Installation


As stated earlier, and like most other coolers in its price range, the Igloo 5750 Silent does NOT come with a back reinforcing plate. Rather, it relies on standard mounting pins to support its weight. While weighing in at a relatively svelte 508 grams is not problem since Intel's specify a maximum weight of 550 grams, it IS a problem for AMD systems. AMD’s maximum recommended weight is 450 grams or nearly 13% less. While one can understand the reasoning behind this cost saving measure it does show that any AMD compatibility considerations were done as an afterthought. This would also explain why it comes ready to be installed on an Intel 775 system, yet you have to do some extra installation work to make it fit an AMD system.


In most cases this lack of backplate could be considered a "feature", since it would make it fairly quick & easy to install on an Intel 775 system. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the Igloo 5750. The first issue that makes installation a hassle is that the amount of space between its lowest fan and the 4 base plunger connectors is very cramped. Making things even worse is the fact that the “front” two plungers are located underneath the bottom fan. While they are only recessed by approximately an inch or so, this means that you can’t apply force directly down on the plungers; rather, you have to bend your finger in and around the bottom fan and use leverage to push the plungers all the way down. This can be complicated by mounting direction, in that if your motherboard has any large heatsinks the amount of room you have to work with is even further reduced.

In the end, it was found that removing the motherboard and installing then Igloo 5750 was much easier and less time consuming than trying to install it while in a computer case. It was also found that removal of the 5750 was also much easier when the motherboard was outside the computer case. With it in the case the sometimes cramped conditions did not leave enough room to properly turn the plungers so that they could “pop” free. The worst combination found was when the heatpipes were pointed towards either the video card or the memory. When in these two orientations the plunger nearest the top rear of the case was almost impossible to properly seat or unseat.


On the positive side, you can install this cooler in any direction you wish, without fear of it touching any surrounding parts. Even better is the fact that it did not seem to make any difference which way you do mount it, as it will give equal performance whether pointed up, down, left or right. Orientation also did not affect motherboard temperatures in any way. They were just as good as when the stock cooler was installed, but they were no worse either. It also did not matter how many fans are installed in the system. Even when 4 of the 6 120mm Scythe fans in our case were disabled, and while temperatures did rise, they were within 1 degree c for both the Igloo as the Intel stock coolers (with the Igloo being slightly cooler). If your motherboard has a different cooling setup than a Gigabyte DS4 or Asus Maximus then the Igloo 5750’s orientation may make a difference…or it may not. Only with trial and error will you be able to decide if your motherboard prefers a particular mounting orientation.


Staying on the positive side, the Igloo 5750 came with its own Thermal Interface Material (aka "TIM"). It came pre-applied and was a grease base TIM and not the cheaper (and older) wax pad style. However, as we will show later, one should really invest an additional few dollars and apply a good after market TIM like Arctic Cooling MX-2 or Arctic Silver AS5. This makes installing this cooler a bit easier for novices.


Overall, this can considered a quirky heatsink to install for Intel 775 systems. Depending on your level of experience this can be a huge deciding factor on if you purchase the Igloo or not. After all, not everyone has the time, inclination or even the comfort level to remove a motherboard and then re-install it. If you are planning on using it on a AMD system expect the installation time to be at least double what it was for Intel systems as you do have to swap out the 775 hardware mounting and install either the 939 or AM2 kit. Overall this was not a user friendly heatsink to work with and you should really plan out in advance how you are going to install it; or better still, remove the motherboard first and then install it outside the case.