Problems mounting Storm block

[JWFokker]

I don't know if anyone else has something similar to this particular setup, but on my new DFI Lanparty nforce3 board with a 3100+ Sempron (754), the bolts that come with the block are not long enough to reach the mounting holes. The block sits on the CPU and the 1.5" bolts are about 1/8" away from the bracket holes. Am I missing something?

[Cathar]

It's a known issue. I had sized the bolts to be long enough to fit with the AMD reference mounting back-plate design, not realising that various motherboard manufacturers were supplying mounting back-plates that did not follow the reference mounting back-plate design. The AMD reference back-plate design is meant to have bolt "wells" that poke up 8mm (5/16") up from the surface of the board, which would normally give about 5mm of thread for the supplied bolts to bite into.

Presently you have two options:

1) Email me, and I will mail you some 6-32 x 2" long bolts (free), along with some washers. Put 5-6 washers on each bolt, and screw the longer bolts through the black mounting bracket and into the DFI mounting back-plate. The washers are needed because the 2" long bolts are now "too long" and can hit the ATX case back-plate behind the motherboard.

2) Go to home depot and pick up some 6-32 x 2" long bolts, and use the washers from 4-bolt mounting kit to stand the bolts off enough and bolt them through the black mounting bracket and into the DFI back-plate.

[JWFokker]

I'll head to Home Depot then. I wanted to make sure it was a legitimate issue, not just my inability to follow simple directions. Problem solved then.

[BillA]

an alternate (and better to my mind) is to use a steel backing plate per the AMD specs

Cathar, the plastic plates are quite flexible - you sure on this ?

[Cathar]

Originally Posted by unregistered

an alternate (and better to my mind) is to use a steel backing plate per the AMD specs

Cathar, the plastic plates are quite flexible - you sure on this ?

I agree on the proper AMD back-plate. Much better solution.

Plastic plates Bill? Are we talking about the DFI backing plate? I am (obviously) not familiar with all the different variants that mobo makers are shipping, seemingly to cut $0.20-0.50c on costs here and there to the detriment of the correctly engineered reference standard that AMD set out.

[BillA]

nor am I even slightly comfortable thinking of all the ways to cut a nickle
don't recall where we got the molded 'plate' with threaded inserts - but it got our backs up
2 attachment points and high loads don't mix w/o a steel plate - for our stuff at least
- and @60lbf the steel plate bends too

suggest prudence

[JWFokker]

Impatience got the better of me and I adapted some of the P4 bolts for use with the AMD mounting holes. I took off the rear plate and put a washer between the bolt head and the board and another on the other side, then secured it with a nut. The block slid right on and I used a couple more washers, the springs and wing nuts to put pressure down on the block. The bolts are attached to the motherboard tight enough that they don't move a bit. Sure I might be exerting a bit of pressure on the chip itself, without a proper backplate, but I can live without it for the time being. 42C load on my Sempron 3100+ @ 2.0ghz is looking pretty good right now. I hope to hit 2.6ghz but my RAM might hold me back.

[SysCrusher]

How about drill the holes in the motherboard tray and thread them. Then use the motherboard stand offs. Screw the bolts into that.