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Noctua just announced that they will be providing an alternative mounting option free of charge for their NH-L9a low profile heatsink. The new option removes the use of the backplate to allow mounting on AMD motherboards that have components in the area on the rear side of the motherboard that is normally reserved for the backplate.
"The SecuFirm2™ mounting system of the NH-L9a complies strictly to AMD's specifications and guarantees 100% compatibility with mainboards that follow these specifications", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, CEO of Noctua. "We've been overwhelmed with the great press and customer feedback on this cooler, but unfortunately, some mini-ITX mainboards do not follow the AMD specifications, so the NH-L9a could not be installed on these. We have now designed an alternative mounting option and will provide the new parts to customers who need it free of charge."
The NH-L9a's original mounting system uses a traditional backplate that is compliant with AMD specifications to ensure perfect contact pressure and adding rigidity to the motherboard to prevent warping. However, motherboards such as the ASRock FM2A75M-ITX and FM2A85X-ITX do not use a stock backplate and have components on the backside where, according to AMD specifications, is reserved for a backplate. The new mounting system replaces the backplate with four separate spacers to allow installation of the CPU cooler to the motherboard.
Customers can obtain the new mounting parts from Notcua's customer service free of charge after providing proof-of-purchase, in the form of a scan, photo, or electronic copy of the invoice for both the heatsink and incompatible motherboard. The new NM-APS3 spacers will also be added to the new batches for NH-L9a coolers making it compatible with all AMD motherboards out of the box.
