I cannot fit my CPU fan (NH-L9i) into my motherboard (MSI B560I), what's going wrong?

[Snallygaster]

I'm working on a new build with the following relevant components:

MSI B560I mini-ITX motherboard

Intel i5 11400

Noctua NH-L9i

 

I installed the processor without issue. For several days I have been trying to mount the cooler to the motherboard without success. I can screw in three of the screws, but the fourth one will not bite into the radiator mount. I can make it bite by tilting it at an angle, but it only goes in about an eighth of a turn. I turn each of the only screws about a quarter turn, just enough for them to hang on but still leave flexibility to get the best possible fit.

The instructions do not mention any particular orientation being necessary, nor do most videos demoing the install. This video does say that the bracket is not square and can only be installed one way. I have tried all four possible orientation and they all present the same problem.

 

After careful inspection, it appears that two opposite corners of the mounting bracket are too far apart. Or possibly the motherboard screw holes are too close together. If the upper right screw will not go in, I can take the lower left screw out, then the upper right goes in easily, but the lower left will not go back in. If I rotate the radiator, the problem corner travels with it. The problem screw(s) occur at the same location relative to the radiator, but differently relative to the motherboard.

Here are three photos of my attempt to attach the radiator with the fan cable in the top right corner. (I realize the fan can be moved, but it's a good way of keeping track of the orientation if you do not move the fan)

You can see the screw in the lower left corner is not aligned.

Here is a side profile showing the same screw on the left

 

Here is a top view without the screw, the hole seems clearly off by a couple millimeters.

 

If I rotate the fan assembly so that the cable is at the bottom right, you can see the problem screw moves with it.

Now the bottom right screw is misaligned.

 

Side view

 

And lastly the top view, showing the holes

 

At this point, I see four possibilities.

1) The NH-L9i is not compatible with this motherboard or processor without an adapter kit.

Noctua's site appears to list both the processor and the motherboard as compatible. Perhaps I have misunderstood something? Or maybe the site is wrong.

2) I am being silly.

Maybe I have missed something simple. Maybe I am not screwing the screws in correctly. Maybe the last screw not being aligned is not a problem and I should just force it in. Or any number of other possible silly mistakes.

3) The NH-L9i has a manufacturing defect.

Perhaps the brackets are actually a few millimeters too far apart, more than they should have been. If I could rule out the other two possibilities, I should probably contact Noctua for a replacement. What would I need to send them to prove that a defect is present?

4) The MSI B560I has a manufacturing defect.

Perhaps screw holes in the motherboard are misaligned. This seems less likely than (3) based on my testing, but I may not be reasoning properly. In this case, I'm not sure who I should contact for a replacement. I purchased the motherboard from Micro Center. I don't live near a Micro Center, but I had a separate travel destination that brought me near to one temporarily, so I picked it up there. I could try contacting MSI directly, but I'm not sure how far I would get. And lastly, what would they need from me to prove that the board is defective?

 

The purpose of this post is to check if (1) or (2) is true and fix the problem. Or, if those are ruled out, determining who I should contact for a replacement and how to do that.

 

Thank you!

[BiotechBen]

Manufacturing tolerances are always a nightmare. Start each one just enough for it to catch in a criss cross pattern, and then go in a criss cross pattern 1/4 turn until that are all down

[Snallygaster]

58 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

Manufacturing tolerances are always a nightmare. Start each one just enough for it to catch in a criss cross pattern, and then go in a criss cross pattern 1/4 turn until that are all down

If I start with the problem corner and go to the opposite corner, the same problem shows up. The other two screws do not change the behavior. I should have mentioned that in the OP.

[BiotechBen]

1 hour ago, Snallygaster said:

If I start with the problem corner and go to the opposite corner, the same problem shows up. The other two screws do not change the behavior. I should have mentioned that in the OP.

Supposedly, the LGA 1200 coolers are a direct 1:1 with 115x coolers.

 

I know that it is going to sound stupid, but have you tried rotating it 90°? If it's ever so slightly not a square, it may be that it's just off by a tiny tiny bit rotated 90° out of proper orientation.

[Snallygaster]

17 hours ago, BiotechBen said:

Supposedly, the LGA 1200 coolers are a direct 1:1 with 115x coolers.

 

I know that it is going to sound stupid, but have you tried rotating it 90°? If it's ever so slightly not a square, it may be that it's just off by a tiny tiny bit rotated 90° out of proper orientation.

The pictures I posted show my first orientation as well as rotated 90°. That may not have been entirely clear based on my description, it's in one line of text between all the photos.

I have tried all four possible rotations, the problem screw travels with the fan rotation. I didn't include pictures of all four because I figured that wouldn't be helpful.

[BiotechBen]

1 hour ago, Snallygaster said:

The pictures I posted show my first orientation as well as rotated 90°. That may not have been entirely clear based on my description, it's in one line of text between all the photos.

I have tried all four possible rotations, the problem screw travels with the fan rotation. I didn't include pictures of all four because I figured that wouldn't be helpful.

And there aren't any little slide-y things for the mount?

[Snallygaster]

1 hour ago, BiotechBen said:

And there aren't any little slide-y things for the mount?

What do you mean by slide-y things? I don't think anything extra came with the fan.

The radiator mounts are easily removable, so I could in theory put something different on, but I don't see anything extra in the package.

(Thanks for all the help, by the way)

[-rascal-]

Did you buy this Noctua cooler new, or was it used?

I'm suspecting defect mounting bracket that bolts onto the heatsink itself.

[Snallygaster]

19 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

Did you buy this Noctua cooler new, or was it used?

I'm suspecting defect mounting bracket that bolts onto the heatsink itself.

I bought it new, also from Micro Center.

That's also what I am suspecting. I wonder if it would be possible for Noctua to just send me a new bracket, or maybe I can pick one up for cheap somewhere?

[BiotechBen]

3 hours ago, Snallygaster said:

I bought it new, also from Micro Center.

That's also what I am suspecting. I wonder if it would be possible for Noctua to just send me a new bracket, or maybe I can pick one up for cheap somewhere?

I'd contact Noctua at this point. This looks like a manufacturing defect. Have you checked if the mount has anything written on it?

[-rascal-]

6 hours ago, Snallygaster said:

I bought it new, also from Micro Center.

That's also what I am suspecting. I wonder if it would be possible for Noctua to just send me a new bracket, or maybe I can pick one up for cheap somewhere?

 

Yes, contact their customer support, and they should mail you new brackets for free.

My friend reached out to them for new brackets for socket AM4, and they shipped it to him for free.

[Snallygaster]

I contacted Noctua support and they sent me new brackets. After replacing them, all the screws went in effortlessly. Very happy with this outcome. Thanks to everyone who participated!