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Mounting Socket 462 Heatsinks Onto Socket 939 Motherboards
I had just recently upgraded from a Socket 462 system to a Socket 939 system. As usual, I intended to overclock the new Socket 939 system. So, I need a good replacement for the stock CPU cooler.
At first, I considered buying a new Socket 939 heatsink. Then I remembered I had a few Socket 462 heatsinks lying around, unused. Naturally, it occured to me that I could reuse one of those heatsinks on my new Socket 939 mainboard with just some slight modifications.
For those who are curious, here are my system's specifications. Nothing to scream about but it's all mine. 
| Processor | AMD Opteron 144 |
| Motherboard | ASUS A8R-MVP |
| Memory | Two 512MB Mushkin PC3200 LII V2 (2-2-2) |
| Graphics Card | GeCube ATI Radeon X1800XL |
After mulling over the selection I had, I finally decided that the Thermalright SI-97 heatsink was the most suitable candidate. (Again?! 
)
Thermalright actually modified the SI-97 slightly to make it compatible with Socket 939 motherboards. The result was a new Socket 939-compatible model called SI-97A.
It makes a lot of sense that modding the SI-97, which ordinarily could only be used with Socket 462 motherboards, to work on Socket 939 motherboards would not only be possible but would also be pretty easy. Maybe I wouldn't even have to actually mod the heatsink itself..... 
After messing around with my new ASUS A8R-MVP Socket 939 motherboard and the SI-97, I discovered that I was right. There was no need to mod the Thermalright SI-97 at all to fit a Socket 939 motherboard! All I needed were the stock cooler's retention clip and the SI-97 itself! 
Now, I will show you how to you can mount the Thermalright SI-97 onto a Socket 939 motherboard using just the stock cooler's retention clip. The same method should apply to any other Socket 462 heatsinks, with the following restrictions :
- The heatsink base must not be so big that it would interfere with the Socket 939's mounting bracket.
- The heatsink base must not be so thick that the stock cooler's retention clip won't fit over it.
If those two limitations are met, then you should have no problem adapting your Socket 462 heatsink to any Socket 939 motherboard.
Please note that though I had opportunity to try this "mod" out, my success with the ASUS A8R-MVP motherboard does not mean that you will have similar success with your Socket 939 motherboard. But don't let that stop you from trying!
