Heatpipe direct touch, or exposed heatpipe base heatsinks are dead common these days because the technique has proven so effective. Particularly among the current crop of processors which feature integrated heat spreaders already. With the Hyper 212 Plus, Coolermaster has selected four 6mm diameter heatpipes which are swagged into a small aluminum block. There is not a lot of mass at the base of the Hyper 212 Plus, so in addition to keeping its weight under 650 grams, heat is rapidly conducted to the fin portion of the heatsink.

To improve heat dispersal, the heatpipes are alternatively spaced 9mm apart as they pierce the aluminum fins. This has the effect of conducting heat to a larger area of the aluminum fins which are set directly in the path of the fastest airflow from the 120mm Coolermaster A12025-20CB-4BP-C1 fan.

The 120mm PWM fan is held in place on the Hyper 212 Plus heatsink with wire fan clips. To counteract an unbalanced impeller, which can lead to vibration and rattling noises, small rubber patches are applied to the four corners of the 120mm PWM fan.

The Hyper 212 Plus accommodates a fan on either side of the aluminum fin tower, and by using the extra fan clips a second 120mm fan can be installed by those that desire a push-pull fan arrangement.

Heatsink Installation

Coolermaster's Hyper 212 Plus heatsink is compatible with Intel socket 775/1156/1366 and AMD socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM3 processors. The heatsink is supplied with a crab-like rear-motherboard metal support bracket that accommodates every variation of CPU socket and a metal 'switch-blade' clip that applies force to the heatsink baseplate. Associated screws and nuts to put it all together, along a small amount of thermal compound round out the accessory list.

Users will need to access the rear of the motherboard to install the Hyper 212 Plus, but once the rear support plate is in position the heatsink can be removed easily thereafter. A single 'switch blade' upper clip is used on all CPU sockets to hold the Hyper 212 Plus firmly in place, using four adjustable spring-tensioned screws - set into either tab 1, tab 2 or tab 3 position.

The screws are set to tab 2 position by default, which is the spacing appropriate for LGA1156/AM2 processors. You'll need to push the screw in from the bottom, and slide it over to tab 1 (the inner-most) position for LGA775, and to the tab 3 position (the outside) for LGA1366. Failure to do so will quickly lead to a lot of grief as each socket spacing is just a hair off the next.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course its performance in the thermal tests!