Meet Wraith Ripper, A New Cooler For Threadripper 2

News
By Paul Alcorn
published

AMD's Threadripper 2 announcement has the enthusiast community excited at the prospect of 32 cores and 64 threads coming to the desktop, but you'll need to top the processor with a capable cooler to bring the rumored 250W TDP under control. AMD told us at Computex that the new Threadripper 2 models will come with the Asetek bracket that provides compatibility with leading AIO watercoolers. But the company has also worked with Cooler Master to develop a new air cooler, Wraith Ripper, specifically for the Threadripper's TR4 socket.

Cooler Master will launch and sell the new air cooler separately. The Wraith Ripper cooler comes resplendent with fully-addressable RGB lighting for the Ryzen Threadripper logo and two LED strips that run down the center of the heatsink.

AMD's first-generation Threadripper came with two active die and two inactive 'dummy' die, but the new model comes with four active die. That will require a bit of extra cooling power, but the Wraith Ripper cooler provides full coverage of the large TR4 socket.

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Seven copper heatpipes wick heat up into the hefty fin stack while a concealed 120mm fan in the center of the cooler provides airflow at a relatively tame 39dBA. The top of the housing features four Phillips head screw mounts that attach directly to the four threaded fasteners that mount into the TR4 socket, which eases installation. The cooler is quite heavy, as we would expect from a cooler that can dissipate roughly 250W of thermal output.

Neither AMD nor Cooler Master have released more details, such as pricing, but we're sure that information will pop up when the new coolers come to market during the Threadripper 2 launch in Q3 2018.

Paul Alcorn
Paul Alcorn
Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech

Paul Alcorn is the Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech for Tom's Hardware US. He also writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage, and enterprise hardware.

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7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bit_user
    I was hoping for some 3D vapor chamber. I guess that was too expensive and apparently unnecessary, but would've been neat.

    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cooler-master-3d-vapor-chamber,28372.html
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    21054867 said:
    I was hoping for some 3D vapor chamber. I guess that was too expensive and apparently unnecessary, but would've been neat.

    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cooler-master-3d-vapor-chamber,28372.html
    I'd bet (as you mentioned) it's not necessary and expensive. In addition, there is perhaps a greater risk for failure/damage where the pipes meet the base - especially with a monster heatsink like that Wraith Ripper. They did build a smaller version already, the MasterAir Maker 8. For cost (and perhaps strength) reasons it's actually a hybrid with 4 "native" heatpipes integrated with the 3d vapor chamber base, and 4 conventional standalone pipes. Even this smaller, lower TDP version (compared to a hypothetical TR 2 solution anyway) is pretty frickin' expensive. It makes Noctua's latest NH-D15 look like the budget option.

    One other thing... How would orientation affect operation/performance of their 3D vapor chamber? Would be nice to see tests but I suspect it if was hot shiz we'd see samples in the hands of big reviewers.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    21055390 said:
    One other thing... How would orientation affect operation/performance of their 3D vapor chamber? Would be nice to see tests but I suspect it if was hot shiz we'd see samples in the hands of big reviewers.
    Vapor chambers work like heat pipes and are used in high-end GPUs (GTX 1080 and above) and rackmount servers. Heat pipes are orientation-independent, relying only on capillary action to return the working fluid to the heat source.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pipe

    Here are some comparisons of the MasterAir Maker 8:

    https://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/dominic-moass/cooler-master-masterair-maker-8-review/5/

    Raw performance figures do not tell the whole story, though, as good acoustics is a big part of what makes a successful cooler. In my experience, the Maker 8 is an incredibly quiet cooling solution – with our test system idling, the cooler is dead silent, and the fans look like they are barely spinning.

    Even when the load ramps up, the two fans work together very well and emit the quietest of hums. Compared to the R1 Ultimate, which we shall be reviewing soon, the difference is night and day.

    http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/71601-cooler-master-masterair-maker-8-cooler-review-3.html

    Cooler Master really is onto something with the Master Air Maker 8. Its cooling performance and noise profile is nothing short of incredible for an air-based cooler; this is a platform that can certainly hold great things for the future. Unfortunately, an overly high price and serious installation problems mar our opinion of what could have been a breakout cooling product.

    https://techreport.com/review/29605/cooler-master-masterair-maker-8-cpu-cooler-reviewed/3

    Given my time with the Maker 8, I don't know that Cooler Master has entirely justified that leap in price. Those willing to shell out the cash will get a handsome, easy-to-install heatsink that delivers solid cooling performance and decent acoustics. All else being equal, though, I'd save a few bucks and buy the biggest all-in-one liquid cooler my case could swallow.

    I hope they continue to refine this tech, as I think it's their first and only 3D vapor chamber cooler (something they claim to have patented). I prefer air cooling and see this tech as holding the most potential.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    21055490 said:
    Vapor chambers work like heat pipes and are used in high-end GPUs (GTX 1080 and above) and rackmount servers. Heat pipes are orientation-independent, relying only on capillary action to return the working fluid to the heat source.
    I understand heat pipes, and orientation can absolutely have an impact. It depends on the length and type of heatpipe.

    http://www.enertron-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Things-to-Consider-When-Designing-With-Heat-Pipes.pdf

    So, which of those designs most closely reflects CM's implementation of a combined 3D heatpipe vapor chamber whosawhatsit?

    Edit: Thanks for the review links. I generally don't visit those sites. These all appear to be tested on open-air beds in the vertical (gravity assist) orientation. I really would like THG to test it both ways to see if this is a "minimal impact" scenario or not. I automatically typed THG. I'm leaving it for nostalgic reasons.
    Reply
  • Jake Hall
    It kinda bothers me that most heatpipes end up sideways, not sure if that matters.
    Reply
  • Valantar
    21055714 said:
    21055490 said:
    Vapor chambers work like heat pipes and are used in high-end GPUs (GTX 1080 and above) and rackmount servers. Heat pipes are orientation-independent, relying only on capillary action to return the working fluid to the heat source.
    I understand heat pipes, and orientation can absolutely have an impact. It depends on the length and type of heatpipe.

    http://www.enertron-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Things-to-Consider-When-Designing-With-Heat-Pipes.pdf

    So, which of those designs most closely reflects CM's implementation of a combined 3D heatpipe vapor chamber whosawhatsit?

    Edit: Thanks for the review links. I generally don't visit those sites. These all appear to be tested on open-air beds in the vertical (gravity assist) orientation. I really would like THG to test it both ways to see if this is a "minimal impact" scenario or not. I automatically typed THG. I'm leaving it for nostalgic reasons.

    To quote your linked paper:
    But as previously mentioned, the groove heat pipe, with the
    lowest capillary limit, works best under gravity-assisted conditions where the evaporator is
    located below the condenser. Fig 3 shows the effect of gravity on groove wick heat pipes.
    While heatpipe teardowns are exceptionally rare, I've never heard of PC heatpipes using anything but mesh/braid wicks. This is rather logical, as CPU coolers are mounted in various directions, chief of which is with the heatpipes either horizontal (perpendicular to a vertical motherboard) or vertical but with a complex shape (low-profile downdraft coolers with criss-crossing heatpipes parallel to the motherboard, U-shaped pipes that are both horizontal and vertical, and so on). Then there's the various mounting directions relative to the socket (airflow up/down or front/back). In other words, it would be extremely stupid for a CPU cooler designer to use a type of heatpipe that they know will work poorly in 90% of installations.

    Other than that, this cooler looks like it'd be a perfect companion for Noctua's new 120mm fans. CM makes okay fans, sure, but sticking an NF-A12x25 in there would likely make this a truly excellent cooler, both dead silent and with great performance.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    21056818 said:
    While heatpipe teardowns are exceptionally rare, I've never heard of PC heatpipes using anything but mesh/braid wicks. This is rather logical, as CPU coolers are mounted in various directions, chief of which is with the heatpipes either horizontal (perpendicular to a vertical motherboard) or vertical but with a complex shape (low-profile downdraft coolers with criss-crossing heatpipes parallel to the motherboard, U-shaped pipes that are both horizontal and vertical, and so on). Then there's the various mounting directions relative to the socket (airflow up/down or front/back). In other words, it would be extremely stupid for a CPU cooler designer to use a type of heatpipe that they know will work poorly in 90% of installations.
    My point was that not ALL heatpipes are the same, and some are affected by orientation. If you really looked through that article you'd realize that some of the other designs of heatpipes are impacted somewhat as well, and this can also vary with length, and diameter (and perhaps shape). We don't know much about the inner workings of their 3DVC. I also never said or implied anything about working "poorly". Just to toss around an number as an example, a hypothetical 90% performance in horizontal would still be nearly full performance. But it would still be a noticeable difference the typical open air bench results don't capture.

    So the big question remains: What do we know about their 3D vapor chamber and it's native (integral) heatpipes? It's different from conventional heatpipes, so Cooler Master would have us believe. Has anyone cut their vapor chamber open and poked around? Tested it flat and again on it's side? It's a bit of an unknown and I think it would be nice to at least verify whether it is or is not affected by orientation.
    Reply