939 HSF To AM2 Socket Adapter

    While purchasing parts for my latest MythTV frontend client, I ran into a dilemma.  I wanted to take advantage of the upgrade path that an AMD socket AM2 system would provide, but I also really liked the performance of my tried and true Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu heat sink fan.  Unfortunately, this fan is not directly compatible with the AM2 socket.  My search for a clean solution brought me to this page advertising a socket 939 HSF to AM2 motherboard adapter.  I was intrigued and figured $13 wasn't an over the top price if it worked as advertised.

The Problem

THE PROBLEM

     So you have this shiny new socket AM2 CPU and motherboard, but you'd like to continue using you old socket 939 heat sink/fan.  What is a person to do?  Get an adapter.  Making one by hand can be a mess.  Ensuring everything is lined up so proper thermal contact is made can take patience and time.  When I saw a ready made solution was available, I jumped at the opportunity.

Boxed parts	Unboxed parts

Installation And Conclusion

INSTALLATION

    The adapter arrived in a padded envelope wrapped in bubble wrap via US Mail.  After unwrapping, the device is essentially two bars of aluminum with two deeply counter-sunk holes each.  In each counter-sunk hole is a nylon spacer designed to insulate and raise the adapter slightly above the motherboard.  A third hole is centered and tapped on the bar.  This is where a socket 939 heat sink is mounted.  The entire adapter is simple in design and functional.

    The first step is to remove the plastic AM2 socket frame from the motherboard by removing the four Phillips screws.  Next, use the four included screws to bolt the adapter bars to the motherboard.  Take care to orient the bar so the center mounting screws are closest to the CPU socket.  Also, make sure the bars are not in contact with any electrical components or traces on the motherboard.

Adapter bars mounted	Adapter bars mounted close up

    All that is left is to install the CPU and mount the socket 939 heat sink and fan.  All told, it took about 5 minutes to complete this mod.

CPU installed	Socket 939 heat sink installed

CONCLUSION

    If you are looking for a quick way to reliably adapt a socket 939 heat sink to a AM2 motherboard, then this is the solution for you.  It is sturdy, functional, and easy on the wallet.