Mugen on Rampage Formula

[LuciWiz]

Hello.

I have just bought a new system, the components of interest for my question being:

Cooler: Scythe Mugen
MB : ASUS Rampage Formula
Case : Antec Sonata III 500 EC

They are all great products, but their combination proved to be misfortunate.
Story:
The Antec does not have a detachable motherboard tray, so I decided to try to assemble the Scythe Mugen with the MB inside the case.
I battled with the beast, but the very high heat pipes around the socket prevented me from properly pushing in the pins. The affair ended with me bending the push-pins to the point they have become unusable. The cooler hurt me back in the process - bloody fingers, missing skin... the works.

So maybe I should try it outside the case and then squeeze the MB in somehow

Question:
I don't seem to find replacement push-pins anywhere, and to be honest the whole retention system is kind of crappy - at least when you try to install it in a very tight place. I would like to know if anyone has tried the "Scythe Universal retention system" with a similar setup; to my understanding, I should be able to mount it easier and not have to use the "Spacer".
The Mugen is huge, and it covers the retention system completely. So will I be able to screw it in without much room for maneuver? I plan to get an extra set of hands this time

This is of course assuming I will be able to get the kit from a retailer around here, since nobody seems to have it on stock...

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Lucian

[Shinigami]

Hello and welcome.

It sur eis a pain to mount Mugen and the ASUS Rampage Formula, they both have their limits and then there is not much space left. You definitely should remove the Mobo first, mount the Mugen, then put the whole thing into the Case. That is the very easiest way for this combination.

1. I can supply you with a new set of Push Pins clips but I would rather recommend Option 2 for your system
2. Get a Universal Retention Kit or the Thermalright Bolt Thru Kit, which ever you want to go for, yet I can not give you a strict advise for TR Bolt Thru Kit, as I did not test it on my own and it is "modding" of clips. Then use the supplied socket 478 clips for Mugen to mount it on the Universal Retention Kit. It is a very solid mounting and should save you some

Cheers,
Shinigami

[LuciWiz]

Thanks, Shinigami.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the Scythe kit in Romania at all - it wasn't even listed in the offers
The TR kit for 775 is not available at the moment, everyone is expecting some new shipment "any day now" (perhaps the ship sank ).

However, I was able to get the AM2 TR kit - I only used the springs from it. The guys who sold me the computer parts had a spare backplate for 775 from another brand, and I threw together a custom retention system.

Let me say the Mugen is awesome once installed! Just as I expected.

One little problem with the setup is when I use the fan in the push configuration the first DDR slot is not usable. I only have 2 RAM modules, so I just use the second channel, but this could pose problems for someone
using both channels - as in "it won't work".

The good news is I have plenty of space on the pull side, so I will be mounting a second fan as soon as the shops are open

Keep up the good work!

[Shinigami]

OK thanks for the update. Glad almost everything is fine and no real trouble.

[FeaR1986]

Sorry for hi-jacking this topic.
I didn't feel the need to open a new one, because I have the same motherboard and cooler (Mugen).

I only have the Mugen here at the moment, mobo is still in back-order but it will be here in a few weeks (hopefully).

I just wanted to know if it's smart to buy a "Bolt Thru Kit" instantly or first try mounting the Mugen on my Rampage without it.

I'm a bit worried to mount the Mugen without such a mounting kit. This because I've read some stories of people who had major problems with the Rampage with no mounting kit. But there are also many people who had absolute no problems mounting the Mugen on a Asus Rampage.

Many people say that you should buy such an Bolt Thru kit, because the backplate will devide the weight of the cooler over the whole motherboard. And the cooler should me more thightly against the processor so the temperature should be a bit lower.

I have a Lian Li PC-P80 (big tower with a height of 65cm) and a removable mobo-tray. Should that make mounting the Mugen easier?

What's your opinon:
Buy a Bolt Thru Kit or try it without one first...?

And LuciWiz:
Could you please take some pictures of your Mugen mounted on your Rampage.
Just so I can see how it will work out for me in a few weeks.

[LuciWiz]

I say you go for the Bolt Thru anyway. You can try to mount it with the standard push-pins, but if you succeed, you won't trust the setup once you see the size of the beast hanging from your MB.

Originally Posted by FeaR1986

I have a Lian Li PC-P80 (big tower with a height of 65cm) and a removable mobo-tray. Should that make mounting the Mugen easier?

I ended up performing the install with the mobo on the table, so the case won't make a difference.

I will try to take a picture at the start of next week (when I am back).

[Oli]

Thermalright Bolt Thru with Mugen is a bit tricky in installation as you cannot easily reach the screws as Mugen doesn't have slots where you could work with a srewdriver. With Ninja no problem - you just need a long screwdriver and can work from above. For Mugen you'll need an appropriate to the reach and tighten the screws.

Pushpins should always work 'cause their bracket is designed very slick compared to the socket 478 bracket you'd use with the Scythe Retention Kit. The problem with pushpins can be that you cant get your fingers between your board's components and you can't use enough pressure to push the pins.

So I'd prefer Scythe Ret Kit for reliable mounting for Mugen and TR 775 Kit for Ninja as this is for more compatible cause it doesn't use rails as the Scythe Kit does.


Bye Oli