There is good information on this site but as a newbie in the accustic area of PC's I'm still struggling to decide on parts. I suppose I am trying to get it right first time.
At the moment I was planning on cooling a 65W Phenom II with something like a fanless HR-01 ducted to a 120mm case fan (typical ATX case), hopefully running really low, say, 500RPM. Then I saw a Akasa AK-CC032 Low Profile Passive, supposedly 45W capable, CPU heatsink (£5!). Seeing how tiny this thing is (twice the size of chipset heatsink), I'm wondering if a 1lb heatink like a HR-01 is a bit of a overkill. I mean, this thing is for cooling overclocked 965 BE's etc.
Is bigger better? Do I give myself more cooling possibilties or am I just wasting money. Maybe the extra cooling performance is good for a newbie like me by giving me some room for error or cooling possibilities? But maybe the big heatsink will even disrupt motherboard cooling?
Is an HR-01 over the top for a 65W CPU?
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The HR-01 is perfect for a low-flow setup. From the reviews I quickly scanned on the Akasa heat sink, there is no way that will run passive under sustained load without major throttling and/or dangerous temps.
You might be able to get by with a smaller CPU heat-sink, but the HR-01 is hardly gargantuan. I use the HR-01 for all my builds except for situations requiring low profile. It is smaller and easier to work around than most alternative high-performance coolers, and the wide fin spacing is perfect for low-flow.
If cost/performance is your main consideration - and if it is available in your area - consider the CoGage True Spirit (a 4-pipe version of the Thermalright TRUE) which includes a good PWM fan. CoGage is Thermalright's 'value' brand, and the True Spirit is compatible with Thermalright socket kits.
You might be able to get by with a smaller CPU heat-sink, but the HR-01 is hardly gargantuan. I use the HR-01 for all my builds except for situations requiring low profile. It is smaller and easier to work around than most alternative high-performance coolers, and the wide fin spacing is perfect for low-flow.
If cost/performance is your main consideration - and if it is available in your area - consider the CoGage True Spirit (a 4-pipe version of the Thermalright TRUE) which includes a good PWM fan. CoGage is Thermalright's 'value' brand, and the True Spirit is compatible with Thermalright socket kits.
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theycallmebruce
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:11 am
- Location: Perth, Western Australia
I've run my 65W Athlon 4850 with both an HR01 and a Scythe Mini Ninja.
I used the same setup for both heatsinks. Two Scythe S-Flex 120mm fans. One fan strapped to the heatsink and one rear exhaust fan in the case. Both fans running off the CPU fan header on the motherboard (using a splitter). No duct.
For my setup, the HR01 made no noticeable difference over the Minja in terms of temperatures / fan speeds at idle or high CPU load.
Note that I'm running a moderate undervolt on my CPU, which would effectively reduce the TDP. Without the undervolt, my CPU gets very hot at load causing the mobo to crank the fans right up to their maximum 1500RPM. This is true with the HR01 or the Minja. With the HR01 it took a bit longer.
I know the HR01 is a favourite around here, but in my old machine the motherboard was mounted vertically. The torque on the mobo due to the HR01's mass and height physically warped my old motherboard. It never caused any reliability issues that I noticed, but it can't be a good thing.
I used the same setup for both heatsinks. Two Scythe S-Flex 120mm fans. One fan strapped to the heatsink and one rear exhaust fan in the case. Both fans running off the CPU fan header on the motherboard (using a splitter). No duct.
For my setup, the HR01 made no noticeable difference over the Minja in terms of temperatures / fan speeds at idle or high CPU load.
Note that I'm running a moderate undervolt on my CPU, which would effectively reduce the TDP. Without the undervolt, my CPU gets very hot at load causing the mobo to crank the fans right up to their maximum 1500RPM. This is true with the HR01 or the Minja. With the HR01 it took a bit longer.
I know the HR01 is a favourite around here, but in my old machine the motherboard was mounted vertically. The torque on the mobo due to the HR01's mass and height physically warped my old motherboard. It never caused any reliability issues that I noticed, but it can't be a good thing.
I'm running one on an Intel E8500 (TDW = 65W). I have a fan mounted directly on it which idles at 515 rpm. The fan never really speeds up under normal load conditions. I don't have it ducted.
The price difference between this heat sink and a slightly smaller one seemed insignificant compared to the price of the system.
The price difference between this heat sink and a slightly smaller one seemed insignificant compared to the price of the system.
Thanks all for the posts. I'm leaning towards the HR-01 but doesn't seem to be that much available due to it being superceeded by newer Thermalright designs, so I'll probably end up with the Mini Ninja. Either way I won't notice the difference unless in lab conditions.
Is one easier to fit than the other? Fitting heatsinks is the thing I most dislike about building a PC. I've cracked the 939 socket on my PC last time and put to much thermal paste on.
Is one easier to fit than the other? Fitting heatsinks is the thing I most dislike about building a PC. I've cracked the 939 socket on my PC last time and put to much thermal paste on.
I've got a Ninja Mini on my E5300, with only an undervolted rear exhaust fan providing airflow. Just for fun I tried switching the fan off and running the CPU at full load. Temperatures maxed out at around 80C, which is pretty amazing considering.
I mounted the Ninja Mini using a Xigmatek Crossbow bolt-through kit. Much easier and more secure.
I mounted the Ninja Mini using a Xigmatek Crossbow bolt-through kit. Much easier and more secure.
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kaotikfunk
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: Seattle, WA
I'm cooling a 95w CPU passive on a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 without a fan directly attached, so the HR-01 should definitely be ok. I have a 120mm Scythe PWM fan for exhaust attached to my CPU fan header, and it stays quiet. I tried with and without a duct, and it didn't make any noticable difference in temperatures or loudness.
I actually bought a HR-01 first, but the backplate wouldn't fit on my motherboard because some through-hole joints were in the way. The Xigmatek crossbow just barely avoided them.
I actually bought a HR-01 first, but the backplate wouldn't fit on my motherboard because some through-hole joints were in the way. The Xigmatek crossbow just barely avoided them.
The Hr-01 Plus has a special mounting kit for 1156 sockets. It's designed for the Thermalright True, but I checked with Thermalright and they said it works with the Hr-01 Plus.
Scythe a\has a bolt through kit that works with the Shurekins... and I think works with the Ninja. SPRC complains about the problems of mounting the Ninja with the stock mount, so I wouldn't mess with it without getting that bolt through kit.
Scythe a\has a bolt through kit that works with the Shurekins... and I think works with the Ninja. SPRC complains about the problems of mounting the Ninja with the stock mount, so I wouldn't mess with it without getting that bolt through kit.