Maximum PC

I have a wonderful Coolermaster Hyper 6 all copper HSF with 6 heat pipes. With a decent pair of quiet 92mm fans (adapted to the 80mm fan mounts), this thing still has some major cooling power that I know is far better (and quieter) than any of the retail heatsinks that come with any current CPU / APU. But it only fits AMD K8 (socket 754 / 939 / 940) and Intel P4 (socket 478).

Anyone know of a company that makes retention bracket adapters for modern motherboard sockets? The simplest solution for example would be a bracket that would fit in my case an FM1 bracket retention hole position but has the clip points for a socket 940 cooler? Just swap out your new motherboard's retention bracket for an adapting bracket & use your old cooler.

Would sure beat selling the Hyper 6 for scrap which currently would be about $5.00 for $8 worth of copper, (yea, a lot of scrap yards rip you off that badly), then spending another $20, $30, $40 or more for a decent new cooler.

It depends if the manufacturer was kind enough to sell such an adapter. There isn't a "universal" solution because everyone makes their heatsink mounting schems different.

Any HSF that clips to the motherboard retention brackets (which I believe is most of them) would have a universal solution if someone would just make the adapters.

I know it's a shot in the dark, but even those sometimes hit their target

I should clarify. In order for their product to be as compatible as possible, they have two retention systems. One to fit into the socket's specified retention system, the other to fit that retention system onto the HSF itself. Hence, Cooler Master would have to make an adapter to fit however the Hyper 6 to its current compatible sockets with newer socket retention systems.

Unless this is what you were getting at.

Actually, you're trying to make it harder than it is. You simply take the current HSF retention brackets off your motherboard, and install the appropriate adaptor bracket onto your motherboard. So in my case, I have a Cooler Master Hyper 6 that is fitted for the Socket 940 motherboards. If I wanted to use the HSF on a FM1 board, then I would buy a pair of retention 940 to FM1 retention brackets - the plastic pieces that are on your motherboard screwed into the backing plate... - install them & then attach the HSF just as you would with a standard 940 board.

This is only part of the process for the Hyper 6 since it doesn't use a standard socket 940 retention bracket, but rather it's own bracket, but I could quickly & easily modify said adapter to work with the Hyper 6 retention bracket.... actually, I think I've figured out how to adapt it to the FM1 board anyway.

BTW... the question was not about MY old Hyper 6, but rather all old CPU heat sinks that aren't being utilized because they don't fit new socket retention brackets. The Hyper 6 is just something I had laying around & was easy to use as an example.

Specifically, the question is, "is there a manufacturer that makes motherboard retention bracket adapters"

Or I described it in a manner that made it sound like more work than it is.

So let's take my cooler, a XIGMATEK 1283. It board mount are two trapezoidal looking brackets. The ends mount to the motherboard, the middle mounts to the HSF. The holes at the end of the brackets are long enough to accommodate the sockets it supports. Except that you couldn't take those same brackets and put them on say a Zalman or a Thermaltake something. In fact, the last time I bought a XIGMATEK cooler, I bought brackets for the wrong model, and it wouldn't fit.

And this is what I mean. So if CoolerMaster doesn't have said brackets, then you're probably out of luck unless someone out there made it. Which you could spend a few minutes on the web looking for.

You're thinking about adapting the HSF to the motherboard, I'm talking about adapting the Motherboard Retention Brackets to work with your existing HSF... IF that HSF mounts to any standard motherboard retention bracket.

Your Xigmatek 1283 when used on an AM2 AMD motherboard mounts directly to the original AM2 motherboard retention brackets. Meaning, you can take your Xigmatek 1283 and any retail AM2 motherboard & with the Xigmatek AM2 kit on the Heat Sink mount it to that AM2 motherboard without doing anything to the motherboard. It simply clips to the retention brackets as AMD intended. Meaning that if you had the hardware necessary to mount your Xigmatek 1283 to an AM2 socket, all you would need to mount it to say an FM1 motherboard would be an FM1 to AM2 Retention Bracket Adapter. Likewise, if you wanted to use that Xigmatek 1283 on an LGA1155 motherboard & you only had the Heatsink hardware for an AM2 socket, then you could get LGA1155 to AM2 retention bracket adapters.

Now in a case where you originally had to change out the stock motherboard retention bracket, then yes there would be a more involved process, and you would need additional hardware from your HSF manufacturer.

BTW, I've been searching since I first put my Llano APU into FAH production several weeks ago, but I know that not everything is on the internet...

Its depend on your product manufacturer, but base in my experienced I have tried to use my old cooler to the new one I dont have any problem with it