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CoolerMaster

Sweeping, Light And Loud: CoolerMaster HSC-001

Despite its impressive outside dimensions of 80 x 78 x 70 millimeters, the HSC-001 is still a featherweight at only 320 grams. That makes it 20 grams heavier than the maximum weight recommended by AMD for a cooling solution on an Athlon or Duron. Assembling the HSC-001 is child's play, thanks to its clip. It could get a little tight on some motherboards, though.

The base plate and cooling ribs are made of aluminum. The HSC-001's ribs are much thinner than on a standard aluminum cooler (around 0.7 mm), and slightly curved. This design multiplies the effective cooling surface and carries away heat much more quickly.

As the measurement curve for the HSC-001 shows, it is a good standard cooler. It performs extremely well for a pure aluminum cooler, even though the noise level generated by the cooler is a bothersome 64 dB(A). It doesn't offer as generous thermal reserves for overclockers as a well-designed copper cooler does.