Thermalright HR-05 SLI/IFX Chipset Cooler

Test Results & Final Conclusions:

The stock chipset HSF on the DFI board was extremely noisy when it would spin up to its full 7,000 RPM, and it drove me nuts! The BIOS allowed for setting the temperature at which the fan would go from a (relatively) quiet low RPM to the full speed jet engine with afterburners engaged. I had it set for 45°C, a modest chipset temperature for my overclocked system. My Opteron 165 / NF4 system runs at 290 FSB with the chipset at 1.6V. Practically any task I would do would result in the fan running at full speed (or even just idling at the Windows desktop), and I just couldn't take it anymore.

The rest of my system is very quiet, the CPU is water cooled and there are four 120mm fans all running at 7V. Just because a person likes to overclock doesn't mean their system has to be screaming loud, so stock the chipset cooler had to go. My first thought was to water cool the chipset, but because of how the video card is covering the chipset this made it impossible and severely limited my options. There are many coolers to choose from, but all the other brands were similar to my stock cooler in that they are low-profile with a fan embedded in them. I wanted something passive to eliminate the noise completely and Thermalright had just the product for me.

I would keep my office at about 77°F / 25°C, which is comfortable for me and my electric bill.

With the Thermalright HR-05 SLI/IFX installed my usual chipset idle temp is about 37°C, and under load I haven't seen it break 40°C yet! Keep in mind this is accomplished with the cooler acting completely passive (no fan)! If you examine the picture on the previous page, note the pair of hard drives mounted to the right of the chipset cooler. In front of the hard drives is a 120mm fan (again, running at only 7V) that pulls air through the radiator (for the water cooling), and over the hard drives. You can still feel a little airflow reaching the Thermalright HR-05 SLI/IFX preventing the air from getting stagnant (and heat buildup).

With all the variations of cases and fan setups out there results will vary, however I think anyone that purchases one of these coolers will be extremely happy with its performance. The cost is currently around $25 USD, which won't break the bank, especially considering the specialized application for this cooler. In my case no other passive cooler would fit because of how the chipset is located directly under the video card.

At first I was a little worried about how well the cooler was attached to the chipset. Being able to swivel the cooler so freely didn't seem like it was firmly attached. However, after moving the case around a few times and running the system for several days I'm sure that it is more than adequate. The mounting mechanism for the HR-05 SLI/IFX seems to be a lot better than their first attempt with the previous generation chipset coolers (from the pictures I have seen).

My only complaint about the HR-05 SLI/IFX is why didn't Thermalright come out with it sooner?!?!