I was surprised to see the Thermalright HR-09 arrive in a package with specifications and product image printed on the outside. Not only that, it has a plastic see-through window too. If you're new to Thermalright this may not seem out of the ordinary to you, but for years they have shipped their products in completely plain brown boxes with only the model number printed on the side. So for Thermalright to take an apparent interest in packaging the HR-09 in a more retail-friendly box is unusual to me.



The HR-09 package includes the mosfet cooler, mounting spring clips, two different length thermal pads and a simple instruction sheet. Each HR-09 heatsink type has dual-length sides to increase its compatibility with various motherboard manufacturers and chipset designs. The HR-09 is really two separate heatsink halves connected together via a single 6mm heatpipe, such that whichever side is mounted on top of the mosfet chips, the other side extends up away from the motherboard where it is more likely to receive cooling airflow.



Inside the heatpipe is a special liquid coolant that normally resides in the heatsink base. When the base is heated the coolant changes state and becomes a gas, traveling up the heatpipe towards the cooler side and carrying some of the heat with it. Once it reaches the cool side, the aluminum fins help to radiate that heat into the passing airflow, allowing the coolant to condense and change its state back into that of a liquid. The liquid then travels back down the heatpipe into the base where the process is repeated again.



The fins of the HR-09 are much like those of the other High-Riser series, with Thermalright's proprietary through-hole design which they claim aids in passive cooling ability. The heatsink feels very solid and well-made, although when removed from the packaging the halves were spread slightly apart. It was a simple matter to bend the heatpipe a bit and push the sides together until the fins were parallel to each other.

Next up, installation.