Product:	Cooler Master HHC-001 CPU Cooler
Price:	$65 (CAN) / $40 (U.S)
Supplied By:	Coolermaster
Author:	BigDaddy
Date:	April 6th, 2002
Rating:

Installation & Testing: The test system as configured included an AMD Duron 800 processor on a MSI K7T Turbo 2 motherboard. The near 7000 RPM fan was certainly not quiet, but was not as noticeable as other heatsink fans on the market with similar RPM and CFM ratings. Installing the heatsink was straight forward, and the patented clip made a normally cumbersome process very easy. I only wish this system had been employed in earlier Cooler Master heatsink fan designs. While attempting to re-install the comparison Cooler Master DP56H51 on the original test motherboard, an Asus A7V133C, a fatal slip of the hand plummeted my screwdriver into the board along side the socket, scratching the surrounding traces, and rendering the board useless.

 

Click image for larger view

Click image for larger view

 

My only concern during the installation process was that the lever from the retention clip is rather large, and although not a problem with the MSI board, could be an issue with boards that might have larger components near the socket. You can see that the lever just clears a large heatsink on this board.

CompuNurse digital thermometer

Click image for larger view

 

A CompuNurse digital thermometer was used to take the ambient room temperature, and to confirm the onboard sensor readings being reported by Motherboard Monitor version 5.1.0.2. A moderate overclock of the board to 920 MHz was used to test the unit under overclocking conditions. The core voltage of the CPU was set to 1.8 volts to increase overall CPU temperatures. Sisoft Sandra Standard 2002 8.59 was used to perform CPU Burn-in Tests at 100% for a 15 minute continuous loop.

Cooler Master HHC-001 test results

 

While the idle and full load temperature drop is good, the over clock result is impressive. Approximately a 22% improvement in cooling! How do the heat pipes contribute to these results? Although not performing these tests myself, independent reviewers have cut the heat pipes open and compared those test results with tests of the unit intact. A 3 to 4 degree difference was noticed. Assuming the same is true in our tests, the heat pipes contributed almost a third of the overall difference in cooling temperatures. The "#1 Choice for Overclocking" statement withstands the scrutiny of the MTB Labs.

 

Conclusion: Although initially skeptical about it's overclocking performance, I was pleasantly surprised how this product stood up to the challenge. The addition of the heat pipes to the heatsink clearly helps under the higher temperatures of an overclocked processor. The retention clip mechanism is an excellent engineering design most will appreciate. However, some motherboards may have problems with surrounding components obstructing the thumb pad. Aside from a few minor issues , I'm rating this product a 8 out of 10 and would recommend this product to anyone looking for a moderate priced cooling solution for their overclocked system. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Cooler Master website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

 

Pros: Excellent over clocking performance Easy-install retention clip Heat pipes add to unique look Price

Cons: 60mm exhaust fan noisy Large retention clip lever may be obstructed by motherboard components