ThermalRight SP97

[imported_juanflaiter]

I´m looking for the best cooling solution for Socket A besides water. Is there anything better than ThermalRight SP97 Heatpipe?

Any thoughts?

BTW: I´ll have to buy the Neo Backplate so I can mount it on my DFI.

 

[Manzelle]

No. It is the best HS for Socket A - period.

 

[imported_juanflaiter]

Excellent. I´ll buy it this week. Sadly I have to buy the Neo Backplate in USA, it´s just 5 bucks, but i´ll have to pay more than 10 because of international shipping and taxes.

Thanks for your quick answer.

 

[fanboi]

Yup, the SP97 is teh roxxorz.

Next best thing is the XP-120 for the K8

 

[Nickel020]

The Aerocool HT-101 is actually slightly better. It's also great for implementing a duct in you system.
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/aer...es-v3/cooler/ht101.htm

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
The Aerocool HT-101 is actually slightly better. It's also great for implementing a duct in you system.
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/aer...es-v3/cooler/ht101.htm

At very low CFM the two are virtually tied with perhaps a slight edge going to the HT-101 because there's more space between the fins. At high CFM the SP-97 begins to pull away. So, as everybody else but you has stated, it's clearly the superior heatsink.

Other factors.

1. The HT-101 uses the retention bar to mount to the socket which means being very careful when moving your computer especially with all that weight. The SP-97 uses four mounting holes in the motherboard.

2. The SP-97 can accomodate up to a 92mm fan whereas the HT-101 is limited to 80mm or smaller. For either noise to CFM or max CFM, 92mm fans are superior.

3. Because it uses the retention bar, you could end up with the exhaust from the heatsink going to your PSU or GPU if you don't duct, which not many people do.

 

[fanboi]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

Originally posted by: Nickel020
The Aerocool HT-101 is actually slightly better. It's also great for implementing a duct in you system.
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/aer...es-v3/cooler/ht101.htm

At very low CFM the two are virtually tied with perhaps a slight edge going to the HT-101 because there's more space between the fins. At high CFM the SP-97 begins to pull away. So, as everybody else but you has stated, it's clearly the superior heatsink.

Other factors.

1. The HT-101 uses the retention bar to mount to the socket which means being very careful when moving your computer especially with all that weight. The SP-97 uses four mounting holes in the motherboard.

2. The SP-97 can accomodate up to a 92mm fan whereas the HT-101 is limited to 80mm or smaller. For either noise to CFM or max CFM, 92mm fans are superior.

3. Because it uses the retention bar, you could end up with the exhaust from the heatsink going to your PSU or GPU if you don't duct, which not many people do.

Depends..

If you use the K8 version, it actually screws into the board. It's socket A version that uses the retention clip.

However I must admit, I find it kinda silly that they would position the fan to either blow air onto your video card or up onto your PSU (thereby making two already hot components even hotter). The smart thing would be to position the fan to blow towards the back of the case.

 

[Nickel020]

92mm fans though don't reallyperform that well. Take a look at silentpcreview.com, not many people use 92mm on their SLKs or SPs. A 92mm fan rated at the same cfm as a 80mm fan actually perform worse than the 80mm fan on SLKs and SPs.
Also if you want to get the maximum cooling performance out of the HT-101 and don't care about noise, you can mount two fans on the Aerocool and beat the SP-97.
The Aerocool is generally better suited to motherboards with the socket noses aligned horizontally so that the air blown stright out of the back of the case, but then it is the better heatsink since it will lower the system temp. If you carry your case around alot the SP-97 may be better although I have never heard of anyones socket ripping off and I have been carrying my SLK-900A around about 2 times a month for almost a year and there arre no signs of the socket breaking.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
92mm fans though don't reallyperform that well. Take a look at silentpcreview.com, not many people use 92mm on their SLKs or SPs. A 92mm fan rated at the same cfm as a 80mm fan actually perform worse than the 80mm fan on SLKs and SPs.

I don't know what you mean by perform worse. The larger the fan is, the fewer RPMs you need to push the same air and the less noise is created. Having the option to go with a completel silent Nexus 92mm or a 92mm Tornado is some incredible flexibility.

Also if you want to get the maximum cooling performance out of the HT-101 and don't care about noise, you can mount two fans on the Aerocool and beat the SP-97.

Every mention I've heard about the push-pull fan orientation says there are extremely diminishing returns for the added noise/weight/space.

The Aerocool is generally better suited to motherboards with the socket noses aligned horizontally so that the air blown stright out of the back of the case, but then it is the better heatsink since it will lower the system temp. If you carry your case around alot the SP-97 may be better although I have never heard of anyones socket ripping off and I have been carrying my SLK-900A around about 2 times a month for almost a year and there arre no signs of the socket breaking.

The SLK-900 is lighter and has a lower center of gravity so there's less outward pull.

 

[Manzelle]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
The Aerocool HT-101 is actually slightly better. It's also great for implementing a duct in you system.
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/aer...es-v3/cooler/ht101.htm

That thing sucks...I have on sitting right next to me...

It is cheaply made and doesn't work as well as the SP97 even with 2 fans connected...not to mention it is way too big and overpriced...

 

[NewBlackDak]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
I don't know what you mean by perform worse. The larger the fan is, the fewer RPMs you need to push the same air and the less noise is created. Having the option to go with a completel silent Nexus 92mm or a 92mm Tornado is some incredible flexibility.

The 92mm fans have a larger "dead-zone" in the center of the fan. This is normally where the most flow is needed on a CPU. It ends up that most of the flow from a 92mm is blown off to surrounding components.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: NewBlackDak

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
I don't know what you mean by perform worse. The larger the fan is, the fewer RPMs you need to push the same air and the less noise is created. Having the option to go with a completel silent Nexus 92mm or a 92mm Tornado is some incredible flexibility.

The 92mm fans have a larger "dead-zone" in the center of the fan. This is normally where the most flow is needed on a CPU. It ends up that most of the flow from a 92mm is blown off to surrounding components.

Nope. All cutting edge heatsinks now have heatpipes specifically to get the heat to the outer edges of the fins where the majority of the air is being moved. Aside from that, you can always set the fan up to pull and it becomes irrelevent.

 

[Nickel020]

@ HeroOfPellinor
Take a look at a SLK or SP heatsink with an 80mm. Notice that already 80mm fans overlap the heatsink? A 92mm fan pushes quite a bit of air past the heatsink and combined with the bigger "dead-zone" this makes 80mm fans more efficient. As for the diminishing returns, of course there are severe diminishing returns: Twice the fan rpm wil never result in half the Delta temp (unless for sub 750 rpms of course).
Also the SLK 900A is heavier than the HT-101 according to the manufacturers (527g agaiinst 470g) this should negate the slightly higher center of gravity (most of the weight is in the copperblock on the socket anyway). Have you ever heard of anyone's socket ripping off?
In Germany the HT-101 is pricewise just a couple of ? more expensive and comes with a fan?

As a conclusion:

If you're worried about the socket, get the SP-97

If you're not worried, get a HT-101 for <3000 rpm fans and the SP- if you're gonna use a >3000 rpm fan.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
@ HeroOfPellinor
Take a look at a SLK or SP heatsink with an 80mm. Notice that already 80mm fans overlap the heatsink? A 92mm fan pushes quite a bit of air past the heatsink and combined with the bigger "dead-zone" this makes 80mm fans more efficient.

You'll also see with an 80mm fan that there are a couple crucial centimeters at the edges left uncovered, so who knows if there's any induction going on in that zone. Also, regardless of dead zones or heatsink coverage, RPM for RPM 92mm fans put out much more CFM...certainly significant enough, in conjunction with the full heatsink coverage, to outperform them even efficiency-wise, but how d you judge efficiency? Noise to CFM? RPM to CFM?

As for the diminishing returns, of course there are severe diminishing returns: Twice the fan rpm wil never result in half the Delta temp (unless for sub 750 rpms of course).

Yeah, but 0-5% max better cooling is really really diminishing returns. Unless you've heard of greater increases.

Also the SLK 900A is heavier than the HT-101 according to the manufacturers (527g agaiinst 470g) this should negate the slightly higher center of gravity (most of the weight is in the copperblock on the socket anyway). Have you ever heard of anyone's socket ripping off?

Hehe. Correct. I was thinking of the Hyper6 for some reason. This shouldn't cause any problems, imo.

If you're worried about the socket, get the SP-97

If you're not worried, get a HT-101 for <3000 rpm fans and the SP- if you're gonna use a >3000 rpm fan.

The bottom line:

Systemcooling.com did a test between the HT-101 and the SP-97 using the included Aerocool fan for both and the SP-97 was a solid 2° lower at both ambient and load. You can certainly make an argument for using the HT-101 under certain specific circumstances, but as far as the "best" goes, it's the SP.

 

[Gamingphreek]

SP-97 is as good as it gets. Couple that with a Panaflo 92mm or mod it to work with a 120mm and have fun. If your really hardcore than get a huge Vantec Tornado and hook it up. May sound like a Jet Engine taking off but it cools... god does it cool.

-Kevin

 

[Nickel020]

I just looked at the systemcooling review and I have too say that the mobo case combo is as bad as it gets forn HT-101. There is only like 1" of space between the fan and the PSU. This will hinder the fan drawing air and it will be hotter air that sits right below the PSU. The HT-101 truly shines when it is blowing air directly at the outtake fans and that coupled with the air the fan is drawing being a couple degress C colder should make it outperform the SP-97. And it did in the two reviews on hartware.de and dirkvader.de that I based my recommendation on.
On to the 92mm fans. At the same noise level the 80mm fans tested on hartware.de and dirkvader.de outperformed the 92mm fans. And these two sites have professional equipment to measure noise.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
I just looked at the systemcooling review and I have too say that the mobo case combo is as bad as it gets forn HT-101. There is only like 1" of space between the fan and the PSU. This will hinder the fan drawing air and it will be hotter air that sits right below the PSU.

This will occur in many instances as case manufacturers don't built their cases with the HT-101 specifically in mind. In the Dirkvader review, it's pretty much ideally setup for the HT-101.

The HT-101 truly shines when it is blowing air directly at the outtake fans and that coupled with the air the fan is drawing being a couple degress C colder should make it outperform the SP-97. And it did in the two reviews on hartware.de and dirkvader.de that I based my recommendation on.
On to the 92mm fans. At the same noise level the 80mm fans tested on hartware.de and dirkvader.de outperformed the 92mm fans. And these two sites have professional equipment to measure noise.

I can't read German and babelfish never translates right. But the graphs look odd, so I question not their equipment, but their technique. Looks like the SP-97 was tested only with a Tornado? Also, I'm not sure having that monstrous heatsink and fans virtually obscuring the exhaust fan would do much for case temps....I'd call it a wash if anything. The turbulence created by that thing would surely reduce the effectiveness of the exhaust fan.

 

[Nickel020]

In the text on hartware.de the reviewer actually states that at low rpms the HT-101 outperforms the SP-97 at the same noise level. Also the SP-97 was tested with several different fans. The guy from hartware.de is actually quiet good at what he's doing, he actually worked with TSP to produce the first mass produced ultra-silent PSU (the one I am using :-D).
After seeing the systemcooling.com review, I have to say that the HT-101 probably only outperforms the SP-97 when the airflow is horizontal or when mounted in a Big Tower case so that the PSU is far enough away.

 

[nightic]

Not sure if you know but the SP-97 is now end-of-life, shortly to be replaced by the SI-97 which according to Thermalright slightly outperforms the SP-97 despite being primarily manufactured from Alumin(i)um (Copper base &amp; heatpipes excepted).

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
In the text on hartware.de the reviewer actually states that at low rpms the HT-101 outperforms the SP-97 at the same noise level. Also the SP-97 was tested with several different fans. The guy from hartware.de is actually quiet good at what he's doing, he actually worked with TSP to produce the first mass produced ultra-silent PSU (the one I am using :-D).
After seeing the systemcooling.com review, I have to say that the HT-101 probably only outperforms the SP-97 when the airflow is horizontal or when mounted in a Big Tower case so that the PSU is far enough away.

Based on how far apart the fins are, I'd concur that, when the heatsink's fan isn't constricted somehow, that, the HT-101 should be marginally better at lower air speeds. So for quiet computing it's a draw. But this user didn't specify his goals, quiet, oc, etc, so we have to give advice based on the overall picture.

Also, Antec makes a 100% silent PSU now.

 

[Nickel020]

Problem with the 100% silent PSUs is (dirkvader.de has tested like 5 during the last year and some of them HUM but the Antec doesn't) they heat up your system so much you need to crank up your case fans and more often than not you will end up with more noise. You can put the PSU outside the case but that isn't very practical if you move your PC from time to time.

I hadn't seen the SI-97 yet. Looks like an XP-90 with a Socket A bracket.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Nickel020
Problem with the 100% silent PSUs is (dirkvader.de has tested like 5 during the last year and some of them HUM but the Antec doesn't) they heat up your system so much you need to crank up your case fans and more often than not you will end up with more noise. You can put the PSU outside the case but that isn't very practical if you move your PC from time to time.

It looks like they test on a machine with 120mm exhaust. Also, the Antec has ridiculously high efficiency like close to 90%. I'd be surprised if that can't handle the extra heat even at 5V, but now we're on a tangent.

 

[imported_juanflaiter]

I´ll buy the Thermalright, I don´t like tower shaped Heatpipes, I think is just to much torque for a PCB.

Greetings.

 

[Granorense]

It has been great to read your posts guys on this issue since I am interested in both heatsinks. Although I haven't been able to find any SP97s in stock anywhere.

 

[Nickel020]

The Sp-97 is being replaced by the SI-97 which according to systemcooling.com outperforms the SP-97 slightly. It's also considerably cheaper than the Sp-97 ($35).