Thermalright HR-01 Review - Installation
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Installing the HR-01 is surprisingly simple. Remove the existing cooler from the system and clean off the existing thermal paste. Installing the HR-01 can be a little bit tricky if you don't follow the directions.
If you're using it with the duct, the first thing you need to do is attach the duct to the fan. Remove the fan from the back of the chassis and set it so the fan is blowing air towards your desk. Place the duct on top, and use the self taping screws to secure the duct to the fan.
The next thing to install is the double sided tape to attach the duct to the heat sink. This step ensures the heat sink and duct will be attached properly and allow for the air to be pulled through. Having the heat sink, duct and fan all attached basically makes the HR-01 just like any other heat sink. Or does it?
Installing the cooler is a bit tricky with the power supply installed; the duct prevents you from pushing down the clip, and depending on some chassis, you may have to do this with the board removed from the system. Once the cooler and duct combination is attached to the board, all that needs to be done is attach the fan to the chassis. The duct is very flexible and can be orientated closer to the motherboard.
If you're not using the duct, and have decided to mount the fan directly to the heat sink, installation is fair simple. Clip the wire into the far side of the heat sink, then clip the wire to the fan's holes. This allows the fan to blow air directly into the heat sink. The down side is the exhausted air will circulate throughout the system and increase temperatures of nearly every component in the system.
Using the HR-01
One of the best things about using the HR-01 is that you can run your system at near silence; it can remove a noisy fan from the system. Of course if the chassis has a loud exhaust fan it's going to be just as loud it used to be. The other benefit of using the duct is that the processor's heat is exhausted out of the chassis. This can reduce the temperatures of all the components in the system.
If you decide to run the HR-01 passively, a few things are needed. The first you need is adequate ventilation for your system; the warm air has to spread out somewhere, otherwise the processor may reach critical temperatures. Thermalright recommends that if you're running in passive mode, you should have a 120mm intake and exhaust fan, and have the heatsink oriented the same way as I installed it. Users with a 120mm fan at the bottom of their PSU might want to orient the heat sink so the air can be pulled up through the PSU and out the chassis.
Having the fan mounted directly to the heat sink is a good idea for anyone overclocking their processor. The down side to it is that the exhausted air can then be pushed throughout the chassis, wreaking havoc on system temperatures. On the other hand, if you're using this configuration, you probably already have adequate ventilation.
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