The cooler certainly takes up some space on the motherboard. The A500 has a really cool feature that allows the fans to move or "ratchet" into position up the side of the cooler, allowing for RAM compatibility. You might need to consider your case depth with the A500. The cooler is 169mm tall, and normally this is all you need to know. But with the A500, depending on the RAM you are using, that 169mm number can grow - which is why you also need to watch your case depth. My Patriot Viper RAM had no problems so the fans could stay in the stock position, which is good because the Corsair 465X RGB case I am using for the system build allows for coolers that are up to 170mm, which leaves 1mm of clearance. Not much, but clearance is clearance.