I will be looking at the HR-01-775 model; however, the only difference between this model and the HR-01-K8 is the socket clips. Motherboard compatibility of the HR-01-775 is Intel: Pentium-4 LGA775 3.2 GHz and above. Motherboard compatibility of the HR-01-K8 is AMD: Athlon64 FX 3200+ (socket 939/940) /Athlon64 3200+ (socket 754) and above. The HR-01-K8 also fits the Intel Pentium-4 socket 478 up to 3.2 GHz but requires a P4-478 Heatsink Retention Kit. Also, the HR-01-775 comes with a 120mm Fan Duct, the HR-01-K8 doesn't. For installation instructions of the 120mm Fan Duct click here. Remember, in order to use this fan duct your case's 120mm fan will have to be in alignment with the CPU.



A closer look:



This is a passive heatsink, meaning it doesn't have a fan so therefore it's completely silent. Keep in mind though, the 120mm Fan Duct uses the case's 120mm fan to increase cooling performance. Also note that this cooler does not have a place to mount a fan directly on it. That's an option I would have liked to see. Active coolers on the other hand have some type of fan attached to the heatsink. The advantage of active coolers is they have better cooling performance but can tend to be loud. Of course that would depend on the fan which is used. For the most part, passive heatsinks are not intended for overclocking.

The heatsink measures 110(L) x 60(W) x 159.5(H)mm and weighs in at a fairly heavy 525 grams. As you can see from the below image, it's quite large. This is not surprising since it's required to cool today's fastest processors.



The heatsink itself is all aluminum except for the heatpipes and base which is nickel plated copper. There are many fins and 8 long heatpipes which thread through these fins. It has a smooth base which will allow for great contact between it and the CPU. In some cases the base is so smooth it's reflective, that's not the case here. Sometimes if the base is super smooth the heatsink can tend to stick to the CPU and this makes it harder to remove. Generally though, the smoother the better.



So what are heatpipes? Heatpipes have been around for many years and I suspect they will be around for many to come. They are not only used in heatsinks/coolers but are making their way into gaming consoles, motherboards and even household appliances. So, hail heatpipes!



So, how do they work? It's a very simple technology that uses vaporizable liquid in a hollow cylinder. In this case, the liquid absorbs heat and it is rapidly carried away from the hot CPU to the upper fins. From there the fins dissipate the heat. Installation of this heatsink on the Socket T (775) is literally, a snap. Remember though, when installing or removing any heatsink/cooler please take your time and be very careful, otherwise you could damage the CPU or motherboard.