Corsair blog

Our Hydro Series™ high-performance liquid CPU coolers offer compatibility with a wide variety of both Intel and AMD platforms. The AMD AM2 and AMD AM3/AM3+ platforms both use the same mounting mechanism. Here's a pictoral guide for mounting these coolers onto AMD AM2 and AMD AM3/AM3+ based motherboards to supplement the instructions included with the units. Pictured here is everything you will need to mount your cooler to your AMD AM2 or AMD AM3/AM3+ motherboard including a screwdriver, a mug of coffee, and an assistant.

The entire procedure detailed below can be done before or after the radiator is mounted. Also, this procedure can be performed with the motherboard mounted inside the case or outside the case prior to mounting the motherboard according to individual preference.

The brackets, knurled nuts, and retention hooks pictured below will replace the Intel brackets on the pump assembly. This mounting method utilizes the stock AMD retention bracket so you will not need to remove it from your motherboard.

The coolers come preassembled with the brackets needed to mount to an Intel motherboard mounted on the pump assembly. Remove the 4 screws holding the brackets as circled in red below. There are 2 screws on each side of the pump assembly. Then, remove the 2 Intel mounting brackets.

Slide the AMD brackets into the slots on the pump as shown below and mount them using the 4 screws you just removed.

Once all 4 screws are secured, you are ready to mount your pump assembly onto the motherboard.

Attach the retention hooks to the AMD brackets using the knurled nuts as shown below. As noted, the retention hooks mount over the tabs on the existing AMD retention bracket. Attach these hooks to the tabs as indicated by the red arrows. Be sure to remove the clear plastic guard from the pump assembly before seating the pump assembly onto the CPU. Then, sit the pump assembly smoothly and firmly onto the center of the CPU to avoid smearing or deforming the grey thermal interface material, or TIM.

Once the pump assembly is properly positioned and the retention hooks are attached to the motherboard retention tabs, hold the pump assembly firmly in place while tightening the knurled nuts to secure the retention hooks. Moderate finger tightening is sufficient and excessive tightening is not necessary. Your pump assembly is now mounted.

The radiator mounting methods are not reliant on the platform and will vary from PC case to PC case and across various configurations. Please refer to your PC case documentation and the Hydro Series CPU High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler documentation for additional information on radiator mounting. You may also find more information in the Corsair forum in the Cooling section and on the Hydro Series product pages.