The Coolermaster Hyper Z600 heatsink is a novel
passive CPU heatsink for today's dual core processors. Its' 'star' shape,
widely spaced aluminum fins and prodigious number of silvery copper
heatpipes allow it to work without the benefit of a fan, albeit within specific
thermal limits. The heatsink should never be used in the passive mode with a CPU having a
TDP greater than 89W... that's sound advice.
The Hyper Z600 heatsink isn't sold with a fan, but it does ship with two fan
brackets for attaching 120mm fans to the side of the unit. As far as passive cooling goes (and I mean true passive cooling without any fan blowing toward it) Frostytech threw caution to the
wind and stressed the Coolermaster Hyper Z600 heatsink in its passive mode with a
sustained heat load of 150W. The Hyper Z600
heatsink handled 85W - provided the cooling fins were vertically
oriented and there was sufficient ventilation - but handily failed with
150W when the CPU die temperature crept past 90°C.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, you'll see how the Hyper
Z600 heatsink performed passively and with a 120mm fan a little later in this
Frostytech review.
Like most Coolermasters' coolers,
the Hyper Z600 is well constructed, but suffers from the
same poorly thought out mounting clips that have stifled several generations of
its heavy-weight heatsinks. Weighing upwards of 1045 grams, the Hyper Z600 is
a massive block of metal. The heatsink stands 160mm tall and is 127mm square.
It's nickel-plated aluminum cooling fins are connected by six copper heat pipes
to chunky copper base, and it can be installed on Intel LGA775 or AMD
939/AM2 processors.
Coolermaster Hyper Z600 Heatsink
|
 | |
 |
| HEATSINK SPECSHEET |
| Manufacturer: Coolermaster |
| Model No.:
Hyper Z600 |
| Materials: nickel plated
aluminum fins, copper heatpipes and base |
|
Fan Mfg: Mechatronics G1225S12B (as tested, fan not
included)
|
| Fan Spec: 1500RPM, 12V,
0.13A |
| Fan Dim: 25x120x120mm |
| Heatsink & Fan Dim:
160x127x127mm |
| Weight: 1045 grams |
| Includes: Mounting clips,
thermal compound, instructions |
Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+, 775 |
| Est. Pricing: $44USD
($44CDN) | |
Given the
uni-directional shape of the Coolermaster Hyper Z600 heatsink, the fans must
be attached to special brackets first which clip onto the fins of the
cooler. Four such brackets are provided, so two 120mm fans can be
installed on opposite sides of the Hyper Z600 heatsink if desired. For
our tests we'll be using a single fan which is more than
adequate.
Installation Hardware
Coolermaster's Hyper Z600 heatsink is compatible with
Intel socket 775 and AMD socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+ processors. We're not
particularly fond of the system of brackets Coolermaster use with its heavier
heatsinks; it requires the motherboard be removed from the chassis each time you
install or remove the heatsink. To be fair though, when dealing with a 1045 gram
heatsink you want a method of firmly bolting it in place, and the system used
here certainly offers that.
First small metal tabs are attached to the heatsink
base, then a backplate is positioned behind the motherboard.
Screws are thread from behind to engage with the heatsink and securely fix
it in place. If you ever want to swap out the processor, it can be a royal
pain...
Base Finish and Flatness
Flipping
a heatsink over to inspect the business end is often a simple indicator of
overall cooler quality. More practically speaking, a heatsink is in many ways
only as effective as the contact it makes with the processor - the flatter and
smoother the better. Base finish is one of the criteria that Frostytech measure
in the course of evaluating heatsinks, and it involves two distinct aspects.
Surface Finish is the first; this is calculated with the aid of Surface
Roughness Comparator that has a cross section of common machine surface finishes
and their numerical surface roughness equivalents in microinches. The second is
Surface Flatness. This is tested with an engineers straight edge or proven flat
surface, in two axis.
The
Coolermaster Hyper Z600 heatsink has a machined nickel-plated copper base with a
surface roughness of approximately ~16 microinches. The base is perfectly flat
in both axis.
FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course its performance in the thermal
tests!
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