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Noctua NC - U6 Chipset Cooler
Installation:
The installation of the NC – U6 went without problems. The same cannot be said, however, about the removal of the previous chipset. The nVidia push pin design had me grasping for breath as I carefully squeezed the pins together in order to pull out the factory chipset cooler.
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The beauty about the push pin design is that once the OEM cooler is removed, all I had to do was push the NC – U6 into its slots and the installation was complete. It is also important to know that removing the motherboard form the case is essential to installation of the chipset cooler since the push pins lie on the reverse side of the motherboard.
Testing:
Testing Rig |
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Motherboard: |
XFX nVidia 680i LT SLI |
Cooling: |
Thermaltake Bigwater SE |
Processor: |
Intel Q6600 2.4 GHz @ 3.150 GHz |
RAM: |
Kingston HyperX 9600 @ 1050 MHz |
PSU: |
ETASUS ET850 850 Watt |
Case: |
In -Win GunDam Midtower ATX |
To test the chipset, I used the nVidia software that came with my motherboard and found out the system temperature discrepancies between the factory cooler and the NC –U6 cooler form Noctua. The temperatures differ by approximately 3 degrees Celsius which is a considerable difference for a chipset.
Conclusion:
The Noctua NC - U6 Chipset Cooler performed extremely well. By showing a 3 degree difference, the chipset cooler proved to have excellent passive cooling properties which in turn also contribute to overall system noise reduction. If your stock cooler is not up to par, or you just want a cooler, quieter north bridge the NC - U6 is a great inexpensive alternative for $25.95 at sidewindercomputers.com.