Thermaltake Big Typhoon HSF review

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Diasper

Senior member
Mar 7, 2005
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Well currently I think people are pretty spoilt for choice when it comes to good coolers of all different styles.

I would rate the following I think all which have been mentioned: (alphabetical order)

Asetek Vapochill Micro Low Noise
Artic Cooling Freezer 64 / Freezer 4
Big Typhoon
Scythe Ninja
Thermalright XP90/90C/120

Obviously some have slightly different performance but they are all within a similiar sort of range - or perhaps even better said - all very capable of cooling an overclocked CPU.

Of course, they also do have important differences such as weight and size which could be other factors to choose on.

However, ultimately, it just comes down to choosing a cooler that fits your sort of air cooling in your case - direction, speed, noise etc and more importantly cost!


For my most recent build for a family member I used the Asetek Vapochill and have got very good results (not overhyped as some have said/reported - just ensure a proper installation*). Temps with an overclocked 3500+ to 2.6ghz at 1.5V (which is pretty hot/high thermal output) posts temps in a P180 case are 43C load (prime95, large FFT, room 22C) or 46C absolute max with room about 25C.

Those temps are with the Asetek on about 2/3ds power so prob around 8V.




*(I recommend the DFI installation method for all motherboards + ensuring thermal paste is covering the whole base + the base is absolutely centrally placed and thus completely covering the CPU)
 

Leper Messiah

Banned
Dec 13, 2004
7,973
8
0
Just ordered one of these from newegg, as my zalman 7700 is not doing the job for dual cores anymore. hopefully this+some AS5 will drop my temps a good 10-15C, as its nearly 65C at stock vcore...
 

Guy Gadbois

Member
Aug 20, 2005
25
0
0
I hope it works out for ya. I've noticed now that my idle temps on my x2 3800 OC'ed to 2.5GHz have dropped even more down to 38C (my room temp varies from 77-80F). I guess it is true, the AS5 does go through a 'curing' process. I've had it (Typhoon and AS5) installed for about a week now and as I go through cycles of running the system and shutting it down for a few hours, and it seems my temps keep dropping a bit every few days.

http://www.hargrove.ws/photodump/Typhoon.jpg
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
8,964
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0
The Hyper 6+ is good, but the Typhoon is better. Just waiting for winter to overclock. Lower ambient temps when it's -33C outside :D
 

BWMerlin

Member
Jun 21, 2005
70
0
61
If I had one of these big hsf combo's I would definitely be laying it down when I transported my pc about especially after reading this
The maximum weight for a cooler is specified as 450g for Intel Socket 775 and AMD Socket 754/939/940. Special care should be taken when moving a computer equipped with a cooler that exceeds the specified weight limit. Zalman is not responsible for any damage that occurs when moving a computer.
from the zalman website.
 
Jan 9, 2001
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Originally posted by: Guy Gadbois
I hope it works out for ya. I've noticed now that my idle temps on my x2 3800 OC'ed to 2.5GHz have dropped even more down to 38C (my room temp varies from 77-80F). I guess it is true, the AS5 does go through a 'curing' process. I've had it (Typhoon and AS5) installed for about a week now and as I go through cycles of running the system and shutting it down for a few hours, and it seems my temps keep dropping a bit every few days.

http://www.hargrove.ws/photodump/Typhoon.jpg


Guy could you tell me if the heatsink overhangs the top edge of the motherboard? It is hard to tell in your picture, and I'm trying to decide if it will fit on my motherboard. I am currently running an Abit AV8 (although I think I will will be switching to PCIe soon), and there isnt a lot of space between the motherboard and my Antec NeoPower's intake fan. I have a superlanboy case and it isn't the biggest.
 

Guy Gadbois

Member
Aug 20, 2005
25
0
0
Originally posted by: CCityInstaller
Originally posted by: Guy Gadbois
I hope it works out for ya. I've noticed now that my idle temps on my x2 3800 OC'ed to 2.5GHz have dropped even more down to 38C (my room temp varies from 77-80F). I guess it is true, the AS5 does go through a 'curing' process. I've had it (Typhoon and AS5) installed for about a week now and as I go through cycles of running the system and shutting it down for a few hours, and it seems my temps keep dropping a bit every few days.

http://www.hargrove.ws/photodump/Typhoon.jpg


Guy could you tell me if the heatsink overhangs the top edge of the motherboard? It is hard to tell in your picture, and I'm trying to decide if it will fit on my motherboard. I am currently running an Abit AV8 (although I think I will will be switching to PCIe soon), and there isnt a lot of space between the motherboard and my Antec NewPower's intake fan. I have a superlanboy case and it isn't the biggest.

CCityInstaller - No, it does not extend above the top edge of the MB. It is VERY close, I'd say about 2cm or so below the top edge of the MB. Here is a pic mounted in my Sonata case:

Typhoon mounted in case
 
Jan 9, 2001
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Guy thanks for the picture. I don't think your case is much larger then mine, so hopefully it will fit alright in the Lanboy. Are you using the fan to blow down and cool the cpu or are you using it to pull air upward off the cpu?
 

Guy Gadbois

Member
Aug 20, 2005
25
0
0
My case is an Antec Sonata (original one, not "II"). It is blowing down to cool the fins. Haven't really considered flipping the fan around to pull the air away. Not sure if it provides better cooling or not.
 

BWMerlin

Member
Jun 21, 2005
70
0
61
If you turned the fan around wouldnt it draw hot air from the case over the fins instead of the cool air from outside blowing over the fins?
 

imported_Sounder

Junior Member
Sep 28, 2005
5
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Using the Big Typhoon, my P4 640 3.2GHz EMT64 runs at 38 deg. C under full load (42 deg. C when OC'd by 10%). Not bad! :D

But the mounting system could have been improved. It should have been designed to let the mobo take all the torque, while still providing proper contact pressure on the CPU. So what if it cost ten bucks more?

Great cooling; ridiculous mounting hardware. :frown:
 

Leper Messiah

Banned
Dec 13, 2004
7,973
8
0
This thing is such a Pain in the ass to install. i hope the arctic silver 5 cures and drops my temps signifcantly, because I was hitting 79C at .+1vcore. I dunno. I have to have installed it wrong, but I can't get the washers down any futher on the screws. (had to use teh alternate install, because of the stupid epox backplate). Maybe I need to get one of those itty bitty wrenches.
 

WobbleWobble

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
4,867
1
0
Just got the Typhoon to replace my Freezer 64, and so far I'm not that impressed.

My temps after installation have only dropped 2C to 46C, but then the AS5 does need time to cure. But I'm doubtful how much curing will help temps. This is on a A64 3200+ o/c to 2.4GHz 1.52V.

I also found it to be a PITA to install, because the screws are at the narrow base and it was difficult to get the screw driver in there since the heatsink is so wide. The Freezer 64 just used the stock retention brackets, which was nice.

Here are some comparison pics: (50 DVD spindle, Big Typhoon, Freezer 64, stock HSF)
Angled View
Side View

Here are some pics with the Typhoon installed:
Case View
Close Up

I'm running it at 7V and it's very silent. Would I buy it again? Sure, if I didn't have an aftermarket HSF. Was it worth it to replace my Freezer 64, definately not.
 

Lithan

Platinum Member
Aug 2, 2004
2,919
0
0
Yeah the typhoon doesnt shock me with performing prowess either.

1. 1k rpm fan is just plain too weak for overclocking. I'm going to replace it when I get around to it.
2. Base could use a good lapping.
3. Yeah mounting system is retarded, especially for such a large sink.


That said,

1. My board apparently reads quite high, so I'm not getting an accurate read.
2. The actual heatsink design is nice. It should fit most mobos.
 

Guy Gadbois

Member
Aug 20, 2005
25
0
0
Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Just got the Typhoon to replace my Freezer 64, and so far I'm not that impressed.

My temps after installation have only dropped 2C to 46C, but then the AS5 does need time to cure. But I'm doubtful how much curing will help temps. This is on a A64 3200+ o/c to 2.4GHz 1.52V.

I also found it to be a PITA to install, because the screws are at the narrow base and it was difficult to get the screw driver in there since the heatsink is so wide. The Freezer 64 just used the stock retention brackets, which was nice.

I LOVE my Typhoon. Yes, I did use one of those little right angled screwdrivers because of the heatsink being so large, but it worked great and was easy to install (I was able to use the stock backplate on my Asus board.

DEFINITLEY, give that AS5 time to cure. I was, with the stock HSF at 46C idle / and 58C load temps. Immediately after install, my temps were only slightly lower, but after a week or so of the system being run and also shut down, my temps are now around 32-33C idle and 46C load (load being two instances of Prime95)

***********************************************************
AMD Athlon X2 3800+ (@ 2.5 GHz - 10 x 250MHz FSB, 4x multi)
Thermaltake Big Typhoon HSF
Asus A8V Deluxe - Bios 1014
1 GB PQI Turbo PC3200 and 512MB Ultra PC3200 (w/DDR333 mem divider)
Asylum GeForce4 Ti4200 - 64MB
120GB WD SATA - 2nd drive is 160GB WD PATA
Windows XP Pro

 

Leper Messiah

Banned
Dec 13, 2004
7,973
8
0
Originally posted by: Guy Gadbois
Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Just got the Typhoon to replace my Freezer 64, and so far I'm not that impressed.

My temps after installation have only dropped 2C to 46C, but then the AS5 does need time to cure. But I'm doubtful how much curing will help temps. This is on a A64 3200+ o/c to 2.4GHz 1.52V.

I also found it to be a PITA to install, because the screws are at the narrow base and it was difficult to get the screw driver in there since the heatsink is so wide. The Freezer 64 just used the stock retention brackets, which was nice.

I LOVE my Typhoon. Yes, I did use one of those little right angled screwdrivers because of the heatsink being so large, but it worked great and was easy to install (I was able to use the stock backplate on my Asus board.

DEFINITLEY, give that AS5 time to cure. I was, with the stock HSF at 46C idle / and 58C load temps. Immediately after install, my temps were only slightly lower, but after a week or so of the system being run and also shut down, my temps are now around 32-33C idle and 46C load (load being two instances of Prime95)

***********************************************************
AMD Athlon X2 3800+ (@ 2.5 GHz - 10 x 250MHz FSB, 4x multi)
Thermaltake Big Typhoon HSF
Asus A8V Deluxe - Bios 1014
1 GB PQI Turbo PC3200 and 512MB Ultra PC3200 (w/DDR333 mem divider)
Asylum GeForce4 Ti4200 - 64MB
120GB WD SATA - 2nd drive is 160GB WD PATA
Windows XP Pro


I have to be doing something wrong then. My stock temps were similar to yours, but right now, my X2 is loading at like 65C with this thing. I had to use the install where the screws come out of the mobo, and those washers are really hard to tighten. I need to like clamp the damn HSFU and spin the washers or something...I mean i was running 1.4vcore at 2.6, which was stable, but temps were like 79C. Granted it was like 90F in my room, and about 110F in side the case, even though the side is off, but thats still way too high.

 

Vee

Senior member
Jun 18, 2004
689
0
0
The amount of success one gets with the Typhoon can probably vary some. The secret lies in understanding why it works better. CPU air cooler design is about three things, transporting heat to the cooling surface, surface area and airflow over surface.

Zalman's 7000 design pretty much takes care of transport and surface area. To a natural limit. Looking at it, there's no obvious reason why the 7700cu should do much better than the 7000cu on sustained 100% load. It will achieve lower temps on intermittent load simply due to the larger copper mass.

The 'heat pipe' concept allows slightly more freedom to achieve a larger effective surface area. XP120 is a good example.

But where Z 9500 and BTyphoon hits home is in airflow. 9500 looks like it will be easy to fit in and that results will be pretty unvulnerable.
The BTyphoon also have clean airflow, but directs it's ejected airflow downward onto the hot baseplate. I kinda like that. The airflow also then spills out and increase circulation on the MB, around ram, chipset.

I'm pretty sure the BTyphoon's (and Z 9500) advantage is closely related to the airflow through the fins. Screw up that, and results should drop. If you don't have a very wide case, check temp results with open and closed case, and possibly take up a hole in the side to give it an unhampered intake.
Z 9500 won't need anything like that, but case ventilation is as usual important.

The weight of the HS is a risk if you're in an earthquake area or is moving you PC. Move it gently and carefully. As long as it just sits there, it should be ok.
 

Woofmeister

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2004
1,385
1
76
Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Just got the Typhoon to replace my Freezer 64, and so far I'm not that impressed.

My temps after installation have only dropped 2C to 46C, but then the AS5 does need time to cure. But I'm doubtful how much curing will help temps. This is on a A64 3200+ o/c to 2.4GHz 1.52V.

I also found it to be a PITA to install, because the screws are at the narrow base and it was difficult to get the screw driver in there since the heatsink is so wide. The Freezer 64 just used the stock retention brackets, which was nice.

Here are some comparison pics: (50 DVD spindle, Big Typhoon, Freezer 64, stock HSF)
Angled View
Side View

Here are some pics with the Typhoon installed:
Case View
Close Up

I'm running it at 7V and it's very silent. Would I buy it again? Sure, if I didn't have an aftermarket HSF. Was it worth it to replace my Freezer 64, definately not.


Hey Wobble Wobble, I can tell from your rig that you're interested in low noise as well as performance. How loud is the Typhoon compared to Freezer 64?
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
3,321
126
AS5 in and of itself will not lower your temps more than a few degrees C....
You will not see a drop of anything evenb near 10c......

There are other mitigating factors such as ambient room temps...etc...

With my Zalman 9500 my idle temps were 27c...with an ambient room temp of 72defrees farenhiet.....

under load my temps were 37c.....

Over clcocked to 4.0 mhz my laod temp was 38c.....

The Big Typhoon is a real nice heatsink but......its NOT the best!

Is it one of ther top 5 sure!!

There are soo many nice top quality heatsinks on the market today it is really a buyers market...

You don`t have to settle for the plain square heatsink anymore....
There are actually some very stylish heatsinks that work amazingly well....

If I had to choose a top 5 or top 10......

I would be forced to place the Scythe Ninja in the top spot just for performance sake!
The Big Typhoon and the "new" Thermalright SI120 in 2nd...
followed close by the XP120 as well as the XP 90 copper....
Then I based on real world experience I would sit the Zalman 9500 in that spot....
Then probably the Atctoc freezer series....

yet let me state in my system the XP120 and the zalman are both getitng almost the exact same temps....

I have been very impressed lately with all the Scythe line of heatsinks....

Since I already purchased the XP120 and the Zalman 9500.....
Its very unlikely I will also purchase the Scythe Ninja!!!

Have a nice day!!
 

imported_Sounder

Junior Member
Sep 28, 2005
5
0
0
Ya know, all Tt would have to do is make those long brass "stand off" nuts the right height so that you could screw the H bracket right down onto them, while maintaining the right amount of pressure on the CPU die. That would take the torque off the CPU. IMHO this would have iced the cake. Hey, maybe I can find some extra ones and a few shims and do it myself!
 

WobbleWobble

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
4,867
1
0
Originally posted by: Woofmeister
Hey Wobble Wobble, I can tell from your rig that you're interested in low noise as well as performance. How loud is the Typhoon compared to Freezer 64?

At 12V, the Freezer is slightly louder than the Typhoon. At 7V, I found the Typhoon to be just a little bit louder, but the difference is much more minimal compared to 12V. At 7V, I doubt you could tell the difference once the HSF is running in a closed case.
 

EvilRage

Senior member
Dec 20, 2004
733
0
0
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
yet let me state in my system the XP120 and the zalman are both getitng almost the exact same temps....

I have been very impressed lately with all the Scythe line of heatsinks....

Since I already purchased the XP120 and the Zalman 9500.....
Its very unlikely I will also purchase the Scythe Ninja!!!

Have a nice day!!

Hey Yoda, I see you've purchased both the XP-120 and the Zalman 9500. I'm looking at getting one of the two for my rig, maybe you can help me decide. I'm leaning towards the Zalman as it's lighter (compared to the XP-120 w/panaflo fan), plus the Zalman looks kinda cooler. Is there a significant difference in performance between the two?
 

culex44

Junior Member
Oct 20, 2005
4
0
0
To n7:
hi guy!!
I just got the TT big typhoon too and I have the same mobo (MSI K8N neo2). I didn't find time to install this cooler, probably this evening ut I've got a question to you: Did you install it with the standard installation (metal back plate) or the alternative (plastic plate)? In fact, I didn't find time to look behind the mobo and see what sort of back plate is!
Thanks for your answer