Details
The Thermal Grizzly CPU Contact Frame Intel 1700 LT is a mounting aid for Intel mainboards with socket LGA1700, and it takes 12th, 13th and 14th generation processors. It is the "Lite" version of the Intel 13th/14th Gen CPU Contact Frame, which is milled from aluminum.
Properties
- Socket type
- Intel LGA 1700
- Processors
- 12th, 13th and 14th Gen
- Material
- ABS plastic, 15 percent glass fiber
- Color
- Black
- Size
- 71 x 51 x 6 mm
- Weight
- 8 g, 30 g boxed
How the Lite version is made
The frame is manufactured by injection molding instead of milling. The material used is an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), which has a 15 percent glass fiber content for additional stability. According to Thermal Grizzly's data sheet, this glass fiber reinforced plastic gives the frame the stability it requires while reducing production costs compared to the aluminum one.
Why use a contact frame
The standard Integrated Loading Mechanism (ILM) presses on the elongated CPU at contact points located in its center. Due to the resulting uneven contact pressure of the processor into the socket, the surface of its Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) curves concavely. As a result the base plate of the CPU cooler rests primarily on the edges of the IHS, so the thermal "hotspot" in the middle of the CPU is not optimally covered.
The frame replaces the ILM of the mainboard. It has a special inner contour to shift that pressure from the center of the CPU to the edges during assembly, and this avoids the concave curvature. This results in CPU coolers resting better on the processor, with a larger contact surface to dissipate the CPU's waste heat. Thermal Grizzly says the temperatures of the processor can be noticeably reduced, depending on the CPU cooler and the CPU used: that is where the lower CPU temperatures come from.
Fit and installation
The frame is compatible with 12th, 13th and 14th generation processors for LGA1700, and Thermal Grizzly keeps a current compatibility list online. In addition, it is only compatible with CPUs whose IHS has been ground down by no more than 0.2 millimeters. Easy mounting is part of the design: the installation is very simple and takes only a few steps. When mounting, make sure that there are no electronic components under the frame, which is especially important for mainboards with the Mini-ITX form factor. For LGA1851 boards we have the Intel 1851 CPU Contact Frame V1.
Attention: removing the ILM may invalidate the mainboard manufacturer's warranty.
In the box
- CPU Contact Frame Intel 1700 LT
- 4x pan-head screws, UNC thread 3/8"
- Hexagon socket wrench 5/64"
- Angle wrench Torx T20
Thermal Grizzly's data sheet is a PDF.
