Installing CPU cooler for LGA1700 on Asus Prime Z790-P board using LGA1200 holes

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I’m planning to build a new PC with an Intel Raptor Lake CPU, likely a 13600KF CPU or maybe a 13700KF CPU, using an Asus Prime Z790-P motherboard.

Since I’m no fan of liquid AIO coolers, I plan to install a regular air cooler and among the available options I’m inclined to pick a “CoolerMaster Master Air MA612 Stealth”. According to CoolerMaster’s specs, this cooler is compatible with the LGA1700 socket, but it is not at all clear if the cooler is sold with an LGA1700 mounting-kit included or whether I should get one separately.

Now, the Asus Prime Z790-P comes with mounting holes compatible with both LGA1700 and LGA1200, so if the MA612 does not include an LGA1700 mounting kit, then I could install the cooler on the motherboard using the LGA1200 holes and corresponding mounting kit.

The question is whether installing the cooler using the LGA1200 holes and kit is a valid option or whether this is a sure way to trouble, i.e. poor CPU cooling performance. According to some sources, this type of installation may lead to a reduced contact between the CPU and cooler (hence reduced cooling performance), others report noticing no difference between installing their cooler using the LGA1200 holes and then switching to the LGA1700 holes.

Does anyone here have experience installing an LGA1700 cooler using the LGA1200 holes on the motherboard and can vouch for or against this?

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The manual shows that for the different Intel sockets, it uses a different position for the screws that secure its mounting bracket.

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Berserker79

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Thanks for your reply SB9K. I was unable to find the cooler’s manual online or at least the version of the manual that ships with the cooler following its LGA1700 compatibility. Based on the picture, it looks like I will not need to buy a separate LGA1700 mounting-kit nor need to use the LGA1200 holes on the motherboard, since the mounting bracket that ships with the MA612 has the necessary LGA1700 holes for installing it using the corresponding holes on the motherboard.

I’m still curious to hear if anyone here had any experience installing an LGA1700 cooler using the LGA1200 holes on the Asus motherboard and can vouch for or against this type of installation of the cooler.

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Ok, posting some additional info I managed to find/obtained while researching on this topic in case anyone else might find it useful.

Apparently, one can use the LGA1200 holes on the Asus Prime Z790-P board to install a LGA1700-compatible cooler, but it is not really recommended because the pressure on the CPU’s integrated heat spreader (IHS) has ideal ranges and changing the screw hole location (i.e. using LGA1200 holes instead of the LGA1700 holes) will change the pressure application with possible negative effects on cooling performance.

Also, I found out that the ColerMaster Master Air MA612 Stealth is rated for a TDP of 150W, but the 13600KF CPU has a maximum TDP of 181W and the 13700KF of 253W, meaning that the MA612 would not be enough to properly cool either of the above CPUs. In other words, a bigger air cooler (or a liquid cooler) are needed to keep these CPUs “fresh and sound”.

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SB9K

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I’m no fan of liquid AIO coolers

Sounds like you’ve had a bad experience in the past.

While my custom desktop (2017) with an Asus TUF series board and liquid cooling has been trouble free, I’d be interested to understand more about why you dislike liquid cooling.  It might save me a misstep when I build my next desktop.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Hey TechTango,

I did have a not-so-good experience with an AIO liquid cooler several years back when the tubing began to show signs of deterioration and I replaced the whole thing (with an air cooler) in order to prevent leakage and the obvious consequences in case the tubes deteriorated further. It left me with a bad taste because of course that happened shortly after expiry of the warranty.

Guess we could say the above is the main reason why I would like to stick with an air cooler, i.e. they seem to be more durable than AIO liquid coolers. Still, my above experience could simply be a case of bad luck or maybe quality back then was not the best and new AIO liquid coolers are instead more durable and better manufactured nowadays.

Since the CPU I plan to install in my next desktop generates quite some heat, this might be my chance to try one of the newer AIO liquid coolers (assuming I can find one which is not overflowing with RGB/leds). Otherwise, it seems that the alternative would be to pick one of those extremely bulky air coolers from e.g. Noctua or be quiet!, but that means budgeting a case large enough to fit those coolers.

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TechTango

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Good clear info, thanks.  I’m in my Coolermaster case fairly often so I’ll keep my eye out for tubing deterioration.

13600KF CPU or maybe a 13700KF CPU, using an Asus Prime Z790-P motherboard.

Nice match up.  If I were building, I’d be leaning the same way.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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You are welcome, glad this was useful for you too.

Regarding the CPU/motherboard:

• I’m more inclined to pick the 13600KF CPU, since based on my needs/intended use it has a better performance/price ratio than the 13700KF;
• An alternative to the Asus Prime Z790-P that I’m considering is the MSI PRO Z790-P. Both boards are in the same price range and have similar features. The main difference in terms of hardware is that the MSI board has an Intel LAN chip, while the Asus board has one from Realtek. My current build is based on a MSI motherboard and I have nothing to complain about it, so I’d be happy to pick the MSI board if the one from Asus turns out to be unavailable.

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TechTango

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