Installation Tips

You can find all the details regarding cooler installation on all contemporary platforms in the user’s manual that comes with it, however, there is still a lot we can tell you in this part of our review. First of all, we would like to say that Thermaltake DuOrb doesn’t fit on Socket 754/939/940 mainboards. Looks like Thermaltake considers this socket type to be outdated already, so there is no retention for it among the bundled accessories. To install the cooler onto the remaining two types of sockets – LGA 775 and AM2 – you will have to remove the mainboard from the system case first, because you will have to fasten some retention parts with screws going through the mainboard PCB:

You don’t need to use any backplate for LGA 775 mainboards, but fasten the retentions with included padded screw nuts on the other side of the mainboard PCB. By the way, there are only four pads in the kit, and the manual suggests that you use them only on the reverse side of the PCB. In this case, we wonder why they didn’t include any pads for the front side of the PCB, as the metal retentions lie right onto the textolite and may damage the contacts. However, it is certainly not a big issue, because even a non-overclocker can find a spare set of four washers or pads to go beneath the retention brackets.

And then everything is very simple: spread the thermal compound onto the CPU heat-spreader, install the cooler on top, insert the press-bracket into its base and fasten it with two spring-screws on both sides:

For Socket AM2 mainboards the installation procedure is exactly the same, although you will have to use different brackets and a backplate.

Now I have to say a few words about compatibility. First of all, when the cooler is installed, one of its heatsinks hangs over the memory modules. Since only standard memory modules can fit beneath the DuOrb heatsink, you will have to give up any DIMMs with tall heat-spreaders for good:

Despite the heatsink above, you will still be able to freely install and remove the memory DIMMs, because there is just enough free room above them. Secondly, the new cooler can be installed only one way, as shown on the photo below:

If you try to turn it the other way (by 180 degrees), its left side will hit against the case rear panel or a fan hanging there, so that the mainboard with the installed cooler will not fit into the system case. If you turn the cooler by 90 degrees, you will no longer have any access to the top PCI Express slot on one side and have the cooler heatsink hit against the system power supply on the other. So, if you are using a stand alone graphics card, you don’t really have much choice.

The LED highlighting works perfectly fine, but I don’t know if overclockers will like it. In my subjective opinion, one-color highlighting looks better…

Besides, you cannot disable the highlighting, although it is hardly a drawback, maybe just a petty objection :)