AMD Ryzen 5 Stock Cooler Screws.

muzzxr · January 28, 2022

I've just gotten and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 that I ordered online. Of course after I received it i observed the contents. After looking at the stock cooler that comes with it I realised that one of the screws wasn't attached and the spacer type of thing meant to hold it in place was bent a little. I tried to place it back on but the spring is quite stubborn. If i was to go and install this cooler would it still be possible for it to work properly with no problems. Or will I need a replacement.

Real_NC · January 28, 2022

First things first: Never power your PC on when a cooler is not properly mounted. With only three screws, the cooler will not have enough mounting pressure on that side, and it might not make contact with the heat spreader at all.

It can be pretty hard to get those screws in under normal circumstances. If you can't fix it, though, definitely don't force it on the motherboard. Any $20-$30 cooler will be enough for your CPU, and it's a lot cheaper than potentially damaging your motherboard.