Core i7: "Extended" motherboard back-plate highly recommended

[gabe]

This is what I use with my EK Supreme (who don't supply one, tut tut). It a modified Noctua similar to the LGA1366 Thermalright mounting kit.

Seems solid enough, but how do you feel about having to do this yourself?

..and how do you know that you have absolute even pressure at all four corners? measure the springs with a caliper? count the turns? how do you know that you are getting the best mount out of your block ?

At this stage of the game, the TIM joint is the single most critical factor in extracting the best performance out of high end blocks, and [EDIT] end users out there are getting short changed if they don't have a reliable and repeatable mounting system.