The Nexus HOC-9000 comes with an eye-catching design, at least. Nexus' "HOC technology" puts the 8mm diameter heatpipes directly on the CPU. So the heat of the processor is directly transferred onto the heatpipes. And as heatpipes have a greater heat dissipation power then plain aluminum or copper the heat is transferred with great efficiency.

Together with the improved surface area of the aluminum fins, the v-shape area underneath the fan, and the airflow focus, the performance of this cooler reaches an amazing 0.15°C/W. And all this at an ultra low fan speed from 600 RPM (PWM controlled to a max of 1500 RPM). In order to get familiar with the full features of the product please visit Nexus HOC-9000 product page.

- Full Specifications

- Retail package

The Nexus HOC-9000 supports all Intel Socket 775 CPU and all AMD Socket AM2 / 754 / 939 / 940 processors, using the various bundled clips. Inside the package you will also find a printed manual, a 4-pin power supply connection for 3-pin motherboard connection and of course thermal paste. After installation, you can "decorate" the Nexus HOC-9000 with several label stickers included for that purpose.

A sticker protects the base of the cooler.

The device has an 120mm rotating fan with PWM abilities (600~1500 RPM). The fan is securely fastened with four soft rubber fan fixings to eliminate resonance and vibrations.

There are also several mini holes at the main body. As Nexus comments "... The aluminum fins of the HOC-9000 have an improved surface area with strategically positioned 'dimples'. The bulgings in the aluminum improve the efficiency of the cooler as the airflow more intensively touches the aluminum.." The airflow of the HOC-9000 is guided to target the CPU core directly.

The bottom base is a made of mixture of aluminum and copper materials. The surface of the heatpipes is in direct contact with the CPU with perfect fit.

In the picture below you can see how exactly the Intel standard clips are secured to the base with the two included screws.

- Installation

Since the Nexus HOC-9000 uses Intel's standard mounting method, things should be simple. Well, yes and no. Due to the size and the design of the heatpipes you might need to rotate the cooler before installing it in order to find the appropriate alignment for it. You might be also troubled to push down all clips in case there are many motherboard heatsinks around the CPU area.

After installing the cooler inside our Thermaltake Soprano case, we saw that there is enough free space left around the cpu area and its height should not cause any problems.

- Ratings

Retail package
Design
Motherboard compatibility
Installation time
Copper Base quality