The base of the heatsink
The base of the heatsink is very smooth and has a fairly large surface area to match the likes of i7 CPUs. The heat pipes are in direct contact with the copper block and this is in turn housed in another outer block.


A very attractive mirror finish
Like all Thermalright CPU heatsinks, the base is convex for maximum contact with CPU chips, which never tend to be flat either. It also has perfectly flat and reflective mirror finish so that no air gaps are present once installed. Ensuring maximum contact with the CPU means that heat can dissipate more efficiently through the base to the 6 heat pipes.


The bundle
The bundle is comprised of the multiple support backplate for LGA775/1156/1366, the anchoring bracket on to which the heatsink is installed with the help of the pressure adjustable mounting plate. There are also 4 screw pillars and thumbscrews for installation and an angled wrench to help the process. The wrench also works in conjunction with the pressure adjustable mounting plate as we will see later on. For LGA775 platforms, there is an extra backplate cap. For fan installation, 2 sets of wire clips are provided so 2 fans can be accommodated for a push/pull setup and finally there is a tube of the Chill Factor 2 thermal paste.


The backplate
The backplate uses a unique system to change its compatibility for different sockets. On each corner are three notches and depending on your motherboard, all that is required is to simply slide the screws into the appropriate notches. The inner notches are for LGA775 motherboards, with the next ones being for LGA1156 and the outer most notches for LGA1366 sockets. Once installed at the back of the motherboard, the screw pillars, shown in the picture above, have to be screwed on the other side.


The mounting kit
When fully installed, the Venomous X should be very well secured with adequate pressure on the CPU. More on the installation process later on.