I am in need of any air cooler that supports ASROCK 970M Pro 3 back connection. The processor is AM3+ and every air cooler I attempt to utilize does not fit. If anyone can suggest an air cooler I can buy this will help. I am not interested in upgrading to am4. I already have an am5, this computer is for my teenager who only plays roblox/minecraft
Sincerely,
Frustrated PC'er.
Do you mean that is does not fit is because the Air CPU Cooler is too large for your PC case?
What is the Make & Model of your PC Case?
The FX8350 has a high TDP Rating of 125 Watts so you either need a AIO or High TDP Rated Air CPU Cooler.
I personally was using a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO Air CPU Cooler but it is large.
Go to PCPARTPICKER and input the Make & Model of your PC case and then click on compatible CPU Coolers. It should give you a list of both AIO and AIR CPU Coolers to pick from.
The air cooler looks good, the problem I am having is the mounting. There are no side brackets to latch the cpu fan to. I also need an AM3+ mount kit. Most kits are AM4 and above.
The CoolerMaster like most other CPU Cooler manufacturers comes with its own back-plate that replaces the original Motherboard Back-Plate so that it will be able to securely install the large CPU Cooler. Many AM4 CPU Coolers are also compatible with AM3 Motherboards and processors.
On my FX8350 I had a AM3+ Asus Motherboard. I removed the Motherboard's original brackets then I removed the MB original Back-plate and installed CoolerMaster custom Back-plate to hold the Hyper212 EVO. Once the back-plate was installed with the custom screws from CoolerMaster I then installed the FX8350 and then the CoolerMaster Hyper212 EVO CPU Cooler.
By the way, I now have the same CoolerMaster Hyper212 EVO installed on my AM4 Ryzen 7 3700X with 2 fans attached. No issues during installation. Using the same AM3 Bracket.
The Heat sink comes with 1 or 2 sets of brackets/Clips to snap on one or two fans to each side of the Heat sink like most other Air CPU Coolers.
If the CPU Cooler you want doesn't have a AM3 Installation Kit you can order it from the Manufacturer.
As an example only here is CoolerMaster CPU Cooler Compatibility Chart: https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/pages/cooling/tdp-and-socket-compatibility/#!
But can you further elaborate what you mean by you need a Fan side brackets. Both of the fans on my Coolermaster Hyper212 EVO have both fans installed on the side of the heat sink and not on top of the processor and heat sink.
Since I don't know what type of PC Case you have maybe going to a AIO Liquid CPU Cooler might be better since only the Pump is installed on top of the processor in any direction. But the Radiator and Fans would be installed on the side of the PC Case and if it is too large to fit inside the PC case you might be able to install the Radiator and Fans on the outside of the PC Case. But that is something you will need to ask the CPU Cooler's Manufacturer's support site.
Maybe if you upload a Photo of the inside of your Son/Daughter's PC Case would be helpful.
NOTE: You should purchase a CPU Cooler rated at a minimum TDP Rating of 150 Watts or higher. I see the new Hyper212 EVO v2 is rated at a TDP 130 Watts while the original v1, mine, is rated at 150 Watts TDP.
If you are talking about having a CPU Cooler Fan both on top and side of the heat sink at the same time that would be impossible to find. Heat Sinks are not made to have both Top and Side fans on at the same time.
Either the Cooler Fan is on top or on the side but not both.
In case I misread your original post.
Wraith Prism should be small enough and capable enough.
I believe its compatible, as it fits on my older AM3+ but if its a perfect fit, I'm not completely sure.