![\"CPU](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CPU-cooler-installion-old-case.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBeginning with the graphics card and hard drives, and ending with the motherboard, I removed all the components from the old system and gave them a long-overdue dust-off.<\/p>\n The RAM did not need to be removed, although it can be a good idea to re-seat the modules while you have the board uninstalled.<\/p>\n Once the motherboard was removed and unplugged, I took the old CPU cooler off and cleaned the old thermal paste off the CPU heat spreader.<\/p>\n Removing my air cooler was a bit of a struggle, as it uses the same locking mechanism as Intel’s stock coolers instead of screw mounts.<\/p>\n Cleaning the old thermal paste off the CPU was a simple process, which can be accomplished with a clean cloth and a bit of isopropyl alcohol.<\/p>\n All-in-one liquid coolers are a bit more complex to install than air coolers, so it is important to make sure you follow their instructions carefully.<\/p>\n My new cooler – the Corsair Hydro Series H55 – is a reliable and affordable cooler, which can be purchased for R1,160<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The H55 supports a wide range of Intel and AMD CPU sockets, including the LGA 1151 socket my motherboard uses.<\/p>\n Which of the cooler’s included hardware you use will depend on your motherboard’s socket type – but in all cases you will require a backplate, retention ring, and mounting bracket.<\/p>\n Following the instructions to assemble the mounting bracket is straighforward, as is the attachment of the retention ring to the CPU cooling block.<\/p>\n The backplate attachment can be tricky, especially for the LGA 1151 socket, but it can only fit properly in one configuration, shown below.<\/p>\n Once the backplate is attached to the back of the motherboard with the include adhesive buffers, you can mount the CPU block to the processor.<\/p>\n Ensure that the cover over the liquid cooler’s contact plate is removed and that there is thermal paste on the contact area.<\/p>\n If not, apply a pea-sized bead of thermal paste to the CPU directly before mounting.<\/p>\n Once the liquid cooler is mounted on the CPU, you can attach the motherboard to your case and the radiator to any compatible mount in your system.<\/p>\n It is important to check the orientation of your CPU block in relation to where you want to mount your radiator.<\/p>\n I opted to mount my single-fan radiator in the top half of the dual-fan radiator slot, as the bottom half would function as a mounting plate for a 2.5-inch SSD.<\/p>\n In my build, the fan was mounted to the radiator as an exhaust fan for two reasons.<\/p>\n The case is open on all four sides so intake airflow is not an issue, and I preferred to view a fan on the front over an empty radiator.<\/p>\n Following this, all that remained was to assemble the rest of the build and check it starts up correctly.<\/p>\n A few final tips for installing a CPU liquid cooler, along with images of the completed build, are below.<\/p>\n Upgrading your PC can be a rewarding experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341028,"featured_media":256583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[5262,40456,35,30010,40418,50079],"class_list":["post-256563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming","tag-cpu-cooler","tag-hardware","tag-headline","tag-installation","tag-liquid-cooling","tag-pc-building"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256563"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341028"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":258087,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256563\/revisions\/258087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nInstalling the liquid cooler<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nNow read:\u00a0Buying an Ethereum mining rig today is a really big mistake<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"