Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that can be configured to include a substrate, one or more heat sources over the substrate, one or more heat pipes thermally coupled to the one or more heat sources, a heat spreader coupled to the one or more heat pipes, where the heat spreader is in-plane with the heat pipe, and one or more loading mechanisms coupled to at least a portion of the one or more heat pipes and to the substrate. The one or more loading mechanisms are in-plane with the spreader and the one or more heat pipes.