mounting bracket,
aiming the copper base to align with the screws holes,
adding the screws.
There are two crucial things we need to address at this point. The orientation of the jet plate must be perpendicular to the fins on the cold plate. It is also mandatory to check the manual and use the proper insert for the socket being used.
The other important thing is the force you are using to tighten the four screws that hold the water block together. By using the provided 2.5mm Allen key, the adequate torque on the screws is when you feel that the Allen key is slightly bending under your fingers.
At this point, you have an assembled water block, and just to be 100% sure you’ve done it right, you can do a quick leak test. Simply use a plug and close one of the ports on the water block. You can attach a fitting, or a fitting with some tubing, and just blow air into the water block. If you don’t hear a hissing sound and none of the air is escaping, you have successfully assembled the water block.
And that would conclude our graphic tutorial on how to swap a water block with the support for AMD’s new AM4 socket or any older AMD platform.