Cooler Master Hyper 6+: Universal Heatpipe Tower
by Wesley Fink on February 14, 2007 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
Cooler Master manufactures a huge array of cases and cooling products that cover the full range from basic CPU air cooling to a range of water cooling solutions for processors. Their product line even extends to cooling for hard drives, VGA cards, and RAM, as well as cooling solutions for notebook computers. The Hyper 6+ fits in that product line as a top air cooling solution. This is reflected is a suggested retail price of around $50, although we have seen the popular Hyper 6+ on sale in the $30 to $35 price range in recent weeks. Whatever the final price, the Hyper 6+ is designed to compete in the high-end air cooling category.
The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ competes well against other high-end air coolers. It was second in our overclocking tests of air coolers - just 30 MHz behind the class-leading Tuniq Tower 120. The rework of the fan on the Hyper 6+ is also effective, making it one of the quietest large towers we have tested. That is genuine praise for low noise since the tower coolers as a class are very quiet coolers.
The Tuniq Tower 120 is still the best air cooler tested so far at AnandTech, and the $89 TEC/air hybrid Monsoon II tops the overclocking charts. However, the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ is definitely a top air cooler worth considering. It is generally more widely available than the Tuniq and easier to find. Recently it has also been an outstanding value, with prices more in line with value heatpipe towers. The Hyper 6+ is also a bit smaller than the Tuniq making it an easier fit in some case designs. The shrouded cooling fin system on the Hyper 6+ also makes it easier to handle during installation, with less risk of cutting yourself on the sharp fins on a cooler like the Tuniq.
Another plus is the universal installation of the Hyper 6+. It fits just about everything except the AM2, and the installation system devised by Cooler Master is really effective in creating a solid installation on almost any processor. It would be even better if the installation instructions reached the same high standard as the engineering, but once you get the hang of the installation design the Hyper 6+ is an easy install.
Our only complaint about the Hyper 6+ is the fact that Cooler Master chose a 100mm fan for this cooler. The included 100mm fan is excellent, but if users want to beef up cooling or go for extreme quiet they will not have many other fans to choose from. 100mm is not a standard size, and the fan options would have been much improved if the Hyper 6+ used a 120mm or 92mm fan instead. If the stock fan meets your needs completely then this will not be an important consideration, but using a standard fan size is something Cooler Master should definitely consider in future updates to this cooler.
There is also the missing AM2 compatibility. The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ was designed before the AM2 processor was released, but the claim of universal fit should definitely include an adapter plate for AM2. Cooler Master will certainly correct this in an upgrade to the Hyper 6+, but for now AM2 users will need to look elsewhere for a CPU cooler.
The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ is not the best cooler we have tested, but it is definitely one of the best. It competes well in overclocking capabilities and low noise. Buyers will be pleased with the secure installation on a wide range of processors, the slightly smaller foot print, the quality of the cooler, and the very low noise with the Cooler Master Hyper 6+. It is definitely one of the best air heatpipe towers on the market today, and for many buyers it will be a great choice in a heatpipe tower cooler for their computer system.
Cooler Master manufactures a huge array of cases and cooling products that cover the full range from basic CPU air cooling to a range of water cooling solutions for processors. Their product line even extends to cooling for hard drives, VGA cards, and RAM, as well as cooling solutions for notebook computers. The Hyper 6+ fits in that product line as a top air cooling solution. This is reflected is a suggested retail price of around $50, although we have seen the popular Hyper 6+ on sale in the $30 to $35 price range in recent weeks. Whatever the final price, the Hyper 6+ is designed to compete in the high-end air cooling category.
The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ competes well against other high-end air coolers. It was second in our overclocking tests of air coolers - just 30 MHz behind the class-leading Tuniq Tower 120. The rework of the fan on the Hyper 6+ is also effective, making it one of the quietest large towers we have tested. That is genuine praise for low noise since the tower coolers as a class are very quiet coolers.
The Tuniq Tower 120 is still the best air cooler tested so far at AnandTech, and the $89 TEC/air hybrid Monsoon II tops the overclocking charts. However, the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ is definitely a top air cooler worth considering. It is generally more widely available than the Tuniq and easier to find. Recently it has also been an outstanding value, with prices more in line with value heatpipe towers. The Hyper 6+ is also a bit smaller than the Tuniq making it an easier fit in some case designs. The shrouded cooling fin system on the Hyper 6+ also makes it easier to handle during installation, with less risk of cutting yourself on the sharp fins on a cooler like the Tuniq.
Another plus is the universal installation of the Hyper 6+. It fits just about everything except the AM2, and the installation system devised by Cooler Master is really effective in creating a solid installation on almost any processor. It would be even better if the installation instructions reached the same high standard as the engineering, but once you get the hang of the installation design the Hyper 6+ is an easy install.
Our only complaint about the Hyper 6+ is the fact that Cooler Master chose a 100mm fan for this cooler. The included 100mm fan is excellent, but if users want to beef up cooling or go for extreme quiet they will not have many other fans to choose from. 100mm is not a standard size, and the fan options would have been much improved if the Hyper 6+ used a 120mm or 92mm fan instead. If the stock fan meets your needs completely then this will not be an important consideration, but using a standard fan size is something Cooler Master should definitely consider in future updates to this cooler.
There is also the missing AM2 compatibility. The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ was designed before the AM2 processor was released, but the claim of universal fit should definitely include an adapter plate for AM2. Cooler Master will certainly correct this in an upgrade to the Hyper 6+, but for now AM2 users will need to look elsewhere for a CPU cooler.
The Cooler Master Hyper 6+ is not the best cooler we have tested, but it is definitely one of the best. It competes well in overclocking capabilities and low noise. Buyers will be pleased with the secure installation on a wide range of processors, the slightly smaller foot print, the quality of the cooler, and the very low noise with the Cooler Master Hyper 6+. It is definitely one of the best air heatpipe towers on the market today, and for many buyers it will be a great choice in a heatpipe tower cooler for their computer system.
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Samus - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
What a waste of metal, what are the odd's that someone is going to buy this $50 cooler to overclock their AthlonXP. Do people even have AthlonXP's anymore? They've been discontinued for years.LoneWolf15 - Thursday, February 15, 2007 - link
If you've got an Athlon XP-M, it really might be fun to try this one out. My XP-M 2500+ made 2.4GHz on air (Thermalright cooler) when I had it, which is even now competetive for a lot of apps. The advantage is that an XP owner can buy this cooler, and then continue to use it when they step up to a new CPU/mainboard. It adds a selling point to this cooler that I'm sure some will appreciate.Shinei - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
To be honest, I would. I still run an Athlon XP, and it's cheaper to pay $50 for a new HSF that might buy me a couple extra MHz than $800 on a total refit (CPU, board, RAM, video card). Unless, of course, you're offering to buy me a new computer, in which case, I accept! B)Macuser89 - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
I wish you would compare a similar Zalmen cooler. Zalmen are pretty good, and i just wonder how they compare to others.Wesley Fink - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
We have the top-of-the-line Zalman 9700 in the lab for review.strikeback03 - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
Any chance of testing a 9500 as well? I don't think a 9700 will fit beneath my PSU.And I think it might have been mentioned in the Tuniq review, but was all temperature testing done with it at high speed? Would temps be affected if it were slowed down the same way the PWM-controlled fans slow down?
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
The Hyper 6+ has a 4-pin fan connection that can control fan speed. Temperature testing was done at default speed, although we did manually force highest speed to see if it made any difference in OC. It really did not improve OC performance. For noise testing we manually forced highest speed and reported both low speed (1800 RPM) and high speed (3600 RPM) results.Since the kit auto controls fan speed on a 4-pin header we thought this was the fairest way to test performance. For noise we were concerned with the loudest you could possibly encounter with this cooler, which is why we manually forced highest speed.
tuteja1986 - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
Can't someone make a much better air cooler than Tuniq Tower 120 for overclocking needs.LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - link
If you ever buy a Tuniq Tower, I think you'll find that it cools so well, that improving upon it without liquid or a TEC would be extremely difficult.Up until recently I was using a Swiftech MCX-64V that I thought was a pretty darn good cooler, albeit a little older, with a low-noise Delta 80mm fan.
The Tuniq beats it by 8-10C when idle, and by 10-15C under load in my system (Athlon 64 X2 4800+). And it isn't any louder (it may indeed be quieter, but my case fans overshadow the noise it makes anyway). About the only thing that I think Tuniq could try is lapping the contact surface better (on an IHS-based chip with AS5 goop I doubt this will help much) or adding additional heatpipes (i.e. going from six to eight), and I'm not sure that will do that much good either. The Tuniq is already amazing at how cool it can keep a CPU under load, a good indicator of its performance in overclocked situations (provided you have the right CPU/mainboard/ram/power supply to go with, of course). It also has the advantage of taking a 120mm fan, as opposed to the good, but proprietary Zalman, or the 100mm of the Coolermaster, allowing you to select from a wide range of fans to favor hardcore cooling, or near-silent operation.
I'm curious (no disrespect intended) --how do you think someone would go about making a better air cooler than the Tuniq?
flipmode - Thursday, February 15, 2007 - link
Start with the Tuniq and the make one that's lighter, with an even quieter fan, and not so large, with a better mounting system. That would be better in my book. Better doesn't always have to apply to cooling power - though I think that's probably what you were talking about.