The latest AMD and Intel platforms have created quite a few new challenges in the thermal department. Although the processors themselves are operating much hotter than ever before, the same can be said about the chipset and power delivery circuitry. The motherboards now have a number of hot spots that need to be seriously addressed, particularly when overclocking. While chipset temperatures can get quite high now, it is the motherboards power circuitry that can be a real cause for concern. This has created an even more stressful situation for the processor heatsink and fan as it has to cool a much larger area now.
However, manufacturers have come up with a number of design methods to address the situation. Some excellent examples have been produced by Thermaltake and Gigabyte where the heatsink is very able to cool both the processor and its surrounding components. In fact the latest Gigabyte design reminded me a lot of an older heatsink know as the XP-90 from Thermalright. While there were some obvious changes, the basic design was still there. Thermalright have recently re-released the XP-90 in an all copper version.
After the success of the hugely popular XP-90 and XP-120 heatsinks, Thermalright was asked by many of their loyal fans to produce an all copper version. The new XP-90C is identical to the original XP-90 in every way, with the exception of its 100% pure copper design. Given the heatsink is constructed from copper, it is extremely heavy weighing well over half a kilogram. However, Thermalright are shipping the cooler with steal mounting brackets to ensure this weight does not harm the motherboard.
Over the years Thermalright have produced a number of high performance cooling solutions. They now also offer a wide range of universal coolers designed for both AMD and Intel platforms. Their universal heatsinks may be nothing new, nor is their heatpipe technology, however when it comes to universal designs, theirs always make sense. Heatpipe technology is now widely used throughout the cooling industry and many high-end products will feature it. The XP-90C makes use of four very long copper heatpipes.
Thermalright have always been respected for their ability to keep even the hottest processors at a safe operating temperature, under even the most stressful conditions. Unfortunately, when the XP-90 was first released it could not be installed on the LGA775 platform. This meant that the cooler was of course not built to a universal specification. The new XP-90C also lacks LGA775 support right out of the box. For use with an LGA775 platform the user must purchase the Thermalright LGA775 RM bracket. This means that the XP-90C is not a true universal solution right out of the box.
