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Installation

For this installation you will first need to remove your stock cooler from the motherboard and free up the socket from the bracket if it has one. Then you will need to remove the motherboard from the casing or the motherboard tray and start installing this cooler. The installation of this cooler is pretty straightforward and it was a breeze for my socket 775 motherboard.

The NH-C12P bolts down to an insulated back plate which is bolted down in the next step with the secufirm mounting system as Noctua likes to call it. These are basically two bars with a bit of spacing for capacitors around the socket where the cooler bolts down to.

This next step requires you to install the mounting bars and screw them down to the back plate. The above image was taken after I removed the cooler from the motherboard, hence the Arctic Silver being everywhere. As you can see it’s clear from touching the capacitors and bits and pieces around the socket but only barely, but Noctua says it has a high compatibility rate, in any case you’re not sure if it will fit your motherboard than you can take a look at their compatibility list over here.

The next step is to mount the fastening brackets. These, along with the back plate are different for the 775 as for AM2 sockets. But it comes down to the same principle. You bolt them down and you add a little bit of Arctic Silver, or the included thermal paste (which is really good too) onto the CPU and your ready to install the cooler.

The NH-C12P bolts down to the mounting bars attached to the back plate on the motherboard. They are spring loaded so you won’t be able to over tighten them. You can just fit a screwdriver between the heat pipe and the fins to firmly bolt on the screws and almost be done with the installation procedure.

Last but not least you will need to attach the fans with the two included clips. It’s a bit of a hassle to get them over the fan and under the sides of the cooler but it will only take a minute or two to get them both installed. Prior to installing the fan you will need to install two rubber strips that will prevent the fan from moving and for some possible vibration, but there’s none with this cooler.