u/fudge_u

I was wondering this today after reading and seeing many posts.

Instead of hacking up the existing heatsink, why don't more people just remove it and install an AMD CPU cooler mount and AMD CPU cooler?

I figured it would cost around $100 to make the change. I don't have a 3D printer but there are eBay stores selling AMD CPU cooler mounts for LGA 1700, LGA 1851, AM4, and AM5 socket CPUs for around $30CAD shipped. Then a Noctua low profile cooler for an AM4 socket is $50CAD, and just buy some mini heatsinks and/or spreaders for the other components on the top of the board which will be another $10-20CAD.

I know $100 is a lot to some people so hacking up the heatsink to install a $20-30 fan makes more sense but why aren't there more people swapping out the heatsink for a proper CPU cooler if a slight bump in cost isn't an issue?

I'm just curious because I see a lot people peeling the top of the stock heatsink to get proper airflow through to the board. Would the thermals improve if the heatsink was swapped out for something potentially better? I'm eyeing a Noctua Premium Low Profile cooler (NH-L9a-AM4) and a mini heatsink kit.

Thoughts?