Overclocking Intel’s Q9550s with Cooler Master Hyper N520 . . . Part One of “Quad Core vs Dual Core” Shootout

Setting Q9550S overclock with Cooler Master Hyper N520

-Opening the box and instructions to install

Cooler Master’s Hyper N520 comes in a nice box that is well-designed for shipping and we really like their instructions which are quite detailed and clear in several languages.  I do not believe even a beginning builder would have trouble understanding how to install it from the enclosed instructions.  If he or she has questions, a PC builder can visit Cooler Master’s own site for further help.

Excellent packing for shipping, easy-to-follow instructions, Hyper N520 has everything you need

Sufficient hardware is supplied for every platform including for Core i7 CPUs and all you really need is your eyeglasses and a philips or even a regular flat-head screwdriver.  Make sure that you keep all the parts in one place – there are no spare parts included if you lose one!

There are clear instructions and everything is supplied.

There are just two things we did not like, one very minor.  Cooler Master’s thermal compound as supplied is more like a clay than a paste and it is very difficult to apply thinly, without caking. It is a minor nitpick perhaps and it can be looked at as a courtesy if you do not already have quality thermal paste.  They also supplied a lot of thermal compound, enough for several applications, which was also unnecessary.  We did not test with their supplied compound but used one that is easy to apply and one whose characteristics are very well-known to us.  There is just one other design issue with Hyper N520 that we have that would keep it from us recommending Cooler Master Hyper N520 as the perfect reasonably-priced CPU cooler for enthusiasts.  Each time you remove it, you must remove your motherboard.  It would be no issue for the regular user that may never change his CPU once installed – or perhaps once every couple of years.  But for those of us who need to remove the CPU cooler very often, it may be a deal-breaker and I would recommend modifying your motherboard tray to get easy access to the fasteners if you plan to buy it.

The backplate is installed first on the motherboard

After the backplate is quickly and easily installed on the motherboard against its backside, the Cooler Master Hyper N520 is installed and the nuts – as pictured – are tightened with a supplied tool that prevents over-tightening, yet it gives the perfect amount of tension to hold the cooler base plate against the Q9550s for excellent cooling.  Cooler Master has very thoughtfully designed anti-vibration cushions and washers into the Hyper n520 where it contacts the mounting areas, so we could detect no vibration after it was installed whatsoever!

After that, all you do is place your motherboard back into your case, make sure all connections are secure – and in our case – now connected the second CPU power cable to the motherboard to supply stable voltage to all four cores of our Q9550S, our PC was back up and running, as pictured below.

Here is is installed in our PC, a painless and easy first installation.

The first thing we note are the Q9550S low stock temperatures and Cooler Master Hyper N520’s lack of noise.  We are relieved that the twin 92 mm dual fan solution is quieter than our single Scythe120 mm cooling fan and it is most appreciated when we are running with a quiet video card.  It easily passes our noise test with flying colors!  It is so quiet in fact, I wish there were adjustments provided to raise the fan’s RPMs a bit as 1800 RPMs seems a little low to me.