Thermalright HR-05/IFX

Installation

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To install the cooler, you’ll have to remove your motherboard from your case, and take off the stock heatsink. The only motherboard that we have available that can take advantage of this heatsink is our Biostar TA690G AM2 board which runs the ATI 690G chipset containing the X1250 graphics processor.

I unfolded the instruction sheet, which has the hook style installation method on one side, and the screw type on the other. I’ll be using the screw type for this board, and to start I needed to slip the provided rubber grommets onto each of the inch-long screws.

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You then thread these through the chipset mounting holes from the underside of your mobo, then fit both the IFX and bracket onto each of the screws. You’ll then require the two bolts, which screw down onto the threads poking up through your board. This then holds the cooler in place with a strong mechanical method which is very unlikely to fall off, which is an obvious improvement over the HR-05 which had simple plastic push-pins which are clearly not as strong as metal screws.

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A note on the provided heatpaste; its crap. We now test the OTB (out of the box) performance of any heatsinks to give you an idea of the level of cooling you’ll get from whats in the box, and then also with AC5 to provide a comparable result to other coolers. Hence, I had to squirt a LITTLE bit of Thermalright heatpaste onto my freshly cleaned chip. Unfortunately, the paste seems to undergo a dramatic separation process meaning that there are bubbles of what looks like clear oil in it. What this means is that when you push gently on the syringe plunger, you get a sudden ejaculation of paste all over the core; spraying 3-4 times too much thermal goo. You then have to set to work once again with the White Spirit, or TIM clean and another roll of kitchen paper to get it back to its clean state. I found that the best way to apply the paste was to spray some onto a bit of kitchen roll and dab it onto the silicon, rather than direct application.

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Screwing the bolts onto the screw threads would be easy if it wasn’t for the position of the chipset on this board. Its right up against the CPU socket itself, and the only real way to fasten the bolts is to remove the CPU cooler. This is an issue with this board, rather than a problem with the product although it should be noted.

If your chipset is positioned underneath your graphics card slots, then you can grab the SLI version of this cooler, which simply has an L-shaped heatpipe extension moving the tower of fins away from any components.

Coolers