![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Thursday , August 26, 2010
- Author:
- Marc Adams
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Thermalright HR-02 Passive Processor Heatsink Review
Looking to cool a 130 watt processor with a passive heatsink? I am not sure many of us are, but if you are looking to silence a powerhouse enthusiast system, passive cooling is now a way you can go. We have a look at Thermalright's passive HR-02. And yes, you can put a "silent" fan on it as well if you wish.
Thermalright HR-02
We are very fortunate to have Thermalright send us an early sample of the HR-02, a cooler that has only just debuted at E3. It is a massive cooler as you will see from its specs and is designed to be used without a fan. You will still need good airflow within your case but this could in theory reduce the amount of fans you have by one. To add some flexibility, Thermalright does include two set of 120mm fan clips and two sets of 140mm fan clips in case you want extra cooling power. With everything Thermalright included I half expected them to name this cooler "The Kitchen Sink."
Package & Specs
I am pleased to see that Thermalright has returned to its plain brown boxing with the HR-02. Straight and to the point.
Dimensions: (L) 110mm x (W) 140mm x (H) 160mm
Weight: 860g (without Fan)
Material: Nickel plated copper heat pipes & base with aluminum cooling fins
Heat Pipes: 6 - full length, 6mm heat pipes
Compatibility:
- LGA 1366
- LGA 1156
- LGA 775
Intel
- AM2
- AM2+
- AM3
- 939
- Size: 120mm x 25mm
- Speed: 2000 RPM
- Noise Level: 21.0 dBA
- Max Air Flow: 78.0 CFM
AMD
Flatness & Contents
The base of the HR-02 is not flat though this is by design. According to Thermalright, it is built with a slight convex curve to create a better mating surface for the i7 line of CPUs.
As mentioned earlier, Thermalright includes a bunch of accessories and even a long neck Phillips screwdriver. This is out of sheer necessity as we’ll see in a bit.
Photos
A few shots of the HR-02 from various angles.
The HR-02 has an off-center stance which brings it closer to the rear exhaust fan of most computer cases. This provides it with a bit of airflow from fans already in place.
Take notice of the hole in the fins of the HR-02. It serves two purposes. First is to allow heat trapped between the fins to rise up and away. Second is to allow a spot for the included screwdriver to reach the screws to install the heat sink.
Installation & Contact
For such a large heat sink it was surprisingly easy to install. I hope a lot of other companies take note here as well. Even though Thermalright gave the HR-02 its off-center stance to provide it with some airflow from the rear case fan, it also has the best clearance of the DDR slots of any cooler this size. You can literally use any RAM you want without the HR-02 getting in the way. I don’t see why this off-center stance couldn’t be adopted to other coolers as well to provide the same clearance.
It seems the slight curve does not interfere with creating solid contact with the CPU. Let’s see how this thing performas.