Installation :

A custom mounting bracket supports this heavy heatsink, motherboard removal required. The fan is screwed on to the shroud, making swapping it almost impossible once it is installed. The fan gets power through a 4-pin molex, when connecting the fan controller you can reduce the speed quickly (because at default speeds it is very loud!)

The heatsink orientation was perfect with the DFI, blowing hot air backwards, unfortunately you can not rotate the NT02 in case your CPU socket is point the other way.




Performance and Noise :



Noise wise the NT02 is on par with the stock A64 HSF when running at 50%, when turning up the speed to 100% there’s a ~5°C temperature drop, not quite worth the 19dBA increase.



Adding more case cooling does a not change things a lot, I only saw a small temperature drop, and the difference between running at 50% vs 100% is still 5°C.



Again the NT02 offers the best noise/performance balance when its fan is running at 50%.

The Verdict:

The NT02 offers a noticeable improvement in performance over the stock A64 HSF but the included fan can not be qualified as a silent solution, even at 50%. Silverstone heatsink is capable of high performance but than you’ll be able to hear your PC in the next room for sure (59-61dBA!).

The NT02 has an attractive price point for an all copper compact heatsink with wide platform compatibility.

PRO
Compatible with all current AMD and Intel sockets
Respectable performance when used with slow(er) fans. Excellent performance with high noise fans.
Competitively priced for a full copper heatsink.
Includes a fan controller

CON
Motherboard removal required
Can not change heatsink orientation
Included fan extremely noisy at full speed

Where to buy?