Scythe Mugen Max on 1151

[Shriek]

I'm finding conflicting information about the compatibility between 1150 and 1151--can anyone clear this up for me?

I bought a Mugen Max (serious overkill, but price was good) for my long-overdue new build. Some sites list 1151 for it, and some don't, and I've seen several mentions that 1150 and 1151 are the same as far as coolers go. But I've also found mentions that it's not compatible with 1151 without some extra spacers that have been added to newer units.

I tried sending emails to support, but the US one came back undeliverable.

UPDATE: I had previously written that the email to EU support hadn't gotten a response all week, but I later discovered that they had, in fact, responded promptly but fell victim to an overly-aggressive spam filter.

Socket 1151 is identical with sockets 1155, 1156, 1150. You can use the instruction of 1155/1156 for socket 1151.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require further information.

Given the information in the posts below, I still think it's prudent to avoid tightening the screws until they bottom out, but there's the official response.

[lodestar]

It was not spacers that were involved but the two fixing screws that go at each end of the fixing bar. The later versions have a much thinner head to reduce mounting pressure on LGA1151 CPUs. Scythe initially issued a long list of coolers that potentially needed the modified screws including the Mugen Max. Subsequently it said that only the Mugen 4 was affected. Later still (from January 2016) it included the thinner head fixing screw as standard with all its coolers with the High Pressure Mounting System (HPMS) including the Mugen Max. SPCR reviewed the Mugen Max, this picture from that review shows the original fixing screw. If yours have a thinner head then they are the later version.

[Abula]

From Wikki 1151

Cooling solutions for sockets LGA 1151, 1150, 1155, and 1156 are interchangeable as they all have the same distance of 75 mm between each screw hole.

I have moved my thermlaright HR02 from sandy bridge to skylake mounting without any issues. That said, from what i remember (dont take my word for it) mobos were made slimmer on Skylake, thus some heatsink manufactures provided some shims/screws to offset this difference, but i seem mobos pcbs being thicker and slimmer, depends on each manufacturer. I have done builds with Scythe on skylake without any issues, with Kotetsu and Ninja4, personally i think you will be fine, but research and decide on your own if you need or not those shims/screws. And if you don't have the confidence on Scythe, there are plenty of other coolers out there, like Noctua NH-U14S or Thermalright True Spirit 140 Power, that will net you similar results, while still being quiet.

[Shriek]

Thanks--My screws all appear to be the same as in the review. I guess I'll go ahead with the install and just be careful not to over-tighten anything and to watch for slop. I'm sure I could fabricate something to use as spacers if necessary, but I have no clue what thickness would be appropriate to get the correct tension. I'd be as likely as not to make it worse by guessing.

Seems like it'd be a quick answer from their support team, but it kinda looks like Scythe US has closed up and gone home--their website has been wiped of phone numbers and email addresses, and the only number I could find just rings.

[lodestar]

I have found this image from Skylake has the Bends showing on the left the modified screws and on the right the original screws. You can see what I mean when I say the head of the modified screw is thinner.

[Shriek]

THANK YOU! That's exactly the info I needed! I definitely have the old screws, and based on the image, they added ~1/16" to the body of the screw. That should let me visually gauge when the screws are appropriately tightened, or even figure out a spacer if necessary.

Knowing what the actual issue was is immensely helpful. The other info anecdotal info I was finding was terribly misleading.

[lodestar]

As you probably guessed from what I said, I have installed a Scythe Mugen Max although it was not for a LGA 1151 build. However, as a precaution I did apply online to Scythe Europe for the new 1151 screws and they sent them to me. They won't be needed in future. You're welcome to them, I guess you are outside the UK but I'll stand the cost of postage. Just PM me with your name and address, and they will be on their way.

[Shriek]

I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm set. It seems pretty secure as is, with about 1/16" of thread left on the screws. There's enough tension on the screws that I can't imagine that fan would provide enough vibration to walk them loose.

Seeing the top plate of the cooler so close to the side panel, I'm actually considering laying a piece of open cell foam on top of it to take a little weight off the motherboard.

On an unrelated note, I used to build a lot of PCs twenty years ago, and it's interesting to see what has and hasn't changed. We've still got PS/2 ports, LPT and COM headers, and an adapter for a floppy drive. But OMG, this case (Fractal Design Define Mini C)! It's like someone was listening every time I cursed at a case. The side panels go on the first time, every time, logical airflow design, spacious cable routing, and I haven't cut myself once!