Thermalright XP-120

DryFire · Post by **DryFire** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:51 pm

CactusInvasion wrote:
bobov wrote:No, This initial release of the XP-120 is for Pentium 4 only. A future release will have an additional bracket for AMD K8 processors. So be patient.
Stock Coolers do not engender patience.

is the a64 stock cooler that bad?

I should be getting my a64 by mid next week.

halcyon · Post by **halcyon** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 3:10 am

No it's not that bad for (on A64), if you don't stress your cpu huge amounts or overclock.

Yes it is audibly noisier than good solutions at high cpu load, but in basic use it's pretty ok.

But then again, this is SPCR, so the requirements are more tight.

By SPCR standards it needs to be replaced, of course

DryFire · Post by **DryFire** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:44 pm

wll at night it won't b stressed really so i don't think it should get too loud.

Nowhere_man · Post by **Nowhere_man** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 3:29 pm

bobov wrote:Although sidewindercomputers.com is cheaper than svc.com, they will force you to buy a 120mm fan with XP-120.

Hmmm...that's interesting. Did you buy it from them (sidewinder)?

I noticed the "no fan" option at the bottom of the page.

Out of stock right now.

shathal · Post by **shathal** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 5:11 pm

Wahhh.

Still none to be found (as best I can see) in the UK ...

*grmbl*

bobov · Post by **bobov** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 6:46 pm

Nowhere_man wrote:
bobov wrote:Although sidewindercomputers.com is cheaper than svc.com, they will force you to buy a 120mm fan with XP-120.
Hmmm...that's interesting. Did you buy it from them (sidewinder)?

I noticed the "no fan" option at the bottom of the page.

Out of stock right now.

Oh, then they fixed that problem. (force you to buy a 120mm fan with it)

mdaniel · Post by **mdaniel** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:00 am

The ThermalRight XP-120 can be installed using the stock P4 heatsink retention bracket. This model is compatible with AMDÂ® Athlon64 3200+ and above, Athlon64 FX 3200+ and above, and IntelÂ® Pentium-4 Socket 478 3.2 GHz and above

This is from the ordering page at Heatsink Factory where I have one shipping today. Now I just need the Epox nforce3 board to be available so I can build my system. Will provide an update when I get it all together.

P_M_C · Post by **P_M_C** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 8:21 pm

I just spotted a review of this thing, in case anyone hasn't already found it listed on SystemCooling:

Review at Short-Media

Enjoy.

Tobi-Wan Kenobi · Post by **Tobi-Wan Kenobi** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 4:53 pm

Another review.

http://www.hartware.net/review_416.html

Translater can be located at this url: http://babelfish.altavista.com/

sPECtre · Post by **sPECtre** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 3:10 am

Thermalright's homepage now has a link to the install giudes as well as one for the compatible mobo's...

Mine(K8VSE deluxe) is listed as having capacitors that need to be bent "slightly" I don't like that idea AT ALL... has anyone tried it?

And they list A XP64 3200+ and above... would it be overkill for a 2800+ (especially when I'll activate Cool'n quiet)?

mdaniel · Post by **mdaniel** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 5:10 am

It fits on my Epox 8KDA3J without much problem. The memory has to be removed so that the first two hooks can be engaged, but the memory can still be isntalled below the heatsink. Added bonus is active cooling on my RAM. So far, my Idle temp is 35C (1C above case temp ) and my load is 49C with AS5 and a Panaflo 120 L1. AS5 has yet to be burned in also.

My VGA Silencer does clear the Xp-120, but I need to find a good small active cooler for the southbridge...any suggestions? My Silencer covers half the southbridge and there is only about an inche of clearance.

CoolGav · Post by **CoolGav** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:30 am

shathal, CPU City have them in stock now, along with the SB-2, whatever that is

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:04 am

P_M_C wrote:I just spotted a review of this thing, in case anyone hasn't already found it listed on SystemCooling:

Review at Short-Media

Enjoy.

that review has some dodgy mb compatibilty results, put more faith in what Thermalright's web page says

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:06 am

CoolGav wrote:shathal, CPU City have them in stock now, along with the SB-2, whatever that is

thats a cpu cooler too, might be a nice quiet effective unit as well with the right fan

dddp · Post by **dddp** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:17 am

Dos_Junkie wrote:it's really big, and the 12cm fan mounting option is awesome, but 12ch fans work best on caseflow rather than component cooling. They just don't move the air needed, and if they do, it's over a wider range (i.e. not specific enough).

I don't know though, it might have uses, but i think when reviews do come out, they'll end in:

"...it truely is an innovation for the silence market, but it simply doesn't cool as effectively as cheaper, smaller hsf out there..."

apparantly according to the short media review it cools just as well with a 92mm fan .... hmmm thinking of one of these http://www.pccasegear.com/prod1509.htm teamed up with the xp 120

Nefarious · Post by **Nefarious** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 8:29 am

jsut remeber that short-media tested the XP-120 with the mobo horizontal, and most of you have your mobo's vertical, so take that into consideration when reading the review. I'm sure you wouldn't see temp changes as high as short media. Just something to remeber

shathal · Post by **shathal** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:58 pm

I bought mine from CPUCITY the day they arrived (I was pestering them daily

).

Sorry about my absence, it's been kinda flood-induced...

NOW ON TO...

<drumm roll>

Shathal's mini-"review"-ette of the XP-120

First Impressions:
- "Blooming heck - that thing's HUGE" (upon opening the box). Followed by
- "Holy cow - it's as light as a feather...!" *gasp of surprise* upon lifting it.

Experiences
Right lads & ladies, let's get one thing straight. This thing is *BIG*. The first discussion we had (that is, 2 fellow techs I am slowly corrupting to the "silent side" and your humble narrator) a discussion about how to fit the critter.

The heatpipes look darn intimidating, and much like the SP-94 would have to be rotated into a particular direction to acheive best cooling. the sheer size of the critter seemed intimidating - "how on earth am I ever going to get that thing into mmy case" came to mind.

As it was, my impatience not to wait for a motherboard compatibility list ended up not being a harmful thing. Visual estimation indicated that I might have had to snip off a little from my D875PBZ's passive NB heatsink ... as it turned out, that was not necessary.

Orientation was only possible in one direction, really, with the heatpipes clearing the memory just about. It's a fit, but narrow (can't be helped with something that big, I reckon).

INSTALLATION:
OK, to admit it, I was a bit of an idiot with this. I needed to take the momtherboard out to remove the SP-94 and put back the default P4 heatsink "holding" mechanism (thank buggery I kept ahold of that).

I then did the IDIOTIC thing and put the motherboard back into the case (putting in all the screws), and figuring out how to orient the XP-120, how to fit it.

Then I read how to attach it to the plastic HS-holding shroud. You need to lower four "claws" via the aid of a screwdriver ... an impossible feat with the motherboard in the chassis, as the PSU alone will block the access to at least two such "claws", and AGP/PCI cards could block the lower ones.

LESSON TO BE LEARNED:
Keep the motherboard out of the case to install this one...

Installation was a little arduous, as I had to figure out how much preassure to apply and how best to apply it. I finally did it in this method, making each of the claws "connect" a little, then pushing each down (in turn) to "propperly" hook in fully.

Then, for the third time that day, I got to put it all back in, connect everything up, and went to sleep (too tired to check the system out on how it performed, etc.)

Thermal Grease:
My personal preference lay with Arctic Silver Ceramique, properly applied.

The Fan...
The fan I got is an AccoustiFan 120 mm - a tad pricey, but light weight and (as it turned out) certainly seems to live up to its name. QUIET it is

.

NOTE:
There are two thin rubber straps which go onto the XP-120, between the fins and the fan. I figured out only after thinking about it that this is to reduce vibrations passing from the fan to the HS.

Clever. IMHO. Good thinking, ThermalRight

.

Performance
Let me put this straight. I was BLOWN AWAY. I stress-tested the CPU to the max, and at lower fan-voltages to all internal fans (the AF 120 for the XP-120, and 2x Enermax Alu 120mm fans, one for intake, one for out) I got up to 10 degrees better temps than the SP-94 !!!

So, this thing sure is a PRESCOTT PACIFIER

. A 3.4 GHz P4, that runs full whack, and I can have it run comfortably run at 60-odd *C (in summer, with filtered intake) ... at LOWER voltages than my SP-94/92mm Panaflo L1A combination ...

QUIETER ... AND ... COOLER. WOW

.

In Summary + opinion
I am absolutely flabberghasted. This thing is AMAZING. The performance (with the right fan) is just downright mindboggling. I was fearful of never having a really quiet high-end system, but the XP-120 has helped me out here. I am now happy with my system - mainly because the XP-120 lowered the temps so much that I could rev down the voltages for the fans with great comfort.

What's good? Pretty damn near everything. It's a featherweight compared to the SP-94, yet beats it hands-down in performance. ThermalRight have done a LOT of good thinking with that one.

What's bad / in need of improvement:
(1) Well, to be honest, I can see a few motherboards where this thing just isn't going to fit. It was a bit of a tight fit in my case, but not uncomfortably so (I didn't have to bend anything).

(2) Don't be stupid like me - mount that thing with the momtherboard OUT. The mounting mechanism is a little arduous, but to be honest, once it's on, it's damn solid. That said...

(3) ... connected to (2), I can forsee how REMOVING the mother is going to be a right pain. I've not tried it, and doubt I will need to in the near future (I certainly hope so). But if it becomes necessary, it certainly *SEEMS* like it's going to be painful.

These are the only negative blips I could find. The performance of the beast is amazing, I find. The "little" thought of the rubber vibration dampeners for the fan is darn good

. Lots of good thought went into this - ThermalRight did darn well.

Hope that people will find this helpful...

.

Edit:
AMD users will be happy to learn (in case they were concerned) that my XP-120 came by default with a mounting-plate + mechanism for K8-systems

. All included.

Cyver · Post by **Cyver** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 7:37 pm

For those of you that have this heatsink. Could you try and see if a fan pulling air off this heatsink works well instead of having it push air in? I am considering building a custom case and i was wondering if this HS would work well exhausting the CPU's heat straight out of the case. Some numbers would be great! I am thinking that it would probably need some kind of a shroud to be effective but curious to know what simply flipping the fan would do.

You can check out my custom case idea if you haven't seen it yet here:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=15052

Thanks

Nefarious · Post by **Nefarious** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 7:47 pm

I get 2C-3C lower temps when the fan is pulling air away from the heatsink rather than blowing air on the heatsink.

Makes sense IMO anyways. The heatpipes bring air to the top of the heatsink, why blow it back down anyways?

Cyver · Post by **Cyver** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 7:58 pm

Wow that is a nice difference. That is with an XP-120 with only the fan flipped and no other mods? Is the fan ducted to the outside? What kind of fan are you running? What about voltage? The 2to3 degrees difference that is at same voltage right?

Nefarious · Post by **Nefarious** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 8:17 pm

I'd expect to see a greater differnce in temps

currently using a 80mm M1A. The fan spins at 2500RPM.

I still don't know which 120mm fan to get yet. It's either a 120mm Panaflo M1A, or a SilenX 14db fan.

I think that the HS does alot of the work, and a low fan would be sufficent. Using the 80mm fan, my temps dropped from 56C to 44C under load. (using the stock intel fan, with the copper base, and AS5)

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 9:01 am

Hello:

NewEgg now has the XP-120, for $69 including shipping -- you get to choose your own fan!

mdaniel · Post by **mdaniel** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:02 am

An easier way to install this "critter."

I had no problem doing it with it installed in my case. I did remove the VGA card to gain some working room though.

1) Remove old CPU retention part.
2) Install Thermalright retention part.
3) Hold the HS at an angle, so that the side with the heatpipes is approximately 45 degrees above horizontal and the fin side is -45 degrees from horizontal. Then clip the first two clips to the retention clip while still holding the HS at an angle.
4) Lower the heatpipe end toward the remaining two clips/hooks by "rolling" it toward the last two clips. Hold it steady & flat with one hand. Grab a screwdriver in the other hand and secure the last two clips. It only took about 10 seconds to hook this "critter" up. It took longer to remove and install my video card than it did to hook up the HS.
5) Grab a beer and enjoy the cooling temps.

Smokeey · Post by **Smokeey** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 9:50 am

Shathal that was one awesome (mini) review! Big thanks for that - now I really really want one

Just gotta check to see if it fits my MSI mobo...

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:25 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hello:

NewEgg now has the XP-120, for $69 including shipping -- you get to choose your own fan!

That's a ridiculous price. Heatsinkfactory has them for $49 + shipping which should end up being at least $12-13 less than Newegg. Heatsinkfactory's good people to deal with also.

icancam · Post by **icancam** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:27 am

Ralf, perhaps Newegg's (as of this post) quoted price of $62.99 (and $6.00 shipping) is a data entry error? The Thermalright site lists a retail price of $49.95 for the XP-120 without a fan. The price being asked by Newegg would make sense only if a fan is included but none is mentioned or shown in their listing.

shathal · Post by **shathal** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:16 am

mdaniel wrote:An easier way to install this "critter."

I had no problem doing it with it installed in my case. I did remove the VGA card to gain some working room though.

1) Remove old CPU retention part.
2) Install Thermalright retention part.
3) Hold the HS at an angle, so that the side with the heatpipes is approximately 45 degrees above horizontal and the fin side is -45 degrees from horizontal. Then clip the first two clips to the retention clip while still holding the HS at an angle.
4) Lower the heatpipe end toward the remaining two clips/hooks by "rolling" it toward the last two clips. Hold it steady & flat with one hand. Grab a screwdriver in the other hand and secure the last two clips. It only took about 10 seconds to hook this "critter" up. It took longer to remove and install my video card than it did to hook up the HS.
5) Grab a beer and enjoy the cooling temps.

Note that this sounds like the AMD side of the story. The P4 side of things uses the "standard" P4 retention mount, which complicates things a little (and you need more space).

Also, if the mobo is out, you can visually check that the hooks "bit" right

.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:53 am

shathal wrote:
mdaniel wrote:An easier way to install this "critter."

I had no problem doing it with it installed in my case. I did remove the VGA card to gain some working room though.

1) Remove old CPU retention part.
2) Install Thermalright retention part.
3) Hold the HS at an angle, so that the side with the heatpipes is approximately 45 degrees above horizontal and the fin side is -45 degrees from horizontal. Then clip the first two clips to the retention clip while still holding the HS at an angle.
4) Lower the heatpipe end toward the remaining two clips/hooks by "rolling" it toward the last two clips. Hold it steady & flat with one hand. Grab a screwdriver in the other hand and secure the last two clips. It only took about 10 seconds to hook this "critter" up. It took longer to remove and install my video card than it did to hook up the HS.
5) Grab a beer and enjoy the cooling temps.
Note that this sounds like the AMD side of the story. The P4 side of things uses the "standard" P4 retention mount, which complicates things a little (and you need more space).

Also, if the mobo is out, you can visually check that the hooks "bit" right .

I've been playing with an XP-120 in my P4 rigs and mdaniel's method works OK if you don't feel like removing the mobo from the case.

shathal's right though, it's a big advantage to see the clips as you're installing it. The clips don't snap into the retention bracket very easily and seem to need a bit of nudge to get them to snap fully into position. Being able to get down and look at the clips from the side is very helpful, otherwise you're just sort of trusting that the clips are fully seated.

bobov · Post by **bobov** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:58 am

Ralf, which 120mm fan did you choose to combine with XP-120? I'm looking for a quiet 120mm fan mounted on the top of my XP-120 to cool my P4 3.0C well. Any suggestion? Thanks.

Thermalright XP-120

New review

Re: New review

NewEgg now has the XP-120

Re: NewEgg now has the XP-120