Cooling companies Noctua, Phanteks, and Cryorig have all announced that they will be providing free upgrade kits for customers looking to swap over to AMD's shiny new AM4 socket for the company's Ryzen processor family.
Announced back in September last year, AM4 represents an end to AMD's traditional split-personality socket formats: where the company previously had the FM socket family for its accelerator processing unit (APU) products and the AM socket family for pure-CPU products, now it has AM4 for both product lines. The first AM4 parts to run on the new socket were Bristol Ridge APUs, with Summit Ridge Zen parts - now known as Ryzen - to launch early this year.
Sadly, shifting to the socket is made slightly more complex by requiring a new mounting system for heatsinks and waterblocks. Those buying all-new parts can simply look for compatibility when purchasing, but if you've already got a cooler you'd like to reuse you'll need replacement brackets - and, if it's a Noctua, Phanteks, or Cryorig cooler, that's exactly what you'll get at zero cost.
Noctua confirmed that it will offer free AM4 mounting kits for all coolers stretching back to 2005 upon submission of proofs of purchase covering the original CPU cooler and your shiny new Ryzen motherboard. Phanteks is offering the same free upgrade across its entire range, again upon submission of proofs of purchase covering the cooler and an AMD motherboard or CPU. Unsurprisingly, so is Cryorig: Any cooler sold as AMD-compatible previously is eligible for a free mounting kit, so long as you've got your proofs of purchase to hand.
The companies' decision to provide the brackets for free stands in contrast to EK Water Blocks' recent announcement that it would provide paid-for upgrade kits for its water blocks, though admittedly at pocket-friendly prices of around £10.
UPDATE 11:09
Forum member LennyRhys has posted that Thermalright is also to offer free AM4 upgrades to customers, with only shipping and handling to pay.
Announced back in September last year, AM4 represents an end to AMD's traditional split-personality socket formats: where the company previously had the FM socket family for its accelerator processing unit (APU) products and the AM socket family for pure-CPU products, now it has AM4 for both product lines. The first AM4 parts to run on the new socket were Bristol Ridge APUs, with Summit Ridge Zen parts - now known as Ryzen - to launch early this year.
Sadly, shifting to the socket is made slightly more complex by requiring a new mounting system for heatsinks and waterblocks. Those buying all-new parts can simply look for compatibility when purchasing, but if you've already got a cooler you'd like to reuse you'll need replacement brackets - and, if it's a Noctua, Phanteks, or Cryorig cooler, that's exactly what you'll get at zero cost.
Noctua confirmed that it will offer free AM4 mounting kits for all coolers stretching back to 2005 upon submission of proofs of purchase covering the original CPU cooler and your shiny new Ryzen motherboard. Phanteks is offering the same free upgrade across its entire range, again upon submission of proofs of purchase covering the cooler and an AMD motherboard or CPU. Unsurprisingly, so is Cryorig: Any cooler sold as AMD-compatible previously is eligible for a free mounting kit, so long as you've got your proofs of purchase to hand.
The companies' decision to provide the brackets for free stands in contrast to EK Water Blocks' recent announcement that it would provide paid-for upgrade kits for its water blocks, though admittedly at pocket-friendly prices of around £10.
UPDATE 11:09
Forum member LennyRhys has posted that Thermalright is also to offer free AM4 upgrades to customers, with only shipping and handling to pay.
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