When it
comes to high performance heatsinks there aren't a lot of models shorter
than 135mm. Oh there are plenty of tower heatsinks with some of the lowest
temperatures a PC enthusiast can hope for.... but nearly every tower cooler is
over 150mm tall, most 160mm. The Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink stands 127mm
tall, uses a big 140mm fan and plenty of heatpipes to get the job done. The only
problem is noise. At full tilt the BigTyp 14Pro can
be a bit noisy.
The
BigTyp 14Pro heatsink (model: CL-P0456) is made from nickel plated
aluminum fins soldered over six very long copper heatpipes. The aluminum fins are broken
up into two halves, pierced by the six heatpipes evenly from either
side. Clearly though, the BigTyp 14Pro's biggest claim to fame is
its blue LED illuminated 140mm fan which spins at 1000-1600RPM. A small variable resistor
is attached so users can manually control the speed if desired too.
When operating at full speed the Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink is loud, at its
slowest speed it's moderately audible. The Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink is
compatible with Intel socket 775 and AMD socket 754/939/940/AM2+ processors, and
weighs a hefty 800grams. At the time of this review it is not compatible
with Intel socket LGA1366 Core i7 processors
however.
Thermaltake BigTyp
14 Pro Heatsink
|
 | |
 |
| HEATSINK SPECSHEET |
| Manufacturer: Thermaltake |
| Model No.: BigTyp Pro14 (CL-P0456) |
|
Materials: Nickel-plated aluminum fins, copper heatpipes and base plate. |
| Fan Mfg: Everflow
FB14025BL |
| Fan Spec: 1000-1600RPM, 12V,
0.20A |
| Fan Dim: 30x140x140mm |
| Heatsink & Fan Dim:
127x155x165mm |
| Weight: 800 grams |
|
Includes: Multi-socket mounting hardware, thermal compound,
instructions |
Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940/AM2, LGA775 |
| Est. Pricing: $70USD
($70CDN) | |
The 140mm
fan is suspended upside down by its motor over the aluminum fins of the
Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink. The smokey-gray translucent fan blades are
illuminated with a couple blue LEDs for added visual effect. The impeller blades themselves appear heavily influenced by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) .... or perhaps the propellers from a Chinese Song-class submarine. What's particularly
notable is that the impellers continue onto the motor hub, traditionally a space
under which little air flows.
The six copper heatpipes are soldered to a copper base plate and weave their
way from one end of the Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink to the other. A
quick glance will lead you to think there are 12 heatpipes on the BigTyp 12Pro, but actually it's just 6 really
long copper heatpipes with many bends. The heatpipes are soldered to the nickel
plated aluminum fins to decrease thermal joint resistance and improve conductivity between the many copper-to-aluminum
interfaces
Mounting Method and Hardware
The Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro heatsink is compatible with both
Intel and AMD processors so two different mounting brackets are
supplied. Installation is relatively simple for socket 775 processors, although the
motherboard will need to be removed and nuts used to fix the heatsink
in place attached from behind. It can be challenging to support the
Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro in place while attaching the little nuts which affix
the 800gram heatsink.
For AMD processors
a simple K8 mounting clip locks onto the existing heatsink retention frame.
This heatsink will be tested on FrostyTech's Intel LGA775 and K8 version
of the Mk.II synthetic thermal temperature test platform, and compared against
a hundred reference LGA775 and K8 heatsinks. The whole test methodology is
outlined in detail here if you'd like to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted.
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