Introduction
When your pushing your motherboard @ 260+Mhz FSB you need to keep the Northbridge cold, the stock heatsink just won�t cut it, especially if its small and passive, this is where the �Microcool Nothpole� come in.
About Microcool:
Microcool has been created as a European company for the design and implementation of products formulated for the thermal control of computer components. The company caters particularly for those who either from over-enthusiasm or from professional demands drive their computers at operating frequencies greater than those specified (overclocking). By providing high level cooling systems, Microcool will be able to guarantee maximum reliability of your computer under any operating conditions.The objective of the company is to satisfy the most demanding “overclockers”, moving into the continually developing market of IT, where the rapid technological growth and competition between companies in the sector have resulted today in a range of electronic components able to function stably at operating frequencies greater even than those specified.Microcool has accepted this challenge using particular care both in the choice of materials and components used in the final product, and in the design, being careful to combine compatibility with the standards and optimisation of thermal control.
Specifications:
Microcool Northpole:
Cooler Dimension: 46mm (L) x 43mm (W) x 51mm (H)
Heatsink Material: Copper
Fan Dimensions: 40mm (L) x 40mm (W) x 20mm (H)
Rated Voltage: 12VDC
Power Input: 1.6W
Max Air Flow: 10.8 CFM
Air Pressure: 6.85mm
Noise: 27.5 dB(A)
Bearing Type: Vapo bearing system
Connector: 3-pin
Weight: 195G
Chip Heatsink: 6XMOFSET, 2XPLL
Warranty: 3 years
Microcool Chipsinks:
ChipSink is a complete family of passive heat dissipators, studied specifically for the correct cooling process for integrated motherboard chips, such as: frequency generators (PLL), power supply regulators (MOSFET), chipsets that control the peripherals (SouthBridge) and integrated controllers (RAID, SATA)
South Sink: heat dissipator for the Southbridge chipset.
PLL Sink: heat dissipator for frequency generator (PLL)
MOSFET Sink: heat dissipator for power supply regulator (MOSFET)
Micro Sink: heat dissipator for small chips.
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The product:
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The heat sinks came well packed so no damage was caused, the Northpole come in its own tidy cardboard box. The most suprising aspect of the Northpole is the mass of the cooler, 195g, this is due to the solid �lump� of copper that makes up the heatsink. Copper is more effective at removing heat from a given object compared to aluminium, this is why it is used.
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The heatsinks appear to be well make and come with �thermal tape� to attach them to chips with little effort, just pull off the backing and stick them on. This won�t be as efficient as using a �high-end� TIM (thermal interface material) such as Artic Silver but makes the job easy.
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I inspected the fan to discover that it is a Sunon, this little fan at only 40mm pushes a lot of air, this unfortunately means that the fan will be little on the noisy side. The hook adapter that came with the NB cooler looks very high quality and an innovative way to fit the cooler to an intel board.
The first thing that I was required to do was to remove the stock Northbridge cooler, this being a passive aluminium heat sink on my particular motherboard (DFI infinity). I followed the detailed instructions and used Artic Silver as my TIM of choice. The installation went without problem.
Installation and testing:
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I also used the smallest heat sinks to cover MOSFET�s on my motherboard, this will aid stability at high overclocks. I also applied the Southbridge heat sink, my motherboard came with a Southbridge heat sink but only a small one. The heatsinks were easy to apply, just peel off the backing and push in position, holding for 3 seconds.
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