Introduction

Our long overdue review of the Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan (HSF) is finally up. The Hyper 6 combines brute size with innovative engineering into one of the highest performing heatsink fans on the planet.

Our long overdue review of the Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan (HSF) is finally up.  It took longer than expected to allocate the necessary resources for a new K8 test computer (and obtain a working motherboard) but this has also given me time to do more extensive testing.

 

The Cooler Master Hyper 6 heatsink fan incorporates six heat pipes to transfer heat out of the solid copper base and up into a large array of copper fins.  A single 80mm fan comes with the cooler but optionally two fans can be mounted via an integrated aluminum shroud.  The Hyper 6 cooler is big and beautiful.  It stands a full 120mm (4-3/4′) high and weighs in at 998g (35.2 oz) not including fans or mounting hardware.  This is without a doubt the largest and heaviest HSF I have tested to date.  The Hyper 6 HSF uses a universal mount that works with both Intel P4 (socket 478) and AMD K8 (socket 754/740) platforms.

 

Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan - Cases and Cooling 21

 

The Cooler Master Hyper 6 was designed to provide great cooling and silent performance.  In Cooler Master’s own words ‘The Hyper 6 is Cooler Master’s newest high-end heat pipe CPU cooler, designed for high performance and ultra silence‘.

 

Main Features:

  • Six imbedded heat pipes provide superb heat dissipation
  • Special heatsink design — maximum cooling performance at any mounting angle
  • Raised base design to avoid interference with surrounding components
  • Copper fins and special welding techniques enable seamless connection between fins and heat pipes
  • High-density fins provide a large surface area for heat dissipation
  • Greater cooling performance with optional high speed fans
  • Universal mounting hardware for P4 and K8 platforms

 

Cooler Master Hyper 6 (KHC-V81) Specifications (from Cooler Master website)

 

Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan - Cases and Cooling 22

 

Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan - Cases and Cooling 23 Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan - Cases and Cooling 24

 

 Heat Pipe Technology

 

The Hyper 6 cooler uses six copper heat pipes to transport heat from the heatsink base up to the large surface area provided by the copper fins.  A heat pipe is a highly efficient conductor of heat.  A properly constructed heat pipe has a very low thermal resistance, which is roughly independent of its length (unlike ordinary metal rods whose thermal resistance increases with length).  Heat pipes are commonly used to transport heat from one location to another.

 

Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan - Cases and Cooling 25

 

Heat pipes work on the principle of evaporation and condensation.  A working fluid (frequently distilled water) evaporates inside one end of the heat pipe (the hot-end) absorbing heat in the process.  A partial vacuum inside the heat pipe allows the water to evaporate at low temperatures.  Once formed, the water vapor diffuses from an area of high vapor pressure (where it is being generated) to the other end of the tube where the vapor pressure is lower.

 

The vaporized fluid then condenses back to liquid (cold-end) and the heat is dissipated into the air from the metal cooling fins.  The working fluid returns to the hot end via capillary action thru an internal wicking structure (sintered metal coating, fine wire mesh, or grooves) so the heat pipe does not have to rely on gravity to recycle the working fluid.

 

The key to a heat pipe’s high efficiency is the latent heat of vaporization.  One gram of water absorbs 540 calories of heat when it changes state from a liquid to a gas (without any increase in temperature).  It then gives up this same amount of heat when it condenses back into a liquid.  By contrast, adding 540 calories of heat to 100 grams of copper (small heatsink) would raise its temperature 60ºC!

« PreviousNext »