Installation:

The first part of the installation of this unit we will look at is the optional "air-flow spoiler". This thin strip of aluminum can be clipped on to the fins of the cooler at any elevation that the user chooses. The purpose is to redirect some of the exhaust air downward so that it cools components on the motherboard, like transistors, chipsets, or system memory.


While the spoiler is a good idea, the implementation could be better... It is so slight, that it doesn't catch much air. Although shown near the top in one image, the preferred installation is towards the bottom, so air closest to the board can be redirected without creating turbulence from any other air with a laminar path. Given the dissimilar shape of the fan and the spoiler, you have to move it up a bit to actually catch a significant amount of air. And once you do, you are at a greater distance from items you want to cool, and air below the reach of the spoiler is trying to flow straight out, which creates turbulence.


I couldn't feel much of a difference in airflow down near the board with the spoiler installed, and sticking a thermal probe near some chips on the board didn't register any significant, consistent changes in temperature

The installation itself was very easy, thanks to the push pin style mounts provided for socket 775 motherboards. While it was necessary to reach under the fan in order to secure the pins on that side of the cooler, I was able to do so even with the motherboard already installed inside a case. Clearance around other features on the motherboard was not a problem, and considering how compact the cooler is overall, it didn't come close to the power supply, memory, or side of the case.


The images below show what the processor and cooler look like after running for a few days. As I mentioned earlier, the heatpipes looked like they were raised a bit higher than the aluminum base, but the impressions in the thermal paste show it isn't really the case. You can see stripes left between the rows of copper and aluminum, but in general the pressure seems to have been even everywhere else.