Wccftech claims LGA1200 coolers might be problematic with Alder Lake CPUs
A photo released by Wccftech shows that non-LGA1700 coolers may unevenly distribute thermal paste over Intel upcoming CPUs.
Intel LGA1700 CPUs will have a different Z-hight compared to LGA1200 CPUs. Apparently, a difference of just 1 mm may cause problems with pressure applied to the next-gen processors, but only if the LGA1200 cooler is used with a special mounting bracket.
MSI K360/S360 vs Corsair and CoolerMaster LGA1200 coolers, Source: Wccftech
Wccftech claims to have received a photo showing three AIO cooling kits from MSI, Corsair, and CoolerMaster. The MSI K360 and S360 are among the first AIO coolers to feature LGA1700 support out of the box, whereas Corsair H115 and CoolerMaster ML series will require mounting kits. It is worth noting that the photo has more than likely been provided by MSI.
Our sources have provided us with a few pictures of how some older AIO coolers stack up with new designs. You can see that Corsair’s H115 and Cooler Master’s ML series designs don’t spread the thermal paste evenly across the cold plate with the new LGA 1700 mounting kits. This may result in inferior performance versus newer designs that will offer the best support for Intel’s 12th Gen CPU lineup.
— Wccftech
Should this claim turn out to be true, then a large number of LGA1200 AIO coolers could cause problems with Alder Lake CPUs, but possibly only in some circumstances. This should affect some AIO coolers that shipped without LGA1700 support but can now be modified to support new CPUs through the available mounting kit. It is up to cooler manufacturers to ensure that the mounting kit provides the necessary support and applies proper pressure between the cold plate and the processor. If the installation is problematic and requires more attention from the user, then this fact should be noted in the manual accordingly.
Hopefully, reviewers will be taking a closer look at the issue reported by Wccftech and provide a simple answer whether it’s worth buying a new cooler or rather sticking to existing LGA1200 coolers.
A difference between LGA1700 and LGA1200 socket height, Source: Igor’sLAB
Source: Wccftech
