Thermalright HR-05 HighRiser Northbridge Heatsink

Overall, the Thermalright HR-05 achieves impressive results. The extra mass and high-quality workmanship of the High-Riser series translate into one of the highest performing chipset heatsinks. The main problem with this heatsink is its flimsy retention mechanism, which can easily let go of the heatsink, causing damage and destruction.

Because of its size, it might make your computer a little more cramped, which means more steps or extra care when performing maintenance. The HR-05 can be purchased for $25, which is a good price considering other lesser chipset coolers cost $20 and don’t even have 1/4th the material. The thin 80mm fan is good, but the mounting method seems like an afterthought (requiring zip-ties). If you want to cool your Northbridge (or Southbridge for that matter), then the HR-05 will provide THE best performance, no doubt. Unfortunately, it may destroy your PC in the process.

	REPORT CARD : Thermalright HR-05 Northbridge Heatsink category rating comments Quality 5 The craftmanship and build quality of this unit is top notch. The high-quality nickel-plated copper will not tarnish, and is polished very smooth. Innovation 4 Thermalright may be the first to implement a heatpipe in a northbridge cooler. The fan mounting method seems like an afterthought. Performance 5 You can’t argue with results. Because of its mass, it is able to outperform any other northbridge cooler. Installation 1 Mounting push pins are a joke when you’re dealing with a cooler this massive and tall. It can too easiliy damage the fragile nVidia northbridge. Its size makes it incompatible with many motherboards, especially if you’re doing SLI. A secure mounting method like Zalman’s products would make this product worry-free. Value 4 Other aftermarket heatsinks cost about $20 and are not nearly the size or quality of this product. $25 is a good value for a heatsink of this size. FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars