how to put on a heatsink

[imachode]

today i recieved my thermalright AX-7 and i was utterly blown away by how huge and heavy it is. i'm planning to attach an 80mm panaflow to cool my proc. unfotunately, newegg doesn't have the particular fan of interest in stock as of yet, but i'm eager beaver to put this contraption on the proc. is it bad to put on a different 80mm fan that i have, and later put on the panaflow whenever i get it? in other words, is it not in the interest of the heatsink to screw in a fan and then later screw in another one?

secondly, when i do install it, do i install the fan before or after mounting it onto the mobo?

thanks in advance, and excuse my exotic n00b-ness.

[Bires]

Originally posted by imachode
Is it bad to put on a different 80mm fan that i have, and later put on the panaflow whenever i get it?

Not neccessarily. If your HSF is designed for a specific CFM (cubic feet per minute) air movement, it could change performance. Other than that, vibrations would play a role in the HSF's performance if the fan is really bad and causes the heat sink to pull away from the chip and make an airpocket.


Originally posted by imachode
secondly, when i do install it, do i install the fan before or after mounting it onto the mobo?[/B]

I would install the fan away from the mobo. It depends on the model, but I tend to not do things near my mobo when I could slip and drive a pointy screwdriver into a resistor or ICC.

[imachode]

thanks and the new heatsink works like a charm!