Thermalright SI-128?

[Remedy]

Looks like this was passed off undetected by most. Decision of 4 pipes instead of 3 on the SI-120.

link

 

[RallyMaster]

ooo, interesting...is it better than the Ninja?

 

[Remedy]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
ooo, interesting...is it better than the Ninja?

The Ninja's target market was to be able to run it passively. I don't think comparing the two products would make exact sense. Since the Si-128 isn't meant marketed as a passive design.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I just got a $22, XP-90, for a little freshen-up of an older comp. Meh! It'll be OK.

The Thermaltake Big Typhoon is the uber blow down on the board HS but it's close to 1000g=Yikes! It has 6 pipes.

I don't understand what advantage the SI-128 has over the SI-120??? Guess I'll have to wait for testing. They seem about even and if that's true, then the 128 probably cost less to produce.


...Galvanized

 

[JEDIYoda]

In the last 2 years give or take a year or two the people who make after market heat sinks are scrambling to keep sales moving and to provide the consumer with new products that work as well or better than the current leaders.

Such as the Scythe Ninja or the Thermalright 120 or even the tt Big Typhoon, the Zalman 9500 or even Arctic Cooling 64 Pro.
Then you have shall we say copy cats that are also functional such as the Tuniq and others.
Whats left to this industry is not an easy task.
You always try to have new and exciting products that work.
Yet they are faced with needing new ideas yet keeping the weight down. As Scythe found out when trying to design a copper version of the Ninja.
You also have cool looking heatsinks that IMO will be the direction the industry will go in.
Such as the Zalman 9500 which works very well and adds a different look to the inside of your case.
You also have the CoolerMaster heatsink which can be fund at http://www.jonnyguru.com/
just scroll down to Wednesday, June 21, 2006.
I believe that you will see heatsinks become a work of art that is functional and really nice to look at.
Where else can they go?
More heatpipes?
More mass?
maybe a different metal such as a different alloy?
Its hard to figure.
But it will be interesting to go for the ride!

 

[Fallengod]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee

I don't understand what advantage the SI-128 has over the SI-120??? Guess I'll have to wait for testing. They seem about even and if that's true, then the 128 probably cost less to produce.


...Galvanized

Well to me it looks like the bottom is a thicker piece of copper and also is buffed to a nice shine. Where as for the SI-120 the bottom is not. Quite the opposite actually. Also the bottom contact area on the SI-120 is thin. Just my observations. Id probably take the SI-128 over the SI-120 myself judging by those features alone.

In terms of comparing performance, id need to see some benchmarks. The stuff I mentioned above may not make any difference. : /

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

The base seems smoother but the big difference is the mounting system used.
The 128 has only four pipes, they are larger and not stacked on top of each other but spread out. I like that. Plus the fin area has no swoopy cut for air to leak out of. It has boring straight cut fins

I think I'd buy it over a SI-120. If I were in the market for another HS.


...Galvanized

 

[Kakumba]

I AM in the market for a new HS, and this has gone straight to the top of my list. I was gonna order an SI-120 next week, now will try to get the -128.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Kakumba
I AM in the market for a new HS, and this has gone straight to the top of my list. I was gonna order an SI-120 next week, now will try to get the -128.

take some time and wait for the reviews.
The SI128 shows alot of promise!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

N/M

 

[Kakumba]

Galvanzed - ou arent referring to me I hope?

Anyways, I found one more review, its in German, but I found a table of comparisons to other coolers here: http://www.hartware.de/review_597_8.html and Unless Im mistaken, looks like the -128 is a pretty damn good cooler. Now to email my local supplier, see if they can get me one.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

No I wasn't referring to you.

Nice find! Sure does look good. OUT DOES THE NINJA!!

I like sinks that blow against the board for chip & cap cooling.

....Galvanized

 

[Kakumba]

Yeah, soo glad I didnt spring for the Ninja 2 weeks ago. Wating for a reply to see if I can get one of these beauties soon.

 

[VinDSL]

Man, that 'jonnyguru' site is the best!!!

Anyway, yes, JEDIYoda, air cooling is in a state of flux right now. We're already starting to see the '55 Chevies of the heat sink world -- and, thus, the whole thing seems so transparent and predictable that it's laughable, but it's fun watching history repeat itself for a whole new generation, no? I like watching monkeys slip n' fall on banana peels! How about you?

Hahaha! What's better, Chevies or Fords? You know?

I'm currently awaiting a back-ordered Tuniq 120 to magically appear on my doorstep. I know that it will probably be obsolete by the time it gets here, but that's half the fun for me! That, and trying to shoe-horn it into my case...

I KNOW I should go the waterworks route, but hell, where's the fun in that?

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The Thermaltake Big Typhoon is the uber blow down on the board...

Not picking a fight, and I'm sure you've addressed this 1000 times, so I'm probably opening myself up for a royal flaming, but...

That's not really a function of CPU cooling, is it?

I would think the idea is to 'pull' heat away from the CPU core, not 'push' it back down on the core and 'the board'...

After all, isn't that the purpose of heat pipes -- to pipe heat away from the core -- and the fan to blow the heat toward the exhaust, NOT toward other components?

Heh! Counter-intuitive, right? A little hot air is better than no air at all?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

VinDSL, even if I built a water cooled rig, there would be two slow speed fans used for board cooling. Why do the latest high-end boards use heat piped sinks on the VRMs as well as the NB?? Why are polymer caps being used on main boards now, as well as graphics cards?? Why do ppl sink MOSFETs??

I do not like tall, heavy sinks that keep air away from the main board. That IS my right. It IS the right of others to use whatever they chose



...Galvanized

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The Thermaltake Big Typhoon is the uber blow down on the board...

Not picking a fight, and I'm sure you've addressed this 1000 times, so I'm probably opening myself up for a royal flaming, but...

That's not really a function of CPU cooling, is it?

I would think the idea is to 'pull' heat away from the CPU core, not 'push' it back down on the core and 'the board'...

After all, isn't that the purpose of heat pipes -- to pipe heat away from the core -- and the fan to blow the heat toward the exhaust, NOT toward other components?

Heh! Counter-intuitive, right? A little hot air is better than no air at all?

All that matters is the actual temperature, even if theory dictates that blah blah air blah heated blah... Generally, with fans on HSs that blow down, the PWM devices get cooled better, but it seems like the PWM temperature is slightly lower with the Ninja than with the SI-128.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Since you read German...How was the test done and on what board??

I do not believe the board chips will be cooler with a tower type HS. No way Jose!!


...Galvanized

 

[Howard]

In the test, I forgot to say "in the test".

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
VinDSL,...even if I built a water cooled rig... [ which I haven't ]... blah, blah...

I do not like tall, heavy sinks that keep air away from the main board... [ which is my principled right ]... blah, blah...

Okay! Fair enough! Good point!

I've spent to a lot of time, effort, and money (relatively speaking - less than 50 bones actually) to make sure my case is properly ventilated (according to conventional logic), e.g. cool air comes in the front (and side) and hot goes out the back, as quickly as possible.

Are we all, at least, on the same page here -- or do 'you' think cool air should come in and swirl around the M/B for a while before exiting the rear?

Then, we can discuss what takes place in the middle of the case, if you want... In the middle of this cool air flow, so to speak...

Maybe I'm totally wrong on the turbulence vs. restricted airflow debate! Maybe I should forget the Tuniq T-120 I ordered, for instance, which is on perpetual back-order anyway, and settle for a Typhoon, which I can buy anywhere, or a SI-128, which is vaporware too, same as the Tuniq...

You see, to my way of thinking... the case fans should do what they're supposed to do, ventilating and evacuating the case, and the integrated push-pull fan in my back-ordered Tuniq (ideally) should compensate for its' massive girth, i.e. its' restrictive size, by helping the process along -- pulling in cool air from the front of the case, transferring heat from the CPU core, via the heatpipes, and pushing this heated air toward the exhaust fans. Am I wrong about this?

I cannot see how recirculating heated air sideways, in the middle of this cool air flow, is helping matters... but maybe I'm missing a crucial facet...

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
VinDSL,...even if I built a water cooled rig... [ which I haven't ]... blah, blah...

I do not like tall, heavy sinks that keep air away from the main board... [ which is my principled right ]... blah, blah...

Okay! Fair enough! Good point!

I've spent to a lot of time, effort, and money (relatively speaking - less than 50 bones actually) to make sure my case is properly ventilated (according to conventional logic), e.g. cool air comes in the front (and side) and hot goes out the back, as quickly as possible.

Are we all, at least, on the same page here -- or do 'you' think cool air should come in and swirl around the M/B for a while before exiting the rear?

Then, we can discuss what takes place in the middle of the case, if you want... In the middle of this cool air flow, so to speak...

Maybe I'm totally wrong on the turbulence vs. restricted airflow debate! Maybe I should forget the Tuniq T-120 I ordered, for instance, which is on perpetual back-order anyway, and settle for a Typhoon, which I can buy anywhere, or a SI-128, which is vaporware too, same as the Tuniq...

You see, to my way of thinking... the case fans should do what they're supposed to do, ventilating and evacuating the case, and the integrated push-pull fan in my back-ordered Tuniq (ideally) should compensate for its' massive girth, i.e. its' restrictive size, by helping the process along -- pulling in cool air from the front of the case, transferring heat from the CPU core, via the heatpipes, and pushing this heated air toward the exhaust fans. Am I wrong about this?

I cannot see how recirculating heated air sideways, in the middle of this cool air flow, is helping matters... but maybe I'm missing a crucial facet...

There are a few schools of thought concerning proper airflow.
I for one have 2-120 mm fans in the front of my case as intake fans.
I have a 120mm fan as my exhaust in the rear of the case.
I have my XP120/w a 120mm fan blowing airover the chip and the mobo.
I also have a zalman vf700 on my video card moving air through the case.
I also have a zalman slim fan inside the case blowing air over the memory.
Mainly becuase there was a dead spot over the memory.

My feeling is - I would rather put the air to as much use as possible.
Thus the 120 mm fan blowing air onto the chip as well as over the mobo.
That my preference along with alot of trial and error!!

Good Luck!

 

[potato28]

Damn that looks amazing! Hope it performes.

 

[Elfear]

After reading a couple reviews that pitted the tower-style hsfs against the squatter-style hsfs (XP-120, SI-120, etc.) it's pretty conclusive that the squatter-style cool the board better. It seems intuitive that air should be directed through the case as efficiently as possible but if the mosfets on the PWM area don't get cooled (along with ram and other board components) than overclocking will suffer. There were a couple threads in the CPU section where testing had shown that PWM temps affected ocing ability more than you'd think. I guess what I'm trying to say is that having air blow down on your board is a good thing, even if it doesn't route the air through the case as efficiently as possible.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

The XP-120 has five heatpipes with copper and aluminum construction.... so I am not sure why somebody would choose the SI-128 over the XP-120 unless testing shows it to be more effective. However, if the SI-128 is all-aluminum like the SI-120, it may well be just a wee bit cheaper than the XP-120.

If the SI-128 retails for $40+, then I think you might as well spend the extra $10 and just get the XP-120. All-in-all, I wonder why Thermalright created the SI-128 since it appears to be a slightly cut down SI-120.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

The 128 has larger heat pipes that are staggerd beside eachother, not under eachother as on the 120. The 128 has no styling swoops for air to blow past as the 120 does. The 128 appears to use a more friendly mounting system.

I have an XP-90 and 90Cu. The XPs block air to the RAM and VRM/caps by having fins to the base. The SIs do not. They get air to the RAM and the important area between the I/O plate and CPU...That's the way I see it.


...Galvanized