Need P4 retention mechanism
 

I found out 1 more reason why never to buy an OEM PC. My Gateway P4 Intel 850 MB based system came with an aluminum heatsink and a 6cm fan. I purchased a 2.6GHZ CPU to speed things up a bit, installed the processor, spent 2 hours lapping the stock Intel copper/aluminum HS up to 2000 grit- guess what? The heatsink would not fit the retention bracket! After measuring:
Gateway heatsink base 2 1/2" w x 3 1/2"l
Intel heatsink base 2 11/16"w x 3 1/4"l
AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!
I have been searching for a week and cannot find anyone who sells retention mechanisms by themselves. I seem to recall a forum thread about a supplier, but cannot find it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Fry's electronics has them in their stores for both P4 and AMD.

I've got the same problem. I broke a retention bracket and that Gateway socket is slightly more narrow. What part number did you order from Fry's?

PA-RK478/P4 Universal P4 retention bracket. The bracket is metal, opposed to the plastic Intel OEM. The screws supplied with the bracket were too short, and the existing screws Gateway installed were a little longer than I felt comfortable using as I did not remove the MOBO from the case to see how much clearance existed between the rear of the board and and the case. I ended up using the Gateway screws and added some small washers that did not raise the tops of the screws up to where they would interfere with the HS. The kit comes with a thin clear plastic sheet which I assume is to keep the metal retention bracket from directly touching the board, so I installed it. No problems, seems to work OK.

I bought an xp-90 for my processor and needed a retention mechanism. I was directed toward this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...708567098&rd=1

It is sturdier than the stock bracket and also screws into a backplate for better support. The guy ships really quick. I'm sure he has a bunch more up for sale too. Hope this helps.