VR Features

The advantage of running a LGA-775 setup is that the heatsink can be freely rotated as long as it doesn't hit the onboard components. The question begets, does the orientation of the heatpipes matter? Afterall, many manufacturers assure users that with the new wick based heatpipes, there won't be as much of a penalty running the heatpipes vertically. We shall take this opportunity to the test this and see if you should take the extra effort to orientate your heatsink.

With the heatpipes orientated vertically.

And horizontally. The motherboard was held up by some spare voodoo we had around the labs. : )

 Results

CPU - 60'C with the heatpipes in the more "ideal" horizontal orientation.

That's a CPU temperature of a whopping 69'C!

The results are somewhat shocking! The difference in orientation made for a difference of 9'C on the CPU. As the heatsink is not centered upon the base, the change in orientation also affected the cooling of the system components slightly. All I can say is, take some effort and make sure your heatpipes stay horizontal or have the heat producing component below the fins at all times. Gravity is, sometimes, a good friend. If you're using an AM2 or Socket 939 setup, there's no need to worry too much. The mounting bracket is designed to allow the heatsink to be rotated around the socket.

AMD users need not worry, Scythe has thought about you.