My N520 weighs 668 grams. I was wondering the same thing when i was putting it in; felt like the mobo was going to break. I have had it in my PC for almost a year now, so doesn't seem to be a problem.

Edit: had the board out a few weeks ago and it wasn't bent at all.

 

You could always use some zipties and ghetto-rig it to secure it to some other part of your case.

I've used an Arctic Cooler Freezer 64 Pro on my previous AM3 build for a year and a half, didn't notice any mobo warping. I imagine the screws holding it in would be more stressed than the motherboard.

 

that's why there's a backplate to even out the pressure across the MB. Also the 212+ is one of the lighter ones out there but if you that worried buy a H60/80/100

 

It really depends on the backplate. My NH-D14 weighs 1240g and I've had it on at least a dozen motherboards.
Never had a problem with the cooler other than it hitting my GPU's or my case's side panel. lol

 

People are too paranoid about the weight of CPU coolers. I've got a Silver Arrow, with 3 fans on it, heavy as hell but its been on my PC for over a year now no issues.

 

I've had my silver arrow attached with super heavy server fans for over six months, which really added some heft. Happy to report no warping yet. I am thinking that prolonged use without the mobo being screwed into the case could allow warping. But, just like back plates of graphics cards, the case should prevent that.

 

yeah i think the majority of the stress is on the case actually.

If you think about it, the screws are what the heatsinks are technically putting stress on, which
in turn is putting stress much more so on the case rather than the mobo. Although this doesn't apply
to those intel push pin heatsinks, which from what i've experience seens to put the most stress i've ever seen
it bent one of my boards... i will never use again.

 

Zalman makes a "Special string" so that you can attach your HSF to the top of the case if you are paranoid.

 

I think so, always wondered if my 847 gram coolermaster n620 was the cause of a motherboard failure I experienced. In addition to weight, it was also quite tall, thus putting more strain on the motherboard.
With the advantages that the all in one watercooling solutons currently offer, I will never buy another large air cooling HSF.
Here the n 620 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103066

 

You are perfectly fine with your 212+ ...
My TRUE weighs in at 790gr and it has two kaze 3k fans on it ... that's a total of 1240gr .. 1.2 kilos and I also did the washer mod. Been running like this for >3 years and its perfectly fine. (Mobo is a little warped but nothing to worry about).

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by iCrap

Zalman makes a "Special string" so that you can attach your HSF to the top of the case if you are paranoid.

yeah just do this with some Scythe Ninja Wire

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/065/slotrafter_detail.html#specifications

 

I recently got NH D14 and it´s really light for me xD, and I´m using a M-ATX mobo so I has too much weight on it but It´s very stable for that weight Im going to get a nre case bcu I had a disaster with this

 

Thanks all for the reassurance... I feel better about it now but I think this will just push me toward an entry level water cooling option in the future. We had an alienware that was about a year old in the shop today and I really liked the way it looked. How are the entry level water coolers compared to a 212+?

Edit: The alienware had a H100 "like" water cooler.

 

the H100 with push/pull fan config on the RAD should out perform the Hyper 212+..
but if you want to go water and the best entry level performance, do some reading into a XSPC 750 RASA RX360 or 240 kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14183/ex-wat-182/XSPC_Rasa_750_RX360_Universal_CPU_Triple_Radiator_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_RX360_Radiator.html
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=30281

RX240 kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14182/ex-wat-181/XSPC_Rasa_750_RX240_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_RX240_Radiator.html

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think I'll be going that high end. Maybe something like this. I'm not looking to go much higher than 4.6 and my temps are already pretty good.

 

I wouldn't worry about 600 grams, the only cooler that I have ever heard about that actually could damage your motherboard was the Thermalright TRUE Copper , weighed in at 1900 grams.

I have the Thermalright true (non copper one), and that weighs 790grams and I have had no problems with the wieght, even when I move my pc around. Thats not including the two 120mm fans I have attached to it to.

Just about all decent coolers will come with a backplate that will spread the weight out a bit over the board and prevent warping, also be sure to not over tighten the bolts as that can bend the board a bit.

 

My FRIO weighs 1042 g

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayjr1105

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think I'll be going that high end. Maybe something like this. I'm not looking to go much higher than 4.6 and my temps are already pretty good.

that or the corsair h80 - h100 will do the trick for 4.6GHz on a closed loop.. even higher

 

Honestly, unless you plan on dropping it, I wouldn't even worry about ~2000+ grams.

 

The 212+ is a lightweight.

All the good coolers use a backplate and make a motherboard sandwich, which is plenty stiff. And as TH3 original noted, the stress is taken up by the mounting screws, especially the ones on the top edge of the mb.

 

My Silver Arrow weighs 825g and that's without the two TY-140s. Fortunately, the mounting backplate that Thermalright included is not only easy to install but is great at spreading the weight. I'm very happy with how they've engineered it.

 

normally heat sinks have back plates, with the back plates it will support the heat sink just fine. motherboards are sturdy stuff, they don't break as easily as you think. its not super fragile material, I have abused my old H55 motherboard so much that simple heat sink weight breaking it would seem silly. I have seen people wash their motherboards in the dishwasher and different things and the mobo still works just fine. if you had a spare mobo, you could try and snap it in half, it takes quite a bit of effort, it will bend easily, but to break it takes more effort than just heat sink weight + gravity

 

The Tuniq Tower would sag on some people's boards. Depends on the quality of PCB I would figure. My board is flexed like a rainbow lol. Heard some minor cracking when I tightened the board down to the case though haha. It's working fine.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlastshotx

I wouldn't worry about 600 grams, the only cooler that I have ever heard about that actually could damage your motherboard was the Thermalright TRUE Copper , weighed in at 1900 grams.

I have the Thermalright true (non copper one), and that weighs 790grams and I have had no problems with the wieght, even when I move my pc around. Thats not including the two 120mm fans I have attached to it to.

Just about all decent coolers will come with a backplate that will spread the weight out a bit over the board and prevent warping, also be sure to not over tighten the bolts as that can bend the board a bit.

had my true copper for around 18 months and my mobo is very clearly warped, wonderful cooler but 1.9kg without fans is silly.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badness

I've had my silver arrow attached with super heavy server fans for over six months, which really added some heft. Happy to report no warping yet. I am thinking that prolonged use without the mobo being screwed into the case could allow warping. But, just like back plates of graphics cards, the case should prevent that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehume

All the good coolers use a backplate and make a motherboard sandwich, which is plenty stiff. And as TH3 original noted, the stress is taken up by the mounting screws, especially the ones on the top edge of the mb.

I said it first D:
why does nobody pay attention to me D: