Talon for NerdQaxe++

High performance NerdQaxe++ cooling system. The Talon plus a single 140mm fan will cool the ASICs, VRs, and ALL the other hotspots.  Works great even on a stock board with no additional heatsinks.

Note: The Talon should be compatible with all NerdQaxe++ versions including rev5 and rev6.x. However, I have tested it only on a rev5. If you have a rev6.x you may want to wait a few weeks for any major updates. If you want to be one of the first rev6.x users let me know!

FOUR dedicated air ducts hit all the NerdQaxe++ hotspots:

1. Main Heatsink (ASICs)
2. Voltage Regulators and Coils (VRs)
3. Power Jack and Fuse
4. Back of the Board (entire back surface)

Tranform your NerdQaxe++ into: 

• an over-clocking BEAST
• a beautiful, quiet desktop miner
  
• a cool running system with >35% more hashrate than stock
• ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Sizing

Talon sizes for most stock heatsinks and upgrades. Optimal fit for Thermalright AXP90 series heatsinks. Other heatsinks will work (e.g. X53 three-pipe clones) with minor overhang/underhang on main duct edges - does not materially affect cooling. 

Exact fit for Thermalright AXP90-X36 (typical stock), AXP90-X47, and AXP90-X53. Black, White, Aluminum, or Full Copper.

* X36 Talon coming soon!

Determine your Talon Model Number

Talon model numbers match the Thermalright designation (X36, X47, X53), where the model number is fin height + 15mm stock fan thickness, e.g. an AXP90-X53 heatsink is 38mm high (38 = 53 - 15).

Measure the height from the surface of the NerdQaxe++ board to the top of the main heatsink fins. The model number is the fin height (in mm) + 15.

E.g. You measured about 32mm from the board to the top of the fins, you have an X47 heatsink (32 + 15). You need the Talon X47.

E.g. Your unknown brand heatsink is about 36-39mm high. You need the Talon X53 (38+15=53). It will fit cleanly under the main duct, but all edges may not align perfectly. It will still work great!

Included

The Talon is a two piece assembly: the Quad-duct, and the Cradle.

Complete hardware kit included - premium stainless steel and brass hardware to mount your NerdQaxe++ and any standard 140mm fan.

You won't need that sorry stand and mediocre screws that came with your NerdQaxe++, or any of the stock fan hardware, or those noisy little fan(s), or any of the hardware included with a 140mm fan.

All the fans I recommend have a cable long enough to fit (see the 140mm Talon Fans product page). Other fans may require an extension cable, not included.

Key Design Features:

• Cools Entire NerdQaxe++ with four dedicated ducts, including all the hotspots on the back of the board
  • 'VR' Duct hits the three VRs and three coils with a dedicated stream that also scavenges heat from the surrounding capacitors. These are cooled from the back as well, with or without additional heatsinks.
  • 'Power/Fuse' Duct provides cooling to the power jack during heavy OC - especially needed for the coax plug on rev5. Fuse also receives cooling - can be derated to a lower current. Goal is not to cool the fuse - fuses are metal and will run hot - this is how they work. The goal is to cool the SMD fuse clip and the surrounding area to prevent long-term thermal damage to the PCB and nearby electrolytics. On rev6 the XT-30 power connector also benefits from cooling during heavy OC. There is no physical fuse clip to cool but the surrounding PCB and other components still get airflow.
    
  • 'Cradle' Duct - Entire back of the board is in a dedicated airflow channel. There are few overly warm components on the back, but there is a lot of heat that migrates through the board from the hot components on the top. No additional back side heatsinks are required below 800 MHz. For heavy OC some should be added, but these can be small. Clearances are noted below.
  • 'Main' Duct - Most of the fn's airflow is sent through the main heatsink for the ASICs. Mounting the main heatsink transverse (fins directing outflow air to the sides of the board) is recommended to keep warm air away from the VR area. Main duct is shaped and positioned for transvese but will still be very effective for 'vertical' fin orientation, if you prefer.
• Integrated Cable Management
  • fan cable clips on the side plus a cableway under the Cradle flange
  • gather loop on the back gathers fan and power cables and provides strain relief for accidental yanks - keeps your board safe and the power on! Zip ties can be added for additional security.
• Clearance for additional heatsinks: Vertical clearances are (approximately) 10mm on the VRs, 7mm on the coils, 4mm on the back around the ASICs, and 12mm on the back VR area.
• Top Quality Hardware for Talon assembly, NerdQaxe++ integration, and fan mounting - fine pitched stainless steel bolts into brass standoffs.
• Thermal Stress Reduction: Only the two middle bolts are used to secure the NerdQaxe++ to the Cradle. The lower end of the NerdQaxe++ is held by two non-restrictive tabs. The upper end is free. Both ends float in the XY plane - relieving stress due to thermal expansion in all directions. 
• Accepts all standard 140mm fans - 45mm bolts included are compatible with standard 25mm thick fans plus a finger guard. Contact me for free bolt swap if your fan is a different thickness.
• Internal Airflow Strakes in the lower Cradle direct the air stream across the back of the ASICs and clean up the airflow ahead of the upper board area.
• Easy Assembly - Embedded brass standoffs are used everywhere for one-tool tightening. Two metric allen keys required.
• Strong - Printed in high impact strength PLA Plus; tough yet flexible, not brittle, with nice surface feel.
• Super cool Talon logo on the back of the Cradle. Get out your Talons and grab that Coin!

Recommend Fans:

See my recommendations in the 'Talon 140mm Fans' product page. 

* Apologies for the photos! These are all near-final prototypes so some details may change slightly. Also there's lots of odd color combos :) These Talons take almost two days to print so its going to take a while to get a lot of model and color coverage. I will upload proper beauty shots of the final-final design in the near future!

** Photos are of complete representative systems. Talon package does not include NerdQaxe++, fan, heatsinks, PSU, other upgrades, or accessories.