Testing:

   As soon as I started up my system the first time, I knew there was a problem. It was the loudest heatsink I’d ever had. It wasn’t so much that the fan was loud, it was that it was vibrating my whole case, and it acted like a sub woofer. I couldn’t leave it running, so I took it out and looked for the problem. It was twofold.

   One, the screws that attach the fan mount to the copper base were loose, but I couldn’t tighten it, the holes weren’t the correct size. The other problem, was that the fan wasn’t balanced. Even when I held the base and fan shroud together with my hand, I could feel it vibrating. It wasn’t a small vibration either.

   To give Thermaltake the benefit of the doubt, we contacted them with the problem. They quickly sent a replacement unit.

*sigh*

some assembly required

These suppose to be here?

   I wish I could say things went better from there. As soon as I opened the package, I pulled out the heatsink, and the copper base looked like it was about to fall away from the shroud. After the initial “WTF?”, I noticed that 2 of the 4 screws had fallen out. When I looked back in the box, the 2 screws were sitting in one corner.

   This time, I was able to put the screws back in, and that seemed to be the only problem with that unit.

Results:

Temperatures

   ** Note, the temperatures for the Big typhoon are reused from my previous review, and might not be a completely accurate comparison.

   Well you know what, it’s not a huge difference, but in the realm of AMD 64’s, my own experience shows me that most coolers aren’t much better than the stock cooler. The big test is really noise. While not as quiet as the Big Typhoon, the second unit was well balanced and was only just audible above the normal operation of the hard drives and power supply.

setup

Good fit

Conclusion:

   I don’t think I can recommend the RX K8 as it stands. The main thing is the poor system of attaching the fan shroud to the base. Both units sent to me had nearly identical problems with them in that respect.

   It was suggested that we give Thermaltake a 3rd opportunity and see what they wanted to do. However after discussion, 2 units with the exact same issue, it wouldn’t be an unfair review.

   Even though I did get the 2^nd unit fixed, I don’t know how long it will last before I’d have to tighten the screws again, and most people don’t want to “fix” a brand new part for their system.

   My other issue is one I almost don’t want to bring up. While I love the clip the RX K8 uses, compared to most other coolers on the market, it is limited to only a select few CPU’s (socket 939, 754 and M2).

   If Thermaltake fixes the problem area with the screws, I’d have no problem suggesting it. Better than stock cooling, quiet operation, and unique looks are good, the easy to use clip is just excellent. I’d keep an eye out for any 2^nd generation RX K8 (if they decide to make one).

Pros:

• Looks good

• Decent cooling

• Price

• Quiet

Cons:

• Problem screws on shroud

• Limited sockets

• Unbalanced fan (on one unit)