It’s worth fitting a waterblock to your
motherboard, as well as your CPU. Antony Leather shows you how it’s done.
Your motherboard can benefit just as much
from a little H2O as your CPU and graphics card. Your motherboard’s
chipset and VRMs can become incredibly how, especially if your system is
overclocked, yet few people think about providing extra cooling here. Adding
your motherboard to your water-cooling loop will result in lots of waste heat
being moved directly to your radiator to be expelled from the case.
Your PC will then be able to deal with the
heat it produces quickly and efficiently, and you’ll almost certainly prolong
its lifespan and increase your overclocking headroom too. Fitting waterblocks
on your motherboard isn’t quite as easy as installing a CPU waterblock, but
this guide will show you how to do it step by step
Step 1
Find the right
waterblocks
You may have to fit several waterblocks to
your chipset and VRMs, but most third-party waterblock manufacturers make
full-cover waterblocks manufacturers make full-cover waterblocks that wind
around the PCB of Asus and Gigabyte motherboards, cooling many areas at the
same time. EK Waterblocks also has a fantastic online tool
(www.coolingconfigurator.com) that tells you which ones will fit your
motherboard.
Step 2
Plan ahead
The only downside to water-cooling your
motherboard is that it can be expensive. If you have a single-piece heatsink
with integrated heatpipes, like ours, you’ll have to remove the entire thing,
and water-cool all the chipsets and VRMs. Thanksfully, many motherboards have
separate heatsinks, in which case you can just water-cool the hottest-running
components to save money, or add further blocks later.
Step 3
Unfasten the
heatsink
Most motherboard heatsinks are held in
place by many screws or pronged pins, so identify these on the rear of the
board. If the heatsink is held in place by pins, like ours, these can be
removed by pinching the prongs and pulling the pin from the other side of the
PCB. Be careful to only remove the pins that secure the heatsink you’re
replacing; loosening those on a separate heatsink could cause it to overheat.
Step 4
Apply making tape
If your heatsink is held on by crews or the
pins are too stiff to remove by hand, use a screwdriver (or pliers to deal with
stiff pins). Apply masking tape to the surrounding area, as this prevents you
from scratching the PCB if you slip, which can have dire consequences for your
motherboard. Leave this tape in place, as it will serve you well when
installing the waterblock.
Step 5
Remove the
heatsink
With all the pins or screws removed, the
heatsink should be easy to remove. If not, check to see if there any remaining
screws; if all is clear then some thermal, paste is probably holding the
heatsink in place. Use a hairdryer to heat the heatsink for a few minutes,
moving the airflow along the length of the heatsink. This will heat the thermal
paste and should enable you to remove the heatsink.
Step 6
Clean the contact areas
Remove any thermal paste between the
chipset and heatsink, using TIM cleaner sparingly, and taking care not to get
any on the board. Now check the instructions for you waterblocks; most include
thermal pads but some require thermal paste, in which case you should use a
non-conductive paste such as Arctic MX-2; you risk short-circuiting your board
if conductive paste gets onto it.
Step 7
Test fit
Test fit the waterblock gently, without
forcing it down, so that you can make sure it fits properly, doesn’t have
defects and that it’s not going to cause short circuits. Inspect the block and
any components near it on the board to make sure nothing is touching it that
shouldn’t be. The waterblock and hardware will have probably been tested
together by the manufacturer beforehand, but it doesn’t hurt to be sure.
Step 8
Install fittings
In most cases, it will be easier and less
hazardous to install your tube fittings before installing the waterblock.
Installing the fittings can require a fair amount of force, so it isn’t ideal
to do this when the block is attached to the motherboard. Go ahead and install
the fittings to the block.
Step 9
Apply the thermal
pads
The vast majority of motherboard blocks
will include thermal pads, which bridge any gaps between the waterblock’s
contact plate and the components on the motherboard. They also serve to provide
a non-conductive layer between the metal contact plate and your motherboard to
prevent short circuits. Apply these just before installing the waterblocks, as
it’s easy to damage them.
Step 10
Install
the waterblock
Fit the block and then turn over the
motherboard so that you can screw it in place. Only insert the screws loosely
at first – once they’re all in place, proceed to tighten them up with a
moderate amount of pressure, inspecting the motherboard for warping and other
issues as you proceed. All that’s left to do now is leak-test the block and
fittings, and you can look forward to a cooler – running PC.
