Today NVNEWS is privileged to take a look at Thermalright's continued support
for the cooling needs of the avid gamer and pc enthusiast with their new
offering in the guise of an all copper XP-90, dubbed the XP-90C. This newest
offering, provided by 3DCool.com, claims near universal application for AMD K8
in sockets 754, 939, and 940.
A good number of our readers at NVNEWS are familiar with the popular all
aluminum XP-120 and XP-90 heatsinks from Thermalright. If you are not one of
those I urge you to read Clay's review of the XP-90. I have been using this
particular all aluminum heatsink for the past several months on my AMD 3400+
ClawHammer with excellent results.
Not stuck on the successes of the XP-120 and XP-90, Thermalright listened to the
avid gamer's and enthusiast's request for a copper version to further aid
cooling. Thermalright's response is the release of an all copper version of the
XP-90.
Due to the additional weight of the XP-90C the P4 version includes a metal frame
and back plate that must be used to insure proper weight distribution (as seen
in the photos above). This is required so the motherboard will not get warped
due to excessive weight.
Although the package provided compatible installation for Intel's P4 socket 478
it seems that my Intel test system (with the socket 775) was the odd one out
this go around with no mounting accessories included in the retail box. I was
required to obtain the appropriate Thermalright mounting hardware, LGA775 RM, as
seen in the photo above.
I will be testing XP-90C on an Intel 775 motherboard running a P4 3.4E
processor. To take full use of the PC3500 system ram I run the front side bus at
217 MHz which increases the P4's speed to almost 3.7 GHz. While this setting
does improve overall performance it also has the unwanted side effect of
increasing the generated heat output of the cpu. This system runs 24/7 at max
temps of 61C, depending on ambient room temperatures. Other than ease of
installation and quality I will be concentrating on whether or not the XP-90C
can provide reduction in temperatures of this hot running processor.
INITIAL IMPRESSION
I like the looks of the all aluminum XP90 but the bright shiny all-copper XP-90C
is simply gorgeous to look at!
The hefty weight of 690 grams (addition of a fan should push the total weight to
around 800 grams) will be a concern for those who frequent LAN parties. I would
not plan to move a rig around much with this sink installed. The extra support
frame and bracket provided in the package for P4's is a nice addition and, of
course, in my situation additional acquisition of the LGA775 RM mounting kit was
a must.
I am presently concerned by the temperatures I am running on the P4 Prescott and
with summer approaching would prefer to get these temperatures under better
control. Another annoyance for me is the noise produced by the fan on the stock
Intel heatsink. It is the loudest fan in this test system. So, looks are not
everything with performance being my primary concern.
INSTALLATION
Installation is simple and relatively straight-forward and as you will see
the only tool I needed was a Phillips screwdriver.
The Thermalright LGA775 RM mounting kit I purchased included the above needed
items for mounting the XP-90C to my DFI 915P-TAG PCI-Express motherboard. I
purchased this kit on-line for $4.95, plus $4.50 shipping and handling.
A simple removal of the paper cover exposes the adhesive tape which not only
helps in keeping the backplate in position while preparing to install the screws
but also acts as a cushioned spacer between the backplate and motherboard
surface. A clear plastic protective cover configured to the design of the
stiffening backplate is placed between the metal bracket and the motherboard to
prevent contacting the myriad of electrical circuits located in the mounting
area. Line-up the holes with those on the backplate on the backside of the
motherboard and attach.
Screws must be installed from the backside of the motherboard through the
backplate.
