Introduction: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
Heatpipes have not been an integrated part of the CPU heatsink for very long now, but the tall design with a fan fixed to the front has already been done several times over. Copper heatpipes, and later copper bases, helped reach the coolest temperatures available from air cooling, but enthusiasts didn't have to wait long for the next advancement. Xigmatek has delivered the HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler with 120mm cooling fan, and Benchmark Reviews is simply amazed by the unprecedented results.
Many manufacturers search out designs that will help them develop a product known for extraordinary performance. Benchmark Reviews has already reviewed many of the very best CPU coolers available to enthusiasts, from the very unique and original Zaward Sylphee ZCJ003 CPU Cooler to the oversized Thermaltake MaxOrb CL-P0369 CPU Cooler. Not long ago, we even reviewed the Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler which combined three different cooling technologies into one solution. All of these products performed very well, but none of them really set itself apart from the pack. Not until now.
Utilizing a design which Zaward first introduced in the ZikaRay early February 2007 and recently reintroduced in the VIVO, Xigmatek has taken the concept and design of the exposed heatpipe cooler to a whole new level. While industry suits may dispute the rights to a design, it will be the end-users who decide who stays based on performance; not patents.
Ideally every CPU cooler should perform well, which most do. But in the age of advertising and marketing, consumers are easily mislead into believing a product will perform well just because of the company branding it. I have reviewed some very nice coolers over the summer by some of the most well known names in the industry; only to be let down by their claims of premium performance. Well, to be honest, prior to very recently I had never heard of Xigmatek before. Now just weeks later I am about to share my review of a product which deserves complete attention, and it's made by a company most consumers in the United States have never seen. Say hello to Xigmatek.
About the company: Xigmatek
XIGMATEK, a European company, was established in 2005 with the aim of becoming one of the world leaders in the Thermal field. In XIGMATEK, the major members of management have many years experience in Thermal industry, PC, manufacturing and other applications. With our fruitful experience, we have full confidence that we can provide not only the best, reliable, environmental and performing Thermal/Cooling systems but excellent service also to fulfill global user demand.
Purpose and targets of becoming one of the worlds leaders in thermal PC Industry were set for Xigmatek Co. Ltd in 2005, the founding year! To ensure reaching this project aim, Xigmatek's management followed up with hard work, experience and customer friendly business style.
Honing one of the world’s most efficient manufacturing operations, Integration Presence in major economic regions, being tied up with most important strategic alliances between suppliers and academia and further majority investments in R&D are some of Xigmatek's aggressive incensement strategies.
Combining the cream of product designers, R&D engineers and technical people (main team in Germany) Xigmatek is proud and full of confidence to offer excellent quality products and service to cover the customers requirements and demands.
Within the standard channels as the consumer market and the distributing electrical appliances, Xigmatek will keep on focusing on development and set up even new sales channels to comply with ever-changing demands and requirements.
Several years of experiences company background in Thermal IT industry provides our customer the best, reliable, environmental and performing Thermal/Cooling Systems including excellent Service to fulfill global users and customers demands.
HDT-S1283Features
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H.D.T. (Heat-pipe direct touch) technology
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Anti-vibration rubber design
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Particular spoiler design
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3pcs high performance U type heat-pipe
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Light weight
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High performance & easy installation
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120mm highly efficient PWM fan
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3 in 1 application: LGA775 push-pin/K8 & AM2 tool-less clip.
Xigmatek Specifications
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Product Name: HDT-S1283
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Product Number: CAC-SXHH3-U01
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Outside Dimension (W) x (H) x (D) mm 120 x 50 x 159
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Heat Sink Material: Aluminum Alloy
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Fan Dimension (W) x (H) x (D) mm 120 x 120 x 25
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Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Fan
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Voltage Rating (V) 12V
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Speed (R.P.M.) 1000~2200 R.P.M.
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Bearing Type Rifle Bearing
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Air Flow (CFM) 72.1~99.6 CFM
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Air Pressure (mm H2O) 2.6~4.8 mm H2O
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Life Expectance (hrs) 50,000 hrs
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Noise Level (dB) 20~32 dBA
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Connector 4 Pin with PWM
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Weight (g) 600g (w/fan)
Application
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All Intel Socket 775 CPU
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Core 2 Extreme / Quad / Duo
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Pentium Extreme Edition / D
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Celeron D
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All AMD Socket AM2 / 754 / 939 / 940 CPU
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Athlon 64 / FX / X2 / Opteron / Sempron
Closer Look: HDT-S1283
Utilizing the highest order of technology is their cooling fan: pulse width modulation, Xigmatek has combined the efficient design of three exposed copper heatpipes with an extremely durable (and quiet) 120mm fan in their newly released HDT-S1283. Pulse Width Modulation is usually regarded as too complicated for PC fan speed controls, especially when compared against rheostats or linear voltage regulators. Xigmatek cuts no corners in producing a top of the line CPU cooler worth it's weight in gold... or perhaps copper based on the costs of material these days.
When I first received the HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe 120mm CPU Cooler, I silently thanked Xigmatek for designing an after-market cooler which doesn't require me to disassemble my computer and remove the motherboard just to install a CPU back plate. With Anti-vibration rubber, spoiler design, and push-pin & clip systems for both Intel and AMD application, the HDT-S1283 offers an easy to install cooling solution.
From the side view above, you get a very good look at three of the largest copper heatpipes I can recall seeing on a CPU cooler. Xigmatek uses 100% copper in their 8mm heatpipes, which dramatically improves the evaporation and condensation cycle in the HDT-S1283.
A single 120mm cooling fan is included with the Xigmatek HDT-S1283, which is more than enough to move a large amount of air over the fins and heatpipes. After you see the results (keep reading, don't skip to the results page), you will understand why I am not going into detail about attaching a second 120mm fan to the backside of the heatsink.
For Intel motherboard users, the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe 120mm CPU Cooler must first be installed without the fan attached, and once the pins are depressed into the motherboard you can mount the fan.
Once each of the four depression clips secures the heatsink to the motherboard, the soft rubber T-hooks press into the aluminum fin channel as shown in the image above. Installation was among the easiest I have ever experienced, which amounted to only one extra step more than the OEM cooler supplied by Intel.
HDT-S1283 Detailed Features
Xigmatek approached the aluminum "fin-sink" on the HDT-S1283 a little differently than I would have. I am sure that there is a reason behind the different slots and grooves, but so far as I can tell Xigmatek essentially copied the Zaward design and simply increased the size from 92mm to 120mm. From the top of the unit you can see the ends of the heatpipe rods. Each rod is filled with a liquid which features a low boiling point.
The most critical part of any heatpipe cooler is the arrangement of the actual heatpipe rods. In any heatpipe design, the liquid inside the rod is heated to a very low boiling point. This low boiling point evaporates the liquid into a gas, which carries the heat to the ends of the heatpipe. Once it reached the cooler end(s) of the heatpipe, the chilled gas condenses into a liquid, which will then travel back down to the base for a cooling effect.
The real benefit I see to the design of the HDT-S1283 is two-fold:
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The liquid will reach the low boiling point faster thanks to the shaved copper face of the pipe.
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Evaporated gas will have two different ends to carry exchange the heat, effectively cooling twice as fast as a single ended rod.
The backside of the unit (shown in the image below) has a curved "valley" indention, which really serves no true purpose in this design. I think that if I were to ever design a "fin-sink" plate, it would utilize as much footprint space as possible; adding curves might look nice, but they take away from the cooling surface.
A closer look at the mating surface on the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 shows the three exposed copper 8mm heatpipes resting in an aluminum base. The Intel depression-clip rails attach by a single machine screw at each end, as you can see by the threaded screw holes in the base shown below.
When applying thermal interface material to the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 exposed copper heatpipe 120mm CPU cooler, it's very important to understand that most TIM's used with aluminum coolers will cause oxidation to the copper heatpipes upon contact.
Unfortunately, Xigmatek did not include any special TIM for their exposed copper base, which is an accountable oversight. While nearly any TIM will suffice, it is recommended that you do not use a material based on silicone oxide for best results and product longevity.
CPU Cooler Testing Methodology
Testing was conducted at a series of temperature intervals, with the ambient room temperature measuring the same for each cooler's reading. EVEREST rounds up temperature readings to the nearest whole number, however all ambient temperatures were recorded and accurate to one-tenth of a degree Celsius.
EVEREST Ultimate Engineer Version 4.00.976 was utilized to measure all CPU temperatures. It should be noted that temperatures obtained through software most always reflect the thermistor readings as recorded by the BIOS. All of the units compared in the results were tested on the same motherboard using the same BIOS. These readings are not absolute or correct, but they are relative since every BIOS is programmed differently.
Test System
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Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R (Intel P35 chipset) with F4G BIOS
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Processor: Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
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Hard Disk 1: Western Digital WD360GD 10,000 RPM SATA
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Optical Drive: Toshiba Samsung SH-S203 SATA 20x DVD R/W
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Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP-2 (optimized to 16 processes at idle)
For each test, the computer system was powered on and left idle for ten minutes prior to recording the idle temperature with EVEREST. After idle temperatures have been recorded, two console versions of the Folding @ Home client were simultaneously run to create full load on both CPU cores. After ten minutes of full load, the temperature was again recorded. This process was identical for all cooling solutions used in this test, and was repeated for each ambient temperature interval.
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Results
Up first are the results under idle load. The CPU temperature is listed vertically along the left-hand side of the chart, and the ambient room temperature is displayed for each group along the bottom. In this test battery, the OEM cooler provided by Intel with the Core 2 Duo E6600 was used as a reference, which offered a high-temperature baseline reading.
When I tested each cooler, I made certain to keep the hardware settings identical across the entire test platform. I used the same front side bus and clock speeds, which would enable me to clearly compare the performance of each product under identical conditions. While the ambient room temperature increases, all of the coolers I have ever tested would also record higher readings (all except for the Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler). Since the OEM cooler supplied by Intel was the first unit to be tested, there was quite a difference between the ambient room temperature and the temperature of the cooler (42° C idle at 24° C ambient room temperature).
At idle load I was very pleased to see that the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 was recording results just slightly higher than room temperature, which is encouraging. The 30° C recorded at 24° C ambient was quite impressive. But the heat had just started to be applied, and once I completed tests on the other coolers it would be time for real cooling under serious load.
Under full load, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 began to create tremendous heat. The little Intel OEM cooler, despite its copper base, gave the worst results anyone could suffer recording, registering 61° C at full load while the room's ambient temperature remained 24° C. But that's what you come to expect from a bundled cooler, right? Sadly this must be the case, because I still hear of many users (even some gamers and hardware enthusiasts) which still use the stock reference cooler. I feel for those of you in this situation, I really do...
...but there are some very good reasons to evolve, or at least save up your money and upgrade. Previously, the very expensive Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler held the crown for cooling, if only by a very small margin. In all honesty, the Zaward Sylphee ZCJ003 CPU Cooler was the real king of the hill prior to these tests, since it is roughly half the size of everything here. But it's time for a new champion, and the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler defeated all challengers with a maximum recorded temperature of only 41° C in a 24° C ambient room temperature and at full load.
The Zaward VIVO PCJ004 deserves second-place recognition, since it was "close" to performing the best. But we all know that close only counts in horseshoes and hand granades. Still, I predict that this Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) design is going to become very popular.
Final Thoughts: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
As I mentioned to you in the introduction, Xigmatek has produced the HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe 120mm CPU Cooler based off of the Zaward ZikaRay. The primary differences are not obvious until you see them side by side. For all I know, Zaward may not have been the very first company to attempt an exposed heatpipe design, although I am unaware who may have thought of the design before them. In the long run Xigmatek applied it best in their HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe 120mm CPU Cooler. The question of who actually invented the wheel isn't as interesting as who made the wheel spin fastest.
Conclusion
Xigmatek did a fine job packaging the HDT-S1283 into a very small retail box. The presentation is very appealing and informative, and would certainly interest consumers if they picked up the product from a store shelf.
Appearance is really in the eye of the beholder, since the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 lacks any real shine or sparkle. The copper heatpipes are very nice in contrast to the aluminum fins, but there is nothing incredibly notable about the appearance here.
Construction is well done, especially the Heatpipe Direct Touch feature. I wasn't pleased with the bent and dented fins on this unit, and Xigmatek could have included a non-silicon oxide TIM with the product to prevent copper oxidation. Otherwise the HDT-S1283 was very solid and able to survive some abuse.
I'm not sure if there is some irony to this, but the only other perfect ten score for functionality was given to Zaward. While the design may have been "borrowed" from Zaward, it was perfected by Xigmatek. The HDT-S1283 exposed copper heatpipe CPU cooler is the best we have seen to date, and certainly deserving of the highest score possible in this category. The 120mm fan is more than enough to keep things cool without a lot of noise, which makes the product that much better.
At the time of this writing, the HDT-S1283 is exclusive to European outlets. The HDT-S1283 is not presently sold in US markets, however this product sells for 32.90 € in Europe which converts to roughly $45.00 USD. At that estimated price, this unit falls right into the price range of most other higher-performing coolers.
EDIT: Since this article was published, the design used for the HDT-S1283 has been licensed to other manufactuers. Kingwin offers the RVT-12025 at NewEgg, which is an identical product. Additionally, the OCZ Vendetta 2 is based off of the design as well.
On one hand you have the best results Benchmark Reviews has ever seen out of any CPU cooler, but on the other you have very limited availability to North America. Xigmatek has a real winner on their hands, and the HDT-S1283 is among the best products I have seen in quite a while now. The exposed copper heatpipe design is no doubt going to be copied several times over in the future, just as Xigmatek has done with the Zaward design, but until it becomes the standard there are only a few places to source these products. The results will easily sell the product, so my personal recommendation only becomes icing on the cake, but needless to say this is one of those products that has so much to offer it will not be unique for long.
Pros:
+ Super-efficient heatpipes
+ Heatpipe Direct Touch design
+ Quiet 120mm PWM cooling fan
+ Hassle-free installation
+ Spoiler helps cool motherboard
+ 8mm copper heatpipe rods
Cons:
- No TIM material supplied
- Limited North America availability
- No spare rubber T-clip supplied
Ratings:
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Presentation: 9.0
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Appearance: 8.75
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Construction: 9.25
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Functionality: 10.0
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Value: 8.75
Final Score: 9.15 out of 10.
Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.
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