Chipseet Coolers --

[BonzaiDuck]

Couple years ago, a few people at this forum were "wishing" for chipset coolers with tiny heatpipes. ThermalRight obliged with the HR-05, then the HR-05-SLI, and the HR-05/IFX.

I bought these cheap Gigabyte mATX motherboards for just over $60 each for "family" upgrades. I noticed, when testing a push-pin and spring on a stock chipset cooler for one of them, it temporarily broke the adhesive TIM apart. But the pins were holding the heatsink firmly against the 1/2"-square chipset, so I thought "Not to worry!"

Within a day, I caught it. I was running PRIME95 Blend-Test with Everest [TRIAL], and noticed that the MCP temperature was pushing 48C, while a similar system with the same motherboard running the same test was hovering at 36C.

I had a new HR-05 in my surplus-parts locker, popped the pushpins on the Gigabyte heatsink, and installed the HR-05. temperatures were now closer to 26C idle and 30C load. I was using a Zalman OP-1 80x15mm "option fan" on the HR-05. I've now installed a used HR-05 on the second system with the mATX board, and with Blend Test, it pegs at a maximum 22C. [The first system is in a midtower case w 92mm exhaust fan, the second in a full-tower with 120mm exhaust.]

What's your opinion about the best third-party chipset cooler for air-cooling?

It looks to me as though the HR-05 drops chipset temps on these particular boards by 6 to 14C if you can believe the sensors. Note that I'm using diamond TIM with these.

 

[PliotronX]

They are indeed very effective but tend to be in the way of larger CPU coolers with P35 boards. The SLI version would block the video slot on those boards unfortunately. I wish there was a shorter offset version. I hate pushpins with a passion, 4/40 screws and nylon washers for me

 

[thilanliyan]

The HR-05 I'm using right now is very effective with a small, low speed 70mm fan hooked up to it. I've also ran it passively, just relying on airflow in the case and it was still fine. I would recommend it to anyone...the only problem I had was it was a pain to get on and the push pins are rubbish so you can tilt it very easily.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
What's your opinion about the best third-party chipset cooler for air-cooling?

I've used a few of the HR-05 and think they're great! However, the newer/more expensive HR-05/IFX should be even better. While the original was made for possibly using 70mm fans, the new one can handle 80mm fans, meaning more surface area.

 

[PCTC2]

I don't use an aftermarket chipset and my HS reaches a level of 80-100C. I think I should get a HR-05/IFX

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Well, I haven't "reviewed" or researched reviews of other cooler options for chipsets.

One of us at "Cases & Cooling" -- a rather brash young man -- has a burr up his arschloch about ThermalRight. Anandtech had produced two successive reviews -- one building on the other -- comparing 15 or 20 CPU coolers to the U-120-Extreme and the Ultima 90, respectively. I maintain that I'm not biased in favor of ThermalRight, at least not without objective cause: All their coolers broke the records for "lowest thermal resistance" since the advent of the XP-120.

As with Crucial Ballistix DDR2 modules, I've found it is easy to get too comfortable with one year's sensational record-breaking product, and even easier if the manufacturer has broken records three years in sequence.

So it was easy for me to grab some HR-05's not too long after they appeared on the market. I can't even recall whether I followed my religious practice of finding reviews about an interesting product that contain little hype and appear all business with rigorous benchtests and accurately measured results -- especially in a comparison with one or more similar items.

But this appears to be my fairly confident conclusion about the HR-05 and modest, mass-market chipsets: The original heatsink and thermal adhesive gave Large FFTs test results of 36C full load for 1 hour at room ambient 68F. I installed the HR-05, and the same room-ambient prevailed, with a full-load 1-hour test result of 23C.

Let me analyze this a bit further. The two coolers were not compared using the same thermal paste or thermal grease; I used IC Diamond for the TR HR-05. But the diamond TIM should produce a cooling improvement of about -4C degrees. So the HR-05 is worth 9 or 10C -- my estimate -- or guesstimate.

Water-cooling hotdogs often ignore chipset cooling, and I discovered this summer that a marked reduction in chipset temperatures will result in stability for an OC setting at lower CPU Vcore -- when the setting produced unstable results prior to the cooling enhancement.

9C or whatever it is is a pretty good temperature reduction, I'd think. . . .

I'm still interested to hear of any newer products, other than ThermalRight, that inspired anyone's confidence. Certainly, respondents to this thread have boosted my own.

 

[PliotronX]

Certainly if there wasn't any truth to TR's ability to design ace heatsinks, they would not be in business The HR-05 dropped my CFX3200's temps by no less than twenty degrees. That was running off airflow from a Yate Loon a few inches away (semi-passive), needless to say much quieter than the stock cooler. The Evercool VC-RE which was much touted as a quiet and effective replacement for the DFI 939 boards was actually noisy. I was also looking at the Noctua dual pipe cooler, the Enzotech circular (few more pins than the square model), and the Jing Ting coolers when I decided on the HR-05. The Noctua just seemed overpriced, the Enzotech similarly considering it was not a high rise design, and the Jing Ting might've caused blockage (also fairly pricey). Happy as a clam with the HR-05.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I have a ThermalRight HR-05 IFX. It's mated with a Yate Loon 80mm Low Speed fan on an nVidia 6150 chipset. Before I could do 275HTT at stock volts and a 420Mhz graphics core with 42 Celsius idle and 65 Celsius load. After the IFX I can do 370HTT at 1.6V on the NB and 500Mhz graphics core with temps of 30 idle and 55 load. So yeah, really big difference for me. And it's still completely silent with that mere Yate Loon. I can actually run it passively with the same effects, but the fan helps push more air towards the CPU cooler.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
I'm still interested to hear of any newer products, other than ThermalRight, that inspired anyone's confidence.

I haven't gotten an IFX version yet, but the HR-05 (and SLI version) have been the best that I've used so far. I do have a similar cooler that is copper, but haven't tried it out yet. I should take pics of all the "spare" chipset coolers that I have so y'all can see what I've played around with over the recent years. I can say this, the Zalman NB47 was a disappointment in that it was silent, but ran blistering hot compared to little fan coolers on Nforce4 chipsets before I went Intel.

 

[chizow]

They're definitely effective and are probably even more important now than in the past with PCI-E, especially for the South Bridge. Just make sure you get some that have adjustable mounting brackets so you can port them from board to board. Personally I prefer to go with boards with slightly better stock cooling that allows for a fan also. Usually the stock fans are way too loud, so I typically swap them with a lower RPM fan.

 

[aigomorla]

LOL...

1. MCW30
2. the new DD MCX chipset block.

The BEST but also the most expensive with very little gain from the top is a Silver TDX moded with a Maze4 chipset top.

But these are water choices.

 

[WoodButcher]

In my quad box I am currently using a Silenx NB cooler and I saw little if any reduction in temps over stock, by stock I mean the asus passive heatsink w/ a 40 mm fan attatched. Soon I'll change that to water but I've been led to believe that the thermal diode is not on the NB on this board. This would explain the fact that I saw no difference in temps but the fact that I bought silenx could also be the cause. We all know and love Silenx, right? :laugh:

 

[gorobei]

the gigabyte 965p when OC with e4300, gets egg cooking hot. I was debating getting a HR-05 or Zalman NB47. The main problem is with the vertical-design chipset coolers, any 120mm cpu tower coolers generally have to be in the N/S orientation(for airflow and clearance) on the m/b instead of the usually more effective E/W setup.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
But these are water choices.

I'd think that would be a totally different market than my setup of a $40 Scythe Ninja and a $15 (on special) HR-05.

Originally posted by: gorobei
the gigabyte 965p when OC with e4300, gets egg cooking hot. I was debating getting a HR-05 or Zalman NB47. The main problem is with the vertical-design chipset coolers, any 120mm cpu tower coolers generally have to be in the N/S orientation(for airflow and clearance) on the m/b instead of the usually more effective E/W setup.

I'd suggest that you don't get the Zalman as it probably won't run much/any cooler than stock. It is possible to run the CPU heatsink however you want, just run the northbridge chipset heatsink so that it fits. My wife's computer has an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro and mine has a Scythe Ninja, and we both have the Thermalright tower heatpipe chipset coolers and hers has the Freezer with the fan blowing towards the exhaust. Mine is passive.

 

[RussianSensation]

The problem with motherboard chipset coolers is that instead of spending $20 on them, you can almost always spend that $20 towards a higher end model of the motherboard you were looking it. More likely then not, not only will you get better cooling, but also more features.

Also how about installing Ultra 90 with epoxy on the northbridge (if you can fit it). hehe For $20 this is what I call value!

 

[DerwenArtos12]

I'm using an older Jing Ting Chipforce cooler with a single heatpipe and it works great. I've heard nothing but good reviews about the HR-05's especially the IFX series. I'll probably end up with one on my next build.

 

[RealGun]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
LOL...

1. MCW30
2. the new DD MCX chipset block.

The BEST but also the most expensive with very little gain from the top is a Silver TDX moded with a Maze4 chipset top.

But these are water choices.

I was gonna ad the MCW30 LOL.

 

[TheGreatOzmodiar]

Anyone ever used the Evercool Serpent? Same principle as the Thermalrights and Noctua, but wonder if it's acceptable quality. For the price, it may be worth a shot regardless.

http://www.xoxide.com/serpent-...ridge-chip-cooler.html

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: TheGreatOzmodiar
Anyone ever used the Evercool Serpent? Same principle as the Thermalrights and Noctua, but wonder if it's acceptable quality. For the price, it may be worth a shot regardless.

http://www.xoxide.com/serpent-...ridge-chip-cooler.html

Read here. Last couple of posts.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: TheGreatOzmodiar
http://www.xoxide.com/serpent-...ridge-chip-cooler.html

Wow, looks decent and that's a great price. A little smaller than the Thermalright units though, as the HR-05 uses a 70mm fan and the IFX version an 80mm fan while the Evercool uses a 60mm fan.

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: TheGreatOzmodiar
http://www.xoxide.com/serpent-...ridge-chip-cooler.html

Wow, looks decent and that's a great price. A little smaller than the Thermalright units though, as the HR-05 uses a 70mm fan and the IFX version an 80mm fan while the Evercool uses a 60mm fan.

I've been talking w/ someone on another forum who has just used this cooler and asked about it. For the cost I would give it a shot and wish I had, rather than the Silenx at twice the cost.

Originally posted by: "Penewab2007"
That heatsink was silent. Did you read how I modded it!? LOL, freakin meatballed is the correct term. Its on my brothers mobo too, a GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard man the NB was so hot its wasnt even funny. You could have cooked offen it. But its doing the trick. But again, its a sight to see. Its sorts cheapo, but not, if that makes any sense. The aluminum fins are thing, but the fan is great, and the copper piping/heatsink is decent. I'd reccommend it.