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Comparables
The Hyper Z600 performs similarly to the Scythe Ninja Copper, another behemoth
in both size and weight. Considering its dimensions and the ordeal of installation,
we expected better. We can only hypothesize that the big gap between the fan and the
center of the heatsink limits it. If the Z600 was
a simple square-shaped block like the Scythe Ninja/Copper, it probably would
fare better. It would also fare better with a higher speed fan, but then there'd be the the issue of greater noise.
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Comparison: °C Rise Above Ambient Temperature
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Reference 120 Fan
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Ultra-120 eXtreme
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Xigmatek S1283
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Scythe Ninja CU
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Hyper Z600
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Scythe Andy
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12V
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12
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13
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17
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17
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16
|
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9V
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14
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15
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18
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19
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20
|
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7V
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17
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18
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20
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21
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24
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5V
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24
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22
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23
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25
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29
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FINAL THOUGHTS
The Cooler Master Hyper Z600 looks very impressive, but it does not take the heavyweight heatsink crown — at least not for cooling performance with a low speed fan. It's tall and has plenty of
surface area, but its shape makes it challenging for a low-speed fan.
That said, it still performs extremely well, more or less matching the
Scythe Ninja Copper.
Like the Ninja Copper, its size and large surface area makes it a viable option for
passive cooling, although not with the hottest processors. It should
have no problem cooling a mid-range Intel or AMD processor without a fan.
Compared to the competition, the Z600's installation process is tedious.
While we can see why they opted for tightening the assembly from the motherboard's
underside — the heatsink's size leaves very little room over the standard
LGA775 mounting holes — better hardware should have been used. The current hardware and mounting procedure is quite a pain.
We don't know exactly how much the Z600 will end up costing on the retail market
— we suspect it will be at least around $50. There's heavy competition in that price range. The Xigmatek
HDT-S1283, especially, with its low cost, size, weight, and exceptional performance
is an immediate competitor not easily countered. The Hyper Z600 is a very good, quiet cooler when equipped with a low speed fan; but mated with a high speed fan, we suspect it will enjoy greater success with the overclocking and gaming crowd .
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Cooler Master Hyper Z600
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PROS
* Great performance
* Dual-fan ready
* Very secure mounting
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CONS
* Gigantic
* Heavy
* Difficult installation |
Our thanks to Cooler
Master for the Hyper Z600 heatsink sample.
POSTSCRIPT - May 27, 2008
The question of whether the gap between the fan and the fins could be closed — and what the effect of this might be — came up in the forum discussion of this review. It was a simple experiment to try. A piece of ordinary packing tape was used to block the hole at the top. The bottom portion was left open, as it's needed for VRM cooling anyway.
The result was a small but measurable 2°C improvement in cooling at all fan speeds. There was no impact on noise. This experiment demonstrates clearly that there is a significant loss of airflow — an airflow short-circuit — caused by the big gap between the fan and the center of the heatsink fins. Using a square-shaped cover rather than one that's the same X-shape as the fins would improve performance.
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Cooler Master Hyper Z600
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Fan Voltage
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SPL @1m
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Gap open (normal)
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Gap closed (taped)
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12V
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22 dBA
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39°C
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37°C
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9V
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~19 dBA
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41°C
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39°C
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7V
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<19 dBA
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43°C
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41°C
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5V
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<19 dBA
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47°C
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45°C
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| Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~15 mins. |
Articles of Related Interest
Thermaltake V1: "Peacock
Tail" Cooler
Thermaltake MaxOrb Heatpipe
Cooler: Maximum Orbness
Two Big Top-downers: Big
Typhoon VX & Xigmatek HDT-D1284
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 &
SD964 "heatpipe direct-touch" CPU coolers
Akasa AK-965 socket 775
tower cooler
Ninja Copper: Scythe's 5th Year
Celebration
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Discuss this article in the SPCR forums.
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