How do motherboards support the weight of a cooler?!

[The VCR King]

Today I picked up my old V6GT cooler off my desk to put it in a box to store it and I never realized how heavy these CPU coolers were. The V6GT had to weigh a few pounds! And on a motherboard this weight is being held up sideways! How are motherboards able to hold up the weight of these coolers without snapping in half?!

 

[H4rdR3s37]

Usually heavy coolers use backplate under motherboard, that helps a lot.

 

[Okedokey]

 

[johnb35]

Backplate not so much maybe, more dependent on the standoffs holding the motherboard tight against the case. I would have to say 70 percent is dependent on the standoffs and then 30 percent on the backplate.