Thermalright HR-02 CPU Cooler Review

👤by Sahil Mannick Comments 📅23-09-10
Closer Look





The Thermalright HR-02

The Thermalright HR-02 has a very striking look. Its nickel plated finish shouts quality to make it an aesthetically pleasing cooler. Thanks to the adequate packaging, there were no bent fins or damage to be found. It's also clear that Thermalright have gone back to the traditional single tower concept and the HR-02 is fairly sizeable in that respect.


The fin array

The fin array is one of the most distinctive features of the HR-02 for its unique planar shape and punched holes. There are a total of 32 fins spaced approximately 4mm apart to give a total surface area of 492800mm2, slightly less than the Silver Arrow's. We can immediately see that the less dense spacing allows for better ventilation and the large area maximises contact surface area for more efficient heat dissipation. The various notches that can be seen across each fin are aimed at directing airflow through the heatsink. Because of the fin density, a low RPM fan is more suited to the cooler's purpose.


The side profile

The side profile reveals more of the assymmetrical design of the HR-02. The base of the heatsink is situated below the front side of the tower such that when it's installed on the CPU, there is plenty of clearance between itself and memory modules. The overhanging part faces the back of the case towards the exhaust fan and its proximity ensures that the fan can act as an effective "pull" fan. The design may have issues with motherboards featuring large MOSFET heatsinks but no conflicting problems appeared with the Rampage III Extreme. For a full list of compatible motherboards, check Thermalright's page.On each side we can also see two narrow columns of closed fin structures which interconnect each plate for support. Between each fin are the punched notches and this time we can see that the orientation helps direct airflow through.


The top of the heatsink

From above, we can see the surface expression of the notches and punched holes. Those are numerous and extend as a strip from the front to the back of the heatsink to improve ventilation. It's the same concept used on the original HR-01 and unique to Thermalright. The four holes in each corner are for a total of 4 fan clips to be installed meaning that 2 fans can be placed onto the heatsink for a "push-pull" configuration. Thermalright claim that this should allow the HR-02 to perform as well as the Venomous X which is a strong claim based on the latter's remarkable performance.


The bottom of the heatsink

And from beneath, the same holes can be seen. The pattern is repeated on all the fins and it's all clear that the holes have been punched upwards hence the notches.


The base of the heatsink

Moving on to the base, the HR-02 has a copper one that is fairly flat and smooth but lacks a perfect mirror finish like the Venomous X had. In true Thermalright fashion, the base is slightly convex to match the shape of CPU integrated heat spreaders. After installing the cooler, I noticed that it did an excellent job of spreading the thermal paste evenly by simply applying pressure on top of a rice size amount of compound. There are no doubt some will claim this statement to be false but the above test demonstrates perfectly how effective the convex shape is.


The 6 sintered 6mm heat pipes

The HR-02 has six 6mm thick sintered U-shaped heat pipes. They all connect to the base where a copper plate is in direct contact with the CPU for excellent heat transfer. The heat pipes spread out in two groups of three albeit in an alternative pattern. Three of the heat pipes spread further outwards into the heatsink and towards the back so that heat carried by them can be dissipated over a greater surface area.


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