So I bought an open box NH-U12A for 35 bucks but I'm not sure that the hardware included is compatible with AM5. Where could I get the necessary brackets and offsets for it without spending much?

I used the old u12a and followed instruction for am4 but it's not working for am5. When I screw one part, I can screw the other. The bracket screw is too small?

Hi everyone,

We’re currently working on setting up a build with the ASRock B650 Steel Legend WiFi motherboard and an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (AM5 socket). However, we’ve run into a potential issue with mounting our CPU cooler.

We’re using the Noctua NH-U12S, which is currently mounted using the AM4 bracket. The cooler aligns and fits fine with the existing setup. However, the AM4 bracket is resting very close to, or directly over, the capacitors near the CPU socket. While it appears stable, we’re concerned this could cause issues in the long run, particularly with electrical interference or not a guarantee for proper cpu contact.

We’ve noticed that Noctua has specific AM5 mounting kits available for their coolers. Our question is: should we replace the AM4 mounting bracket with the dedicated AM5 kit to ensure proper clearance and compatibility, or is it safe to continue using the AM4 bracket as it is?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

UPDATE: PC ran perfectly and it was fine, tested in gaming as well ! Expo ran great, boot times are same as on AM4. I can recommend this motherboard for sure ! Overall the parts I am using. If anyone is curious just post a comment in this topic asking me about the parts.

Hello there, sometime ago (late 2024) I bought this cooler in black and when I tried to screw it onto the motherboard with the -7mm offset mount position I noticed it was very hard to latch the screws on the cooler to the mount on the MB. I did manage to get it on but I feel like it is putting a lot more pressure on the CPU than my old NH-D15 I had on my AM4 system which screwed in normally.

I'm using a contact frame from Thermalright for AM5 and I checked if the CPU (98X3D) was sticking out of it and it is. I did check the manual if I had everything installed corectly and I'm pretty certain I did it right, though I noticed the screws that go into the backplate are sticking out pretty far in the back.

I don't want to jinx it but it runs fine so far. I'm just slightly concerned about it, it's not my first PC but I thought I'd rather ask.