Published: June 21, 2009 | Source: Thermalright | Author: Rich Weatherstone

Thermalright HR-07 Trio Heatpipe Coolers

Packaging & Appearance

Because of the close proximity of the memory modules on i7 motherboards, Thermalright recommend both the Type H (High) and Type L (low) profile kits so that both kits can be used in unison with one another. Here, we look at each kit in greater detail:

TYPEÂ H

The packaging the Ram cooler arrives in is a standard Thermalright affair with a plain brown cardboard box, printed with the Thermalright logo and product name on the front with a small window cutout displaying the cooler inside. The rear of the boxÂ features much the same but this time including the product specification.

Opening the box up we are a greeted with the coolers themselves which are held tightly in place by means of moulded Styrofoam. Also included in the box are 6 full length thermal pads complete with removable backing. A large sticker and an easy to follow instruction leaflet are also included.

The Type H variant of the Ram cooler is unsurprising the highest of the two kits, standing 60.37mm high (almost 2.5″ for those still working with imperial measurements). Two nickel plated copper heatpipes attach the finned array to the ram cooler plates ensuring super efficient thermal transfer from the plates to the outside air with minimal fuss.Â

The base plates are very thin yet sturdy enough not to bend accidentally and because the heatpipes are flattened to the plates on both sides, the ram cooler should not foul any module sitting along side. The main fin array may however cause difficulties in this area, something IÂ will investigate later in the review in the test setup area.

TYPE L

The Type L kit is packaged in near identical format to the Type H above. Despite the large ‘TYPEÂ L’ font, IÂ initially thought IÂ had been sent two lots of the same kit. I even chastised the editor, calling his and indeed Thermalrights intelligence into question. It wasn’t until IÂ opened the kit up that I realised that the two kits were in fact slightly different and labelled as such on the outside of the boxes. Needless to say I ate humble pie for dinner that night.

Being an ‘L’ kit, the Type L sits shorter than the Type H at just 34.27 (1.35″). Sitting at approximately the same height as most other memory modules that comprise a double height cooler, the Type L is perfect for those who are short on space but still require good memory cooling.

The Type L uses the same design features of the Type H in that each module has a heatpipe attached to both sides of the base plate. This heatpipe then winds through 180 degrees, threading itself through the finned array to dissipate the heat it wicked away from the base plate.

With each cooler sitting side by side it is clear that it is going to be a tight squeeze fitting these next to each other in the DIMM slots on any motherboard. However, once both are ‘test fitted’, there does indeed seem to be sufficient space to use both kits alongside one another.

Installation

Installing the modules was very straightforward. After taking the usual anti static precautions and banning the editor from sneaking up behind me to rub a balloon on my head after the previous comments I made, I set about installing each of the six kits. Luckily for me IÂ happened to have 12GB of Kingston Value ram laying around which was perfect for this test in that I did not have to remove any heatspreader to get to the modules inside. After giving the IC’s the once over with some Isopropyl Alchohol, I removed the backing from one strip of the thermal pads and then attached the pad to the module. While the 0.5mm pads were sticky, they were not overly so and could be used on multiple mounts with the minimal of fuss.

With the pads in place, IÂ then began to attach the memory cooler which simply slid over the thermal pad with very little force. The memory cooler exacted just enough force to clamp down on the memory module to hold the thermal pad in place. Rinse and repeat for the rest of the modules and IÂ was then ready to test them out to see the fruits of my labour.