Thermalright HR-02 Macho CPU Air Cooler Review @ [H]

Falling Anvil said:
Really interested in getting this cooler for my next build, but do you guys think that it'd fit in the crapbox otherwise known as the Antec Nine Hundred that I have, or would it not fit so I can dislike it more? :p
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Do you know how much clearance you have from the top of the cpu to the side fan?

you need at least 165mm of clearance to fit the HR02.

just looked up the case specs and they sat its
Case: 49.3cm x 20.6cm x 46.7cm (H x W x D)
that should leave you plenty of room,
 
LoneWolf said:
Props for the pictures, Simba. I think they'll help a lot of people make a decision. :cool:

If your system is ever down, would love to see a picture without the graphics card, so that I could get an idea of how the HR-02 overhangs the socket.
Click to expand...


have a look at these pics

There's a few in there that should give you a good idea. If you want some from a
specific angle, let me know and I can take some for you.
 
It's a good thing I didn't go with this heatsink. I ended up going with a TRUE Black 120 and with the side case panel on, I have perhaps 1-2mm clearance. Would have been a tight squeeze for sure.
 
Really interested in getting this cooler for my next build, but do you guys think that it'd fit in the crapbox otherwise known as the Antec Nine Hundred that I have, or would it not fit so I can dislike it more?
Do you know how much clearance you have from the top of the cpu to the side fan?

you need at least 165mm of clearance to fit the HR02.

just looked up the case specs and they sat its
Case: 49.3cm x 20.6cm x 46.7cm (H x W x D)
that should leave you plenty of room,
Click to expand...

I haven't taken inside clearance measurements yet, but I know that I'm at 8.1 inches on the outside, I can confirm that through the official stats as well as my own measurements. Of course, I'd need to figure out what room I have inside of the case, and that'll have to come at a later date.

Mostly, what scares me is at least one description of someone saying that this cooler barely fits into his CM 692 case, which is slightly wider than the 900.
 
Yes, it should be fine. The Macho is identical in just about every dimension. Where it varies, it's only by a couple of millimeters.
 
I currently have an Antec 900 case and managed to fit the HR-02 Macho inside.
 
I had hopes this would out perform my Archon... ill wait for the next big thing I guess.
 
I see, honestly I should have made that clear earlier, but I'm glad this was all sorted out. Also glad to hear that I can use this cooler if I go for it.
 
Got mine today and it fits in my 400R with room to spare. Has anyone tried adding another fan to this beast?
 
Are any of you running the cooler passive? I'm interested in this because I've been using a Scythe Ninja Mini passive since November 2008 on a Q6600.
 
Just ordered one of these from NGG. Glad you guys have vetted this guy already or I would have had serious reservations about ordering. Such an awesome deal!
 
Fit my Antec three hundred. Idle temps from 53 down to 35. Definatly a good buy make sure you have a long phillipshead driver.
 
Six said:
Fit my Antec three hundred. Idle temps from 53 down to 35. Definatly a good buy make sure you have a long phillipshead driver.
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Also, it helps if the screwdriver is magnetized. I won't go into how I managed it, but it was a mess and involved some "okie ingenuity". :p
 
OKANG said:
Also, it helps if the screwdriver is magnetized. I won't go into how I managed it, but it was a mess and involved some "okie ingenuity". :p
Click to expand...

I just rubbed a magnet on the tip of the screwdriver and whammmo magnetized :)

And here she is installed in my 400r. I am considering adding another 140 to the ass end of the cooler but I would have to remove the 120 from the case. I wonder how well that would work...

920.jpg
 
Fits in my Antec P180 great. Im around 37 deg idle, I wonder if I need to increase my case fan speeds...
 
Just ordered one and it's in route via UPS. :) I too thought the website was sketchy, but I noticed you can order from the same guys for the same price on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ERSN7G/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

I figured if they sketched out, at least I had Amazon as a proxy to help me out. But so far, everything looks fine. Looking forward to giving it a go on my 2500K.
 
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BababooeyHTJ said:
Nothing in this coolers price range is going to touch it. Its pretty big and I wish that the heatpipes were nickel plated but you can't go wrong at $40.
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After a good review UK retail prices tend to be nothing like the reviewer says so I did a bit of price checking.

average price £40 in uk and £43 at first recognised shop I seen, thats approx 70usd almost double price.

couldnt find a us vendor as seems newegg dont sell it.

Why I checked? because my experience is I read a review, the reviewer who usually has a pre sale free item from manufacturer prints an estimated price and then the price is hiked following a good review. Although I see the guy above me has managed to buy it for 40usd.
 
chrcoluk said:
After a good review UK retail prices tend to be nothing like the reviewer says so I did a bit of price checking.

average price £40 in uk and £43 at first recognised shop I seen, thats approx 70usd almost double price.

couldnt find a us vendor as seems newegg dont sell it.

Why I checked? because my experience is I read a review, the reviewer who usually has a pre sale free item from manufacturer prints an estimated price and then the price is hiked following a good review. Although I see the guy above me has managed to buy it for 40usd.
Click to expand...
There is a distributor issue in general. This is a popular item, with great performance for a very low price. Newegg, TigerDirect, FrozenCPU, etc. should be all over this. It's not just an international problem. The price hikes you're talking about are usually related to small shops trying to take advantage of a shortage situation. When multiple large resellers become involved, it is much less likely.
 
tsuehpsyde said:
Just ordered one and it's in route via UPS. :) I too thought the website was sketchy, but I noticed you can order from the same guys for the same price on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ERSN7G/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

I figured if they sketched out, at least I had Amazon as a proxy to help me out. But so far, everything looks fine. Looking forward to giving it a go on my 2500K.
Click to expand...

Was your shipping $10.95? That's what stopped me from ordering, as it brings this cooler to higher then $50 total. I'm so used to free or $4 shipping with prime, or free or cheap shipping with Newegg, that being charged that much for shipping stopped me cold. Wish Thermalright would let other vendors distribute this cooler...
 
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wtburnette said:
Was your shipping $10.95? That's what stopped me from ordering, as it brings this cooler to higher then $50 total. I'm so used to free or $4 shipping with prime, or free or cheap shipping with Newegg, that being charged that much for shipping stopped me cold. Wish Thermalright would let other vendors distribute this cooler...
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Yes, the shipping was the same cost. It would be great to find it w/o shipping, but I don't think you're going to find it. However, at $50, this cooler is fantastic. :) I just got it in today, and after fighting with it a bit, got 'er installed. Not much room left in there afterwards. :D But she's real quiet and does a great job. Looks to be cooling my RAM now too.

Be sure to pick up a long Phillips screw driver if you don't already have one. :) Those mounting screws are hard to get it.

Pics for those interested:
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2215796/1//Macho?h=01f35d
 
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tsuehpsyde said:
Yes, the shipping was the same cost. It would be great to find it w/o shipping, but I don't think you're going to find it. However, at $50, this cooler is fantastic. :) I just got it in today, and after fighting with it a bit, got 'er installed:

Photo%20Oct%2027,%208%2055%2014%20PM.jpg


Not much room left in there afterwards. :D But she's real quiet and does a great job. Looks to be cooling my RAM now too.

Be sure to pick up a long Phillips screw driver if you don't already have one. :) Those mounting screws are hard to get it.

More pics for those interested:
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2215796/1//Macho?h=01f35d
Click to expand...

Were you using something previously, or is this a new build? I'm just curious. I've been barely able to wait for this cooler since the [H] review of it and I'm bummed that there's a higher cost/performance then I was hoping for. Still considering it though...
 
UGH! I bit. I hate myself for it, but I've been drooling over this for months and have pushed off doing a CPU upgrade until I had this cooler...
 
OKANG said:
There is a distributor issue in general. This is a popular item, with great performance for a very low price. Newegg, TigerDirect, FrozenCPU, etc. should be all over this. It's not just an international problem. The price hikes you're talking about are usually related to small shops trying to take advantage of a shortage situation. When multiple large resellers become involved, it is much less likely.
Click to expand...

I agree, I think the RRP is probably at the pricepoint but is the shops themselves watching things like reviews and supply, and they hike the price knowing it will still sell. The practice seems much more common in the UK than the USA tho.
 
Thought you all might find this interesting:

Hi,



It is a very efficient cooler that sells for $39.95, thus making it a value product compared to our more expensive high-end coolers. Sorry, no credit card, at this time.



TR Support,



Bob



From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 12:46 PM
To: Support
Subject: Re: Contact Message, From:(Tom Burnette)



So, the HR-02 Macho isn't a high end cooler? That goes against the reviews I've read of it. There's no way to buy one of these somewhere using a credit card? Just wanted to verify.



Thanks.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Support" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 11:56:57 AM
Subject: RE: Contact Message, From:(Tom Burnette)

Hi,



Nan&#8217;s is a semi-Thermalright shop and the only place to purchase the value line of our products, the purpose of which is to keep the retail; price as low as possible. Our High-End coolers are carried by our normal authorized dealers.



TR Support,



Bob
Click to expand...

Actually, was emailed by Nan's about the ability to order via CC there, as well as the Amazon link. Posted this to show that they don't plan to add any more sites to sell this product.
 
wtburnette said:
Thought you all might find this interesting:



Actually, was emailed by Nan's about the ability to order via CC there, as well as the Amazon link. Posted this to show that they don't plan to add any more sites to sell this product.
Click to expand...

I was able to use a credit card with Amazon just fine. :)
 
Yep, both sites allow credit card transactions, I just wanted to point out where they say they don't plan to sell anywhere else at this point, to keep costs down.
 
Got mine, but don't really have the time to install it yet. Hopefully next weekend. I'm really excited!
 
Wow! This thing is pretty big!

My screw driver won't reach down the hole. Gonna have to wait till tomorrow.

EDIT: Installed and torture tested for heat. I love this cooler.
 
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Ordered one after reading this, got it a couple of days ago.
Sweet Zombie Jeezus it's big! :eek:
The pics in the review don't do it justice at all.

Haven't had time to install it yet. Actually haven't decided which system it's going in, yet, but it's a great price. Taking the remainder of the year off after Thursday, so I'll probably get to it this weekend. It's remarkably light for it's size. I gotta take a picture with it on a MiniITX board though. :D
 
PsychoStreak said:
Ordered one after reading this, got it a couple of days ago.
Sweet Zombie Jeezus it's big! :eek:
The pics in the review don't do it justice at all.

Haven't had time to install it yet. Actually haven't decided which system it's going in, yet, but it's a great price. Taking the remainder of the year off after Thursday, so I'll probably get to it this weekend. It's remarkably light for it's size. I gotta take a picture with it on a MiniITX board though. :D
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bwhahahahaha! :D:D:D:eek: MiniITX??!!!! you won't be able to see the board for the heatsink!

Not sure about it being "light". It does weigh in at 1KG!!!
It also rocks! keeps my 2600k running 4.5GHZ under 30 on idle and under 60 on full folding load.
Can't get much better than that, especially for the price.
Make sure you mount it East-West. North-South orientation reduces performance quite considerably.

Enjoy!:D:D;)
 
Not a great deal visible from above, and the chipset cooler makes for a tight fit, but yeah... :D

IMG00034-20120110-0051.jpg

IMG00035-20120110-0052.jpg

It won't reside there, but I just had to do it.

Sorry about the fuzzy BB camera picks.

I have to say the omission of the long shaft screwdriver is a mistake.
 
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