Two big CPU coolers that use the traditional top-down airflow design from Thermaltake and Xigmatek go head to head. Are they competitive against the big tower cross-flow heatsinks? How do they fare at whisper-quiet levels?
April 20, 2008 by Lawrence
Lee
Products | Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX CPU Cooler | Xigmatek HDT-D1264 CPU Cooler |
Manufacturer | Thermaltake | Xigmatek |
Street Price | ~$55 USD | ~$?? USD |
For the past couple of years, tower heatpipe heatsinks have dominated CPU cooling, taking all the glory and accolades. Does this mean traditional top-down
coolers are dead? They certainly aren’t as popular as they were a few years
ago, but they remain. Motherboards are still designed with the expectation of tertiary
airflow over the board components near the CPU, specifically the power
regulation circuitry. MOSFET heatsinks are now a common sight on higher-end
mainboards and they aren’t just for show. For users concerned about these components,
their lifespan, efficiency, and general well-being, a top-down cooler is an
ideal choice, even at the cost of higher CPU temperatures.
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The Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX happens to be such a heatsink. An updated
version of the original Big Typhoon, the VX is equipped with a new fan, a manual
fan speed control, and a completely different mounting system. While it may improve upon its predecessor’s rather lackluster performance, the
question is whether it can compete against the elite top-down coolers we’ve
tested in the past, without sounding like a lawnmower. Our
experiences with Thermaltake products have usually left us with headaches and
a ringing in our ears.
To give the VX a little new competition, we’ll also be looking at Xigmatek’s HDT-D1264.
Another top-down cooler, the D1264 utilizes four, 8mm thick heatpipes, and a
120mm PWM fan secured via rubber fan isolators. It’s a bit wider than the Typhoon,
but it’s also shorter, lighter, and has fewer heatpipes. On paper the Typhoon
has the edge, but the D1264 uses the "direct touch" technology
that allowed the S1283 and SD964 heatsinks to turn in impressive performances,
so it will be interesting to see which cooler comes out on top.
BIG TYPHOON VX
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Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX CL-P0310: Key Features (from the product web page) | |
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
Best performance, supports up to TDP 130W. | To be determined. |
6 heatpipes, maximized heat transfer. | A common feature these days. |
High density of aluminum fins, provides large surface for heat dissipation. | High density does provide more surface area for heat to dissipate, but it also makes it harder to cool with low speed fans. |
Seamless soldering process and large copper base provide good contact for heat conductivity | Another common feature. |
Waved fins to reduce wind shear noise. | We doubt this has much effect, if any on actual performance. It does make the cooler look more elegant though. |
3 in 1 application – For LGA775: push pin design for faster install. – For K8 and latest socket AM2, tool-less clip, easy to install. | Abandoning their previous nut and bolt method, the VX returns to more traditional mounting techniques. |
VR Fan – Silent and powerful VR fan, 16dBA at minimum fan speed. – Adjustable fan control to boost cooling performance. | Any type of fan control is welcome, but it must be set manually. 16 dBA we find hard to believe. |
Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX CL-P0310: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
Compatibility | Intel Core 2 Extreme(Socket LGA775) Intel Core 2 Duo (Socket LGA775) Intel Pentium Extreme Edition (Socket LGA 775) Intel Pentium D (Socket LGA 775) Intel Pentium 4 (Socket LGA775) Intel Celeron D (Socket LGA775) AMD Athlon 64 X2 (Socket 939, AM2) |
Heatsink Dimension | 122(L) x 122(D) x 103(H) mm |
Heatsink Material | Copper Base & Aluminum Fin (142Fin) |
Heatpipe | Copper Tube, 6mm x 6 pcs |
Weight | 822g |
Fan Dimension | 120x120x25 mm |
Rated Voltage | 12V |
Started Voltage | 7V |
Power Input | 3.00W |
Fan Speed | 1300 ~2000 RPM |
Max. Air Flow | 86.5CFM |
Max. Air Pressure | 2.22mmH2O |
Noise | 16dBA~24dBA |
Life Expectation | 30,000hrs |
Connector | 3 Pin |
XIGMATEK HDT-D1264
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Xigmatek HDT-D1264: Key Features (from the respective product web page) | |
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
H.D.T. (Heatpipe direct touch) technology. | As with all Xigmatek HDT heatsinks, the base is removed as an intermediate heat transfer medium to improve performance. |
Anti-vibration rubber design. | Unlike the Big Typhoon/VX which use hard-mounted fans, Xigmatek opts for rubber fan isolators instead to reduce vibration transmission. |
Special fin shape design. | "Special" fin designs are usually aesthetic rather than functional. |
Particular raised-point on fin design. | |
Efficient air flow to cool down components around CPU. | A welcome feature as motherboards are designed with the expectation of some secondary top-down airflow directed over the components surrounding the CPU socket. |
4pcs x 8mm high performance Heatpipe. | Thick and numerous, Xigmatek went all out with the D1264. |
Light weight. | At 667g it’s almost 20% lighter than the Big Typhoon VX. However, it is in fact the heaviest of all of Xigmatek’s DHT coolers. |
High performance & easy installation. | To be determined. |
120mm highly efficient PWM fan. | We always like to see PWM fans included as some motherboards do not support DC voltage control. |
3 in 1 application: LGA775 pushpin/K8 & AM2 tool-less clip. | Uses the same methods as the S1283 and SD964. |
Xigmatek HDT-D1264: Specifications (from the respective product web pages) | |
Product Name | HDT-D1264 |
Product Number | CAC-DXHH4-U03 |
Outside Dimension | 145(W) x 150(H) x 134(D) mm |
Weight | 667g (w/fan) |
Thermal Resistance | 0.14 °C/W |
Application | All Intel Socket LGA 775 CPU Core 2 Extreme / Quad / Duo Pentium Extreme Edition / D Celeron D All AMD Socket AM2 / 754 / 939 / 940 CPU Athlon 64 / FX / X2 / Opteron / Sempron |
Heatsink | |
Material | Aluminum Alloy |
Heatpipe. | 8 x 4 mm |
Fan | |
Dimension | 120(W) x 120(H) x 25(D) mm |
Voltage Rating | 12V |
Speed | 800~1500 R.P.M |
Bearing Type | Rifle Bearing |
Air Flow | 56.3 CFM |
Air Pressure | 1.57 mm H2O |
Life Expectancy | 40,000 hrs |
Noise Level | 27.2 dBA |
Connector | 4 Pin with PWM |
BIG TYPHOON VX – PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Big Typhoon VX.The VX is for the most part, physically identical to the original
Big Typhoon, so
we’ll keep the details to a minimum. Only three things have changed: the fan
is different, a manual fan speed controller has been added, and the mounting
system has been revised. The fan and grill are still held on screws, as is
the metallic fan frame. Hard contact between the fan and heatsink is a source
of noise; something Thermaltake either isn’t aware of, or simply doesn’t care
about.
Heatsink with the fan and frame removed.With its fan and frame stripped, the Typhoon VX is essential
two giant blocks of densely packed fins held up by two sets of heatpipes.
At the top and bottom, the fins are are shaped to resemble a wave on the beach,
or lazily drawn seagulls.
From above.There is some, but not a lot of separation between the two
blocks. With very fine fin separation it does not look like a good candidate
for low airflow, quiet cooling.
Heatpipe/base contact.The heatpipes begin (or end) at the base, where they are soldered
into grooves to the base. It’s standard operating procedure these days.
The base.
The base is rough by contemporary standards. The machine
marks can be both seen clearly, but are difficult to distinguish by touch
alone. In our experience, this isn’t a game-breaker.
HDT-D1264 PHYSICAL DETAILS
HDT-D1264At first glance, two physical features of the D1264 stand out. The heatpipes
which curve inward at the bottom, presumably to avoid contact with larger
northbridge and VRM heatsinks, and the trenches running across
each side of the fin edges to accommodate the rubber fan isolators.
HDT-D1264The fins, at the top of the heatsink, slope downward and out, to catch
any airflow that may leak past the sides of the fan isolators. At the bottom,
the fins curve inward, with less area in the middle and more on the sides.
From the side.The heatsink does bend downward slightly as if the fins and fan are too
heavy for the heatpipes to hold its mass completely upright. The fin spacing
is tight, but nowhere near as tight as the Big Typhoon.
Naked.Underneath the fan, the top of the fins slope inward toward the center,
likely to reduce noise further and to direct more air below the fan’s dead-spot.
Rubber fan isolators protrude upward — it’s Xigmatek’s fan mounting method
of choice and is ours as well.
HDT-D1264 mounting plateThe mounting plate has two screw holes for mounting the LGA775 pushpins
and two guides cut down the middle for the AMD tension clip.
The base.The base is the same as the previous Xigmatek heatsinks we’ve reviewed.
The bottom of the heatpipes are flat and smooth, but the points of separation
between the heatpipes and mounting plate are clearly noticeable, both visually
and by touch.
BI TYPHOON VX INSTALLATION
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New mounting equipment.The VX installation procedure is much simpler than the troublesome nut
and bolt method of the original Big Typhoon. The VX uses a simple tension
clip for K8/AM2 installation and standard Intel pushpins for LGA775.
LGA775 installation is easy.At the center of the mounting plate there is a simple guide for the LGA775
mounting frame. The mounting tension might not be high enough.
It was easy to rotate the entire heatsink up to about 10 degrees without
using much force.
Heatsink mounted on our test platform.The heatpipes may cause trouble for some users.
While the heatsink is symmetrical, it can be rotated, at least for Intel
systems. On most AMD motherboards, the heatpipes will face left-right, that
is 90 degrees to the orientation pictured.
HDT-D1264 INSTALLATION
The LGA775 mount.The installation procedures for the D1264 are just as easy. For AMD systems,
a standard tension clip is provided. For Intel platforms, two sets of
pushpins need to be screwed to the mounting plate.
Thermal compound footprint.After testing, we removed the heatsink and inspected the base. The footprint
of the CPU heatspreader left on the base shows us that only the two center
heatpipes made complete contact. The outside heatpipes overhung the
CPU. Makes you wonder whether three heatpipes might actually perform better.
A fair amount of thermal compound found their way into the gaps between
the heatpipes and mounting plate.
Heatsink mounted on our test platform.The tension on the pushpins of the HDT-D1264 was much higher than usual, suggesting that the distance between
base and final pushpin position is smaller than on most coolers. We highly recommend this heatsink be installed outside the case as a lot of force
is required to engage each pushpin Once on, it was firmly mated —
it would not rotate, even when moderate force was applied. Expect the
corners of the heatsink base to leave marks on the heatspreader (and vice
versa). It’s a bit nerve-racking having pieces of plastic holding up this
much weight. As with the VX, the cooler can be rotated to suit your individual
needs, but the majority of AMD users will be forced to have the heatpipes
either pointing downward or upward (in any tower case).
TESTING
Testing was done according to our
unique heatsink testing methodology, and the reference fan was profiled
using our standard fan testing
methodology. A quick summary of the components, tools, and procedures
follows below.
Key Components in Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel
Pentium D 950 Presler core. TDP of 130W; under our test load, it measures
78W including efficiency losses in the VRMs. - ASUS
P5LD2-VM motherboard. A basic microATX board with integrated graphics
and plenty of room around the CPU socket. - Samsung
MP0402H 40GB 2.5" notebook drive - 1
GB stick of Corsair XMS2 DDR2 memory. - FSP
Zen 300W fanless power supply. - Arctic
Silver Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface
material, designed specifically for test labs.
Test Tools
- Seasonic
Power Angel for measuring AC power at the wall to ensure that the
heat output remains consistent. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply,
used to regulate the fan speed during the test. - Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) model 2203 Sound Level
Meter. Used to accurately measure noise down to 20 dBA and below. - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented
in our standard fan testing
methodology.
Software Tools
- SpeedFan
4.32, used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensor. This sensor is not
calibrated, so results are not universally applicable - CPUBurn
P6, used to stress the CPU heavily, generating more heat than most
real applications. Two instances are used to ensure that both cores are stressed. - Throttlewatch
2.01, used to monitor the throttling feature of the CPU to determine
when overheating occurs.
Noise measurements were made with the fan powered from the lab’s variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements.
Load testing was accomplished using CPUBurn to stress
the processor, and the graph function in SpeedFan was used to make sure that
the load temperature was stable for at least ten minutes. The stock fan was
tested at various voltages to represent a good cross-section of its airflow
and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 19 dBA and 20°C.
TEST RESULTS
Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX
The VX’s stock fan, made by Everflow, looks similar to the one used by the
original Big Typhoon, of course it would since they are both painted orange.
It pulls slightly less wattage yet spins significantly faster. Coincidentally,
the original Hong Sheng fan’s maximum speed of 1300 RPM is the Everflow’s
fan’s rated minimum speed.
The VX stock fan.
Big Typhoon VX: Stock Fan Measurements Fan Voltage Fan Speed SPL@1m 12V ~2110 RPM 40 dBA 9V ?? 33 dBA 7V ?? 26 dBA 6V ?? 23 dBA 5V ?? ~19 dBAMeasuring the stock fan’s rotational speed proved difficult. For some unknown reason, our tachometer
could not get a proper reading as the fan was spinning. As we use a variable
DC fan controller to adjust the fan voltage, we could not attach the 3-pin
header to a motherboard for a proper reading. If we did, we would not
be able to control the voltage with any degree of accuracy. We tried to get
around this by rewiring the RPM sensing wire to its own 3-pin plug, and tried
it with two different motherboards, but neither could pick up the fan’s actual
speed. With the fan connected via 3-pin header on the motherboard, the strock fan speed controller
could control it from 1500 (29 dBA) to 2110 RPM (40 dBA). We estimate the
lower limit of the controller to be about 8V.
Big Typhoon VX
with stock fan Fan Voltage Noise @1m Temp °C Rise °C/W 12V 40 dBA 38°C 18 0.23 9V 33 dBA 39°C 19 0.24 7V 25 dBA 42°C 22 0.28 6V 23 dBA 48°C 28 0.36 5V ~19 dBA 50°C 30 0.38 Big Typhoon VX with reference fan 12V 22 dBA 41°C 21 0.27 9V ~19 dBA 44°C 24 0.31 7V <19 dBA 51°C 31 0.40 5V <19 dBA 60°C 40 0.51Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~10 mins.
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (20°C) at load.
°C/W: based on the amount of heat dissipated by the CPU (measured
78W); lower is better.Fan @ 12V: The stock fan was producing an unbearable 40 dBA — it was
just plain loud. Cooling was good, as one would expect, but couldn’t match
the performance of the better tower heatsinks, despite the high airflow and
accompanying noise level.Fan @ 9V: At 33 dBA, it was still far too loud for our liking. The higher
airflow at 12V was masking a fair amount of buzzing, which became more noticeable
at 9V. Performance was more or less the same — it’s obvious the
fan does not need to be anywhere near 2000 RPM.Fan @ 7V: The fan was fairly smooth sounding, but there was some undesirable,
underlying tonality. Still too loud for our liking. The CPU temperature raised
an extra 3°C.Fan @ 6V: There was a low-pitch buzz coming from the motor. The overall noise
level is okay, but the type of noise is distracting. At this level the temperature
finally increased a significant amount: 6°C.Fan @ 5V: The overall acoustics remained the same, just at a lower level.
At one foot it sounds similar to the fan at 6V from one meter away.Our reference Nexus 120mm fan seemed to work much better, possibly due to
higher static pressure. At 12V and only 22 dBA, it performed better than the
stock fan at 7V and 25 dBA. That’s the difference between annoying and just
noticeable. But like the stock fan, performance suffered greatly at lower
fan speeds. At 7V and below, °C Rise was greater than 30. At 5V, it was
40 — abysmal for a heatsink of the VX’s size, weight, and price.
Big Typhoon VX vs. Big TyphoonStock Fan Fan Voltage Big Typhoon VX Big Typhoon SPL@1m °C Rise SPL@1m °C Rise 12V 40 dBA 18 25 dBA 24 9V 33 dBA 19 21 dBA 27 7V 25 dBA 22 ~19 dBA 32 5V ~19 dBA 30 <19 dBA 44 Reference Fan 12V 22 dBA 21 22 dBA 24 9V ~19 dBA 24 ~19 dBA 27 7V <19 dBA 31 <19 dBA 35 5V <19 dBA 40 <19 dBA 45Compared to the original Big Typhoon, the VX’s fan gives it a broader range
of airflow and SPL. When turned downed to more or less equivalent sound levels,
the VX pulls ahead of its predecessor by a couple of degrees. The results
when using the reference fan showed more improvement, suggesting the change
in mounting system should take most of the credit.
Xigmatek HDT-D1264
The stock fan’s model number is the same as the one on the HDT-S1283. It was a touch different, but the fan speed and noise level are more or less the
same.
Xigmatek stock fan.
HDT-D1264 Stock Fan Measurements Fan Voltage Fan Speed Noise Level 12V 1370 RPM 27 dBA @1m 11V 1250 RPM 24 dBA @1m10V
980 RPM 20 dBA @1m 9V 550 RPM ~19 dBA @1m
HDT-D1264 w/ stock
fan Fan Voltage Noise @1m Temp °C Rise °C/W 12V 27 dBA 44°C 24 0.31 11V 24 dBA 44°C 24 0.31 10V 20 dBA 46°C 26 0.33 9V ~19 dBA 49°C 29 0.38 HDT-D1264 w/ reference fan 12V 22 dBA 40°C 20 0.26 9V ~19 dBA 42°C 22 0.28 7V <19 dBA 44°C 24 0.31 5V <19 dBA 51°C 31 0.40Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~10 mins.
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (20°C) at load.
°C/W: based on the amount of heat dissipated by the CPU (measured
78W); lower is better.Fan @ 12V: There was mostly turbulent noise combined with some buzzing. The
overall sound level was a bit distracting. Cooling performance was good,
not great. A far cry from the best tower heatsinks.Fan @ 11V: The type of noise was similar, only less so. The buzzing became
more faint, but was still evident close-up. The overall sound would fall away
into the background if one was sufficiently distracted or concentrating on
another matter. Surprisingly, the temperature did not change from 12V. 24°C
above ambient appeared to be the limit of the heatsink’s performance with
the stock fan and no additional airflow would help it further.Fan @ 10V: At this level, the noise it produced was fairly benign, almost
pleasant. At close range there was some low-pitched buzzing. The CPU temperature
only increased by 2°C.Fan @ 9V: The frequency of the buzzing slowed to the point where it was just
slightly ticking, but it was only audible from inches away. At one meter,
it blended away into the background. Thermal performance dropped by an additional
3°C.Results with the stock fan were decent, though far from stellar. What’s most
amazing is the spread of temperature readings: Only 5°C separated 1370
RPM from 550 RPM. Varying the airflow changed the CPU temperature very little
— that’s a testament to the efficiency of the heatsink.The reference fan improved the HDT-D1264’s performance further, just as it
did with the VX. The Nexus 120mm delivered moderately better temperatures
with lower noise levels across the board.
Comparables
Compared with other top-down cooler’s we’ve tested in the past with our reference
120mm fan, the Big Typhoon VX comes in dead last, behind the Thermalright
SI-128. The VX is also the heaviest and most expensive of the five, making
its performance even more disappointing. The HDT-D1264 fared much better,
especially with low airflow, placing right in the middle of the pack, ahead
of the SI-128, but behind both the Scythe Andy and Asus Triton 75. However
it was only out performed by Asus Triton 75 by one or two degrees at each
fan speed, well within margins of error. We consider them tied for second
place.
Top-down Cooler Showdown:
Thermal Rise Comparisons using reference 120mm fan Fan Voltage SPL@1m Scythe Andy Asus Triton 75 HDT-D1264 TR
SI-128 Big Typhoon VX 12V 22 dBA 16 18 20 21 21 9V ~19 dBA 20 20 22 26 24 7V <19 dBA 24 23 24 29 31 5V <19 dBA 29 30 31 34 40
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high resolution, studio quality, digital recording system, then converted to LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation from the original WAV files. It represents a quick snapshot of what we heard during the review. The recordings contain ~10 seconds of the heatsink fan sound at each speed tested, with 5~7 seconds of ambient between each level.
The recording begins with the ambient noise of the test room. Please set your playback volume so that the ambient noise is almost inaudible.
Xigmatek HDT-D1264 with stock fan at 5V, 7V, 9V and 12V at 1m (For best results, save the sound file to your own PC, then listen.)
Big Typhoon VX with stock fan at 5V, 7V, 9V and 12V at 1m (For best results, save the sound file to your own PC, then listen.)
Reference Comparatives
Nexus "Real Silent 120mm fan" at 5V, 7V, 9V and 12V at 1m
Scythe Andy Samurai Master w/stock fan at 5V, 7V, 9V and 12V at 1m
The recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness. For best results, set your volume control so that the ambient noise is just barely audible. Be aware that very quiet noises may not be audible — if we couldn’t hear it from one meter, chances are we couldn’t record it either!
More details about how we make audio recordings can be found in our article: Audio Recording Methods Revised.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The power consumption of the test system did not drop with these heatsinks compared
to when we tested traditional tower heatsinks. So the idea that inadequate motherboard
component cooling contributes to overheating and decreased efficiency
was not borne out in our tests. But this is only one platform, and it’s an open bench system; nothing conclusive can be said about top-down versus cross-board airflow. The bottom line is that if you’re concerned about component longevity, the better
top-down coolers are good enough for use with all modern desktop
CPUs.
While it cannot compete with the heavyweight towers, the Xigmatek HDT-D1264 isn’t
exactly chopped liver. The direct touch technology didn’t perform quite as well here
as it did in the S1283 or SD964, but it’s still easily one of the best top-down
heatsinks you can buy. With moderate airflow, it is only marginally outperformed by some popular tower heatsinks, like the Scythe Ninja Copper. The stock fan is quite decent, becoming very quiet when undervolted. The
mounting system is also very secure, though it still worries us to have that
much weight held up by plastic pushpins. Depending on the price, the D1264
could be a good buy; note that the Scythe Andy
and Asus Triton 75 can be found online for as low as $35 USD.
The Big Typhoon VX is improved over the original with a simpler,
more effective mounting system. However the
fan was born in the depths of hell. Even the mention of the word "quiet"
on the VX’s product page is
offensive. 16 dBA is its listed SPL at 1300 RPM, but
the only way it could measure this low is from several rooms away.
The nasty noise signature drives the nails into the coffin. As a low airflow heatsink, it’s pitiful. With high airflow it performs well,
but there are many alternatives that can match its performance without resorting
to a 40 dBA fan. The word that best describes it is "inefficient."
One would expect a cooler of its size to be a tour de force, but this behemoth
turned out to be a puits de insuffisance. It also costs a pricey $55 USD so
it’s impossible for us to recommend — there are many
much better choices.
Xigmatek HDT-D1264 | |
PROS * Excellent cooling | CONS * Fan is a bit louder than necessary |
Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX | |
PROS * Fan speed controller | CONS * Poor performance with low airflow |
Our thanks to Thermaltake
and Xigmatek for
the heatsink samples.
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Articles of Related Interest
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 &
SD964 "heatpipe direct-touch" CPU coolers
Akasa
AK-965 socket 775 tower cooler
Ninja Copper: Scythe’s 5th
Year Celebration
Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro: The Alpine 7
Revisited
Asus Triton 75 CPU Cooler
Scythe Andy Samurai Master CPU heatsink/fan
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