new thermalright HTPC heatsink

charonme · Post by **charonme** » Thu May 29, 2008 11:22 pm

Dimension: L145 x W147 x H70.2 mm
Weight:550g (Heatsink only)

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:25 am

Fin spacing is a little tight, which might not be the best for low RPM fans, but otherwise it looks like another quality unit from Thermalright.

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:52 am

Looks promising despite the tight fin spacing.

Whats the height of that thing?
Cant seem to find the answer myself.

Felger Carbon · Post by **Felger Carbon** » Fri May 30, 2008 11:32 am

jhhoffma wrote:Fin spacing is a little tight...

Fin spacing?? Look, the cooling grid is 140mm wide. There are 6ea 6mm heat-pipes that double back, meaning 12 heat-pipes total. The pic reveals that these are side-by side. 12ea 6mm heat-pipes is 72mm total, leaving only 68mm (less than 50%) air space side-to-side, and you're worrying about fin spacing? I yi yi!

For those readers who could not follow the above, the air flow from the fan is, um, slightly impeded (cough). Trust me!

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Fri May 30, 2008 11:37 am

Yes i expect this to be a great performing cooler, almost certainly the best non-tower out there. But its far from ideal for low rpm setups. and since HTPC's are naturally more concerned about noise than low temps, this seems odd.
Still, i expect it would sell well.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Fri May 30, 2008 1:28 pm

Looks nice but it might take for sometimes to get in market. Only new cooler than Thermalright had on their webpages was TRUE Black edition... But that definately looks well worthy cooler.

chahahc · Post by **chahahc** » Fri May 30, 2008 4:47 pm

On a side note, is Thermalright actually serious about their heatsink cases?!?!...

....The website shows a picture of a black version of their HSC-100 concept heatsink case that they demoed at COMPUTEX 2007....

MC FLMJIG · Post by **MC FLMJIG** » Sat May 31, 2008 12:46 pm

Looks really nice but pricey

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Sat May 31, 2008 3:41 pm

I'd like to know more about the AXP-140. The image shows the heat pipes in a radial spacing, so clearance might not be as tight as if they were in the same plane. Without inspection, it can't be determined.

I'm a fan of downdraft coolers, and this looks to give the Zipang some competition. 140mm fan variety is still sparse, but I expect that to increase when the Evercool EC-14025x12E line becomes available.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:46 am

Felger Carbon wrote:
jhhoffma wrote:Fin spacing is a little tight...
Fin spacing?? Look, the cooling grid is 140mm wide. There are 6ea 6mm heat-pipes that double back, meaning 12 heat-pipes total. The pic reveals that these are side-by side. 12ea 6mm heat-pipes is 72mm total, leaving only 68mm (less than 50%) air space side-to-side, and you're worrying about fin spacing? I yi yi!

For those readers who could not follow the above, the air flow from the fan is, um, slightly impeded (cough). Trust me!

I need to enable a zoom feature on my pictures before commenting...could even see the middle heatpipes upon first glance.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:40 am

Hello,

Comparing the Thermalright AXP-140 with the Scythe Zipang, it looks like the former's heatpipe configuration is superior -- both ends of each heatpipe "pass through" the fins. And the fins are shallower, so this might help it work with a lower speed fan?

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:06 am

I agree. The heat pipe location on my three Zipang coolers appears to be an after thought. I have a feeling the AXP-140 will outcool the Zipang with the same fan installed.

But... Zipang is available now and is not vapor ware. As with all TR products, I suspect the AXP-140 will be vastly over priced, even without a fan. At this level of cooler quality, money is really secondary to performance.

Hopefully TR does more base preparation work on the AXP-140 and provides a true flat base that does not require lapping.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:13 pm

bgavin wrote:I agree. The heat pipe location on my three Zipang coolers appears to be an after thought. I have a feeling the AXP-140 will outcool the Zipang with the same fan installed.

But... Zipang is available now and is not vapor ware. As with all TR products, I suspect the AXP-140 will be vastly over priced, even without a fan. At this level of cooler quality, money is really secondary to performance.

Hopefully TR does more base preparation work on the AXP-140 and provides a true flat base that does not require lapping.

I second everything you said.

BTW, that TR monster is 900g, so it sure is in need of the bolt through kit.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:38 pm

I'm beginning to think that Thermalright should be replaced by "Thermalwrong" and just avoided most of the time.

Looks good, but it has serious flaws in the basic design. I'm beginning to think that they design stuff on a computer by looks and aesthetics instead of hard-core engineering and testing.

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:17 pm

Plekto wrote:I'm beginning to think that Thermalright should be replaced by "Thermalwrong" and just avoided most of the time.

Looks good, but it has serious flaws in the basic design. I'm beginning to think that they design stuff on a computer by looks and aesthetics instead of hard-core engineering and testing.

They do seem to be trying to bridge the gap between those wanting the best performance and those wanting the nicest looking one. They still havnt given in to slapping LED's all over their products though, thank god.

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:55 am

I have a computer engineering background, and unfortunately the marketing people have a significant say in product design. Guys with tassles on their shoes should be locked out of engineering labs.

The new AXP-140 continues the TR tradition of no additional cooling block on the cpu mount. That is wasted, empty real estate that could otherwise be useful for cooling. Then again, TR would have to release a whole new bolt-through mounting system.

Perhaps Scythe will release Zipang-II, modifed for optimal cooling at low flow volume, and the heat pipes relocated for absolute maximum heat transfer to the fins under a 140mm fan. I still think the Zipang started out as a 120mm cooler, and the wing span was increased (probably by marketing types).

charonme · Post by **charonme** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:54 am

bgavin wrote:no additional cooling block on the cpu mount. That is wasted, empty real estate that could otherwise be useful

Maybe they tried a version with an additional cooling block and the performance difference wasn't worth the costs? Maybe it's good for the air when there are no additional obstacles?

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:33 am

One cannot argue with the success of the TRUE cooler. Perhaps the AXP-140 will be the equivalent of the TRUE, in a down-draft package. I would be a buyer if that is the case.

The bolt-through mounting kit is a huge deciding factor when choosing a heavy cooler. The only negative I've seen on the TRUE is the consistent lack of quality finish in the base. Time and again, reviewers and members comment about the need to lap the base. That is a big choking point, considering the very high price of the cooler. I hope TR rectifies that problem with the AXP-140.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:13 am

The problem with the cooler is that they need to get rid of every other fin. If they made the same exact design with wide as possible fins - like the Ninja, then it would work far better. Stick a Silent Wheel or similar 130-150mm fan on it as well - loads of airflow at low rpms.

All I see when I look at a design like that is it clogging with dust in a couple of months.

Luminair · Post by **Luminair** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:37 pm

bgavin wrote:I have a computer engineering background, and unfortunately the marketing people have a significant say in product design. Guys with tassles on their shoes should be locked out of engineering labs.

The new AXP-140 continues the TR tradition of no additional cooling block on the cpu mount. That is wasted, empty real estate that could otherwise be useful for cooling. Then again, TR would have to release a whole new bolt-through mounting system.

apparently computer engineers aren't experts on this topic, because there is not necessarily a reason to put fins on the heat pipe block

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:16 pm

chahahc · Post by **chahahc** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:20 pm

The AXP-140 is out at the heatsink factory. http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalr ... ooler.html

Reviews should start popping up soon, hopefully.

charonme · Post by **charonme** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:09 am

I'm very disappointed by the intel socket restriction

, the tight fin spacing and not the most efficient design possible

They could have at least redirected 2 or 3 of the shorter heatpipes to the front fins which currently have no heatpipes going thru them.
The low height (7cm) is good, but could be even less.

I hope someone will try the am2 boltthru kit with it and report back

yamahaSHO · Post by **yamahaSHO** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:31 am

I would agree that the fin spacing it too tight. I got rid of my TRUE for a Ninja 2 because of the noisy-tight fins. My Ninja has been quite while the cooling has been about the same or better given that I don't want a fan spinning at 15,000 RPM to force air through the cooler. This won't ever be an option for me.

Luminair wrote:
bgavin wrote:I have a computer engineering background, and unfortunately the marketing people have a significant say in product design. Guys with tassles on their shoes should be locked out of engineering labs.

The new AXP-140 continues the TR tradition of no additional cooling block on the cpu mount. That is wasted, empty real estate that could otherwise be useful for cooling. Then again, TR would have to release a whole new bolt-through mounting system.
apparently computer engineers aren't experts on this topic, because there is not necessarily a reason to put fins on the heat pipe block

Ummm... With all that space, it could only HELP to put some sort of extra cooling fins on the block.

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:24 pm

yamahaSHO wrote: Ummm... With all that space, it could only HELP to put some sort of extra cooling fins on the block.

How can you know for certain? Adding fins increases surface area, but also ads another level of resistance to heat transfer(conduction through the fins). With so many huge heatpipes, which have incredibly low thermal resistance, I can't see a few fins making a large difference. Even if they do make some improvement, it might not be economical to machine fins into the base, or maybe they want to minimize materials used as to maximize profit?

yamahaSHO · Post by **yamahaSHO** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:14 pm

I can tell you that the extra fins won't create heat

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:26 am

yamahaSHO wrote:I can tell you that the extra fins won't create heat

but like I said, it does add resistance, and cost to Thermalright. They're out to make money after all...

yamahaSHO · Post by **yamahaSHO** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:55 am

ryboto wrote:
yamahaSHO wrote:I can tell you that the extra fins won't create heat
but like I said, it does add resistance, and cost to Thermalright. They're out to make money after all...

Resistance to what? The heat is going to go to the path of least resistance. The heat pipes are already going through a base. Adding something above it isn't adding any resistance. It's add more cooling surface and more material to manage the heat before getting to the surface area for cooling.

My decision to choose a heatsink isn't influenced by a company making money, I choose by design and operation. I spend $35 for my Ninja 2's which also make use of the space.

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:28 pm

yamahaSHO wrote:
ryboto wrote:
yamahaSHO wrote:I can tell you that the extra fins won't create heat
but like I said, it does add resistance, and cost to Thermalright. They're out to make money after all...
Resistance to what? The heat is going to go to the path of least resistance. The heat pipes are already going through a base. Adding something above it isn't adding any resistance. It's add more cooling surface and more material to manage the heat before getting to the surface area for cooling.

My decision to choose a heatsink isn't influenced by a company making money, I choose by design and operation. I spend $35 for my Ninja 2's which also make use of the space.

Unless it's thermally superconductive(is there such a thing?), adding any material is going to add resistance to heat transfer. It will also add surface area. I mentioned this the first time I posted. Adding material above the base both adds surface area and resistance to heat transfer, because you've added material the heat must conduct through before convection to the air can take place.

As I said, the thermal resistance of the heatpipes is already so damn low, adding a block of aluminum might not be a.) economically worth it, b.) thermally advantageous, or c.) both.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:19 pm

Ahh, but as long as the heat is being conducted away from the core, does it matter? I don't care if my heatsink is scalding hot (well, maybe I do for safety sake), isn't the objective to keep the processor cool?

new thermalright HTPC heatsink

new thermalright HTPC heatsink

wasted space?

what a shame