So to solve the problem I posted a thread asking for heat sink recommendations. The best one was the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. Under 50 dollars US from NewEgg.
Main criteria was 1> It had to bring the temps way down and 2> IT HAS TO FIT THE CASE. Last one I got for another build was 3/8ths of an inch too tall.
This time I I measured the case with a millimeter ruler, and more than once. I was satisfied that it would fit with room to spare. So I pulled the trigger on the VISA again and got one.
It's not flashy. The fins aren't chrome or ceramic plated. Just plain metal. " It don't have to be pretty, it just has to work. " It comes with all the mounting goodies for several different platforms. I read at other forums that the instructions are lacking somewhat, but I figured it out with a little help from an overclocking forum.
This shows the mounting kit.
It comes with 4 studs that have a non conductive washer already on it. The back plate which keeps the board from bowing. And the retainer clip.
It's really simple to get the back plate and studs installed. Just line up the back plate over the holes in the board and one at a time push the studs through. For the 1155 platform the threads go in the center notch on the back plate. Keep them loose until you have them all in place. Then using the supplied nut drive run them down. Do it in a lug nut pattern.
See? This part's done.
For the next step, remove the fan first. Plug it in to the CPU fan header and lay it aside.
Now the tricky part is test fitting the heat sink and retainer clip. I ran through several test fits until I was sure how it fit each time was how it was supposed to go.
I didn't take a pic of the paste on the CPU chip but I assure you it was all over the surface evenly.
I then set the mating surface dow and slipped the retainer clip through the heat pipes. Snapped it open to the right notch and lined up the hold down screws. Again using the lug nut pattern I ran them down a couple of turns each going round and round till they all were run in.
It's in and snugged down. Last thing to do is install the fan. The fan comes out of the box mounted to blow in to the fins. My memory heat spreaders are pretty tall so being on the right and blowing in wasn't going to work. It's simple to flip it around. peel off the bumpers and take out the screws. Flip the fan over and put them back in. DO put the bumpers back on. It won't fit right if you don't.
Hook the fan clips in on one side and push on the other side till the hooks seat. You may have to pull up on the clips to get them to seat. I had to hold the heat sink to keep it from getting pushed around getting the fan clips seated.
So it's all done and working great.