HR-02 CPU Macho Cooler with 140mm PWM Fan for $39.95 MSRP
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=62

What are they cutting out for reach this price? At this price, this looks like a Scythe Mugen killer.

Compare with the $70-$80 street price of the regular HR-02 without any fan:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11659 ... 61366.html

http://www.svc.com/hr-02.html

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... s_id=28955

Seems really attractive at $40, but i doubt that the price we are going to see at retail.

Do you think the stated MSRP of $39.95 is an error?

I want to know, can we run this CPU cooler in passive WITHOUT fan, like the original HR-02?

There are some physical differences between this and the original HR-02, outlined here:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?o ... mitstart=5

But will those differences affect fanless cooling ability?

Strange as it may seem, if you want to go all passive, you want to use the HR-01 over the larger HR-02. And the HR-01 wasn't bad with a fan either.

There is a terrific comparison in photographs on this Chiphell forum thread. The photographs speak for themselves and you can see that the Macho has one less fin layer.

and another Chiphell thread compares performance of new vs old. Google translate does a poor job, but you can look at the numbers in the table and it's clear that forced airflow performance is very close, but the classic HR02 takes a clear lead in passive operation. However, I would consider this test in isolation, the difference may just be purely due to how well the user installed the heatsinks for testing (personally I've seen differences this large on the same H50 heatsink after re mounting) No doubt other comparisons will appear on other websites soon and a clearer pattern may emerge. Already though, this HR02 Macho looks like a nice deal.

The HR-01 is older than the HR-02, I'm pretty sure the 02 is superior for passive so I'm not even considering the 01.

Waiting for review sites to post comparison results between HR-02 and HR-02 Macho, running passive!

Regarding HR-02 vs HR-01 for passive cooling see this post where MikeC wrote:

here's a review
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=62

for our purposes (quiet cooling) this review doesn't really give us a good comparison against other coolers though :S

I think has one less layer to fit taller ram heatspreaders, but i still doubt it will be able to fit memory like Corsair Vengance.

Hopping its not, this is the cooler im trying to get for Sandy Bridge E, as both memory banks are to the sides, so just going to go with low profile heatspreaders. Thermalright has very good coolers but most of the time they are expensive, maybe they are trying to compete in the low end segment as they have barley any presence there, crossing my fingers for it to be real, even at $50 i think its good deal.

I would submit that it does. It gives us information about its cooling ability with the thermalright fan. And my recollection is that SPCR has tested the fan (which is the source of the noise). The test also compares performance with the Venomous X using the same Delta High Speed Fan ... showing the venomous to be about 3C better at cooling. Not bad soundwise and not bad coolingwise.

I hope they'll be available soon. But I'll look for that extra long screwdriver first before ordering one, sigh...

Here are some more comparative test results. It isn't bad, especially at lower thermal loads. And even at load, its performance compares well against the very best of the CPU air coolers and even the Antec h20 Kuhler (a strong water cooler). It does this all with a very quiet fan.

In my opinion just right for the Sandy Bridges and the upcoming Ivy Bridge CPUs.
http://www.rwlabs.com/article.php?cat=& ... genumber=6

The review made by Benchmark Reviews was updated.

Before it was bad for HR-02 Macho but now BmR recommends the cooler with praise.

To change the conclusion, they changed the heatsink orientation.

Another review,

[H]ardOCP Thermalright HR-02 Macho CPU Air Cooler Review

Looks to me that the Mugen has just been dethroned as the most cooler per buck with good sound characteristics.

Would this fit in a Solo (with Asus P8Z68-V PRO)?

Oddly, the HR-02 Macho is not compatible with this motherboard according to Thermalright.

http://www.thermalright.com/layout/syst ... BcToGtdZpw

Note that the original HR-02 is.

http://www.thermalright.com/layout/syst ... XzznjpRogA

Would it be a wrong?

The mounting bracket is a little different.... but that much, its weird, a lot of asus mobo aren't.

Can it fit in a Solo with another board?

Why would it not fit?

On sale at Frozen CPU for $42.99 but "Out of Stock"
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/13834 ... 2_AM3.html

I spent more for an HR-01 not too long ago and that was without any fan.

Nice, hell i just bought a normal HR02 (my second one), but i just couldnt wait. I would like to see how is the mounting system up close to see why the asus mobos are incompatible.

I got mine a bit earlier than expected, so it's kinda sitting here with nowhere to be installed right now. If I can keep myself from exchanging the current CPU cooler just to try it out when I'm expecting to rebuild the system as soon as Bulldozer comes out... Anyway it's as heafty looking as in the pictures, but I think one can feel where Thermalright might have simplified to cut costs. While I haven't seen the original HR-02 first hand, the fins on the Macho doesn't feel quite like what I've been used to from them. They're relatively flimsy and having a standard press fitting to the heatpipes. Aparently the robot/worker that put this one together placed one of the metal clips in the wrong hole, though that made no other difference than the fan sitting ever so slightly loose on one side and easily corrected.

Not complaining at all though as the rest is excellent. I couldn't care for nickle plated pipes and the fastening system looks solid. Even the instructions are clear, though not mentioning the need for a long screwdriver if mounting on a motherboard inside a case. The lack of an included screwdriver was less of a problem than I had feared thanks to the width of the through-fin hole. A simple extender to a typical bits screwdriver fits in there unless it's exceptionally bulky. It's about 19mm between its closest edges all the way through.

Have not tried the fan, as while it looks nice it might both eat up precious space near the memory slots of a Bulldozer platform, and at a spec'ed minimum of 900 r/min could be a wee bit noisy for my very quiet system. I'll give it a chance when the time comes. Perhaps a good motherboard can extend the range a wee bit downwards.

I think 900rpm is the least you can start it, or thats what i guess, but the fan can go lower, i have mine running at 700rpm and i seen some that have it at 600rpm (i personally haven't tried that low), but some fans do requiere certain voltage to start, i think thats whats the 900rpm reflects.