Not only motherboard vendors and CPU manufacturers are gearing up for the release of Intel's next-generation Skylake platform; cooling firms are also eager to ensure that their customers are well catered to when the new hardware appears. Such is certainly the case with Austrian outfit Noctua, creators of premium CPUs coolers for desktop systems, who are today announcing an extension of their traditional mounting kit upgrade policy.
One of the benefits to Noctua's cooler design has been partial modularity. Their SecuFirm mounting system includes replaceable and interchangeable parts, such that where possible older coolers could be upgraded to be compatible with new sockets. Since the transition to sockets based on Intel's LGA 1156 from LGA 775/LGA 1366, including the LGA 1151 of Skylake as well as Haswell's LGA 1150, Noctua have regularly updated their SecuFirm mounting hardware and rolled out updated kits to those who purchased high performance coolers in an earlier era.
Spacing for Skylake cooler mounting has remained identical with the new socket, so coolers with the newer SecuFirm2 mounting kit will be able to reuse their cooler without difficulty. All current Noctua coolers in the retail channel make use of this design, and so should pose no problems if you were to buy ahead of time. Of older coolers Noctua states:
Users of older Noctua retail models that don't include a SecuFirm2™ mounting system for LGA115x can obtain the NM-i115x kit free of charge on Noctua's website in order to make their heatsinks compatible with the new socket. The NM-i115x kit is compatible with most Noctua retail coolers since 2005.
To order the NM-i115x kit, a proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both an eligible Noctua CPU cooler and either an LGA115x mainboard or LGA115x CPU are required. The NM-i115x mounting kit is compatible with most Noctua retail coolers since 2005 and is also available in stores at a low service charge.
To order the NM-i115x kit, a proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both an eligible Noctua CPU cooler and either an LGA115x mainboard or LGA115x CPU are required. The NM-i115x mounting kit is compatible with most Noctua retail coolers since 2005 and is also available in stores at a low service charge.
So, if you're planning on upgrading a pre-LGA 115x system in the near future, get those invoices ready.
Comprehensive socket compatibility information can be found at http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_cooler_socket.
