Thermalright HR-01

The Optional 120mm Fan Duct

This is the reason for the S-Clip - the optional 120mm fan duct. It doesn't come with the HR-01 and must be purchased separately.

It's meant to be connected to the case's exhaust fan so that it draws away the hot air from the HR-01. But to do that, the HR-01 must be oriented vertically.

Surprisingly, its packaging is much more attractive than the standard brown cardboard box Thermalright usually uses. Then again, who cares about the packaging if Thermalright heatsinks perform as well as they do?

The Contents

Inside the box, you will find the following items :

• One 120mm Thermalright fan duct
• One Thermalright sticker
• Two double-sided tape
• Five tapping screws
• One user's manual

A Closer Look

The fan duct we received here is orange in colour, instead of the blue ones that I have came across. I am not really one of those who likes to pimp their rig so it doesn't really matter to me.

However, you should note that there are different versions of this 120mm fan duct; each with a different colour and/or length. You should choose one that suits your casing best.

To use this fan duct, all you need to do is connect one end of this fan duct to the HR-01 and the other end to the 120mm exhaust fan at the back of your case. That's it. It's really that simple.

The fan duct will allow the case fan to "suck" hot air from the HR-01's fins and exhaust it out the back of the case. This increases the cooling efficiency of the HR-01 without adding a fan or increasing the amount of noise!

However, pulling hot air from a heatsink isn't as effective as pushing cooler air through the fins. We will evaluate its effect and see how well it performs later in this round-up.

Issues With The Thermalright HR-01

The LGA775 Mounting Clips

The metal frame of the mounting clip is a little too big. It would get stuck a bit whenever I try to remove or insert it into the heatsink. As a result, one of the heatpipe was dented very slightly.

The S-Clip

Like the old K8 mounting clip, it allows you to twist the heatsink within a range of a few degrees. This can be useful if you want to optimize the air flow.

However, it can also be a bad thing if you (accidentally or intentionally) twist it so much that it affects the contact between the heatsink base and the CPU. Without proper contact, even a good cooler will be useless.

Lack of Fan Mounting Mechanism

Why didn't they just include a fan mounting clip? Although the HR-01 is designed to be a passive cooler, it can also work as an active cooler with the addition of a fan.

It really wouldn't kill Thermalrigth to at least provide us with the option to install a fan. But right now, we can still attach a fan to the HR-01 by using cable ties, wires, rubber bands, etc. They are a bit ghetto, but they work!