Custom cooler mount

[Woof]

"What material should I get it done with?"

I used bead-blasted anodised aluminium 7075 for the large cooler mount, then stainless steel 304 for the mounting posts and spring retention parts.

For the aluminium part the instructions were: "Tolerances should be ISO 2768 fine. Threads are required and are marked on the drawing (take note of the 3.5x0.9mm counterbore in the M3.5 threads, which has been added to the model). Threads are all the way through. The 'Text' layer in the DWG contains the laser engraving. Racking preference is either inside the unthreaded holes or on the opposite side of the laser engraving (with all of the round features and steps, not the flat side). The finish should be clean and smooth."

I should really write up the instructions, and set-up a click-to-buy option on PCBWay or something, otherwise you're at the whim of the machine shop. Give me a few days, I'll look into this.

I recently finished the second part of this project, custom brackets for the radiator, pump and reservoir to fit into the smallest space possible (I'd add photos but the upload still doesn't work).

[lepidotos]

You mentioned earlier that it could be 3D printable with the right plastic, would PA12 nylon be worth giving a shot? It seems it can be done for about $50 including vapor smoothing or tumbling, or $35 without. If I'm reading the spec sheets right it should have enough strength for the P9 mount and heat resistance up to ~90 C at that pressure, I'd mainly be wondering how it would fare statically.

[Woof]

For mounting a Noctua air cooler, a nylon or carbon fibre print is probably good enough. I had a company we were trialing a laser sintering printer with at work do me some samples, but I never tried them (the prints were okay, a Bambu Lab for 1/20th of the cost was just as good though).

For an AM5 water cooler you need aluminium with the stainless steel mounting parts.

I’d add photos but the upload is broken.

[lepidotos]

I'm looking at an AM5 air cooler, the Thermalright AXP90-X47. Is that a matter of air vs water cooled, or AM5 vs SF2?

[Woof]

It's complicated...! I initially designed for any AM5, but as I started testing, and having put a cooler mounting screw into my motherboard (because they're too long) I changed the design.

For the first change I made a thicker bracket, which fixed the screws going into the mobo but needed a copper shim (a 'hat') for the CPU. I tested this for a while but was never happy with it: the design worked but the copper part was difficult to get produced to the required accuracy, so wasn't anything anyone else was going to get made (it took a lot of attempts, and quotes from some machining companies were thousands for a one-off).

Eventually I opted for custom mounting posts for the cooler, adopting the AM5 bolt pattern but replacing the cooler's fittings completely, and since I no longer used the cooler's own screws I changed the pitch for something more appropriate, losing compatibility with any AM5 cooler.

Short version: it works with any SecuFirm2 Noctua air cooler, as long as the cold plate is large enough, tested with a U12S (which works perfectly); for water cooling an EK-Pro AM5 water block fits, anything else hasn't been tested. Both these solutions have large cold plates that correctly cover the POWER9.

A lot of text... all that said, I have a pile of spares and test parts, most of which will fit any AM5 cooler, along with the custom copper part to adapt any cold plate. PM me, I've been offering to send these to anyone who asks, they're only getting recycled otherwise.