AMD's AM4 socket will not be compatible with old CPU coolers

AMD's AM4 socket will not be compatible with old CPU coolers

| Source: OC3D Author: Mark Campbell

AMD's AM4 socket will not be compatible with old CPU coolers

It looks like old AM3+ compatible CPU coolers will not fit on AMD's upcoming AM4 CPU socket, making it difficult to use older CPU coolers on the new platform.

Ever since AMD's AM4 CPU socket was announced there has been a huge debate over whether or not this new platform will support existing AMD-compatible CPU coolers, using AMD AM2 compatible mounting solutions or newer. AMD has used the same cooler mounting solution since their AM2 socket, which dates back to 2006, leaving many to assume that things would remain unchanged with AM4.

Since then we have heard many reports regarding AMD's AM4 socket, though it now seems that AMD's AM4 socket will indeed be using a new mounting solution, with the new socket using a 90mm x 54mm mounting solution instead of AMD's traditional AM3+ 96mm x 48mm mounting solution.

CPU Socket Length Height AM2/3/3+ FM2/2+ 96mm 48mm AM4 90mm 54mm

Noctua has already confirmed that their existing CPU coolers will be AM4 compatible, with plans to ship a free AM4 mounting kit to everyone who uses a Noctua CPU cooler that is under 10-years-old, with the exception of their D0 series and their NH-L9i series.

This report from Noctua alone did not confirm that AMD was using a new mounting solution, but later images appeared of the CPU socket and now pictures of AMD's AM4 mounting plate have surfaced, confirming that the new socket will indeed use different mounting holes.

Below we have pictured two Alphacool Eisbaer/Be Quiet Silent Loop mounting brackets, with the older AMD AM3/FM2 mounting bracket on the left and the new AM4 water cooling bracket in the right. We can see that the new AM4 version has support for a different CPU mounting config as well as AMD's older AM3/FM2 sockets, confirming the previous rumours that AMD's AM4 socket would use a 90mm x 54mm mounting configuration.



(AM3+/FM2+ compatible Cooler (Left), AM4 Compatible Cooler (Right))

Right now we do not know why AMD has decided to change their cooler mounting configuration with their new AM4 socket, though it does mean that AM4 users will either need to purchase new CPU coolers or upgrade or modify the mounting systems for their existing motherboards.

Given current evidence, it seems clear that AMD's AM4 socket will require new CPU cooler designs or upgrades to existing mounting solutions, which means that 2017 will be a busy time for all CPU cooler manufacturers.

You can join the discussion on AMD's AM4 socket on the OC3D Forums.

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