AXP90 Copper Pro

In the NerdQaxe Copper Pro, a Thermalright AXP90-X47 Full sits on the four BM1370 ASICs. This is exactly that cooler on its own: base plate, four 6 mm heatpipes and fins made of copper, topped by a 92 mm PWM fan. Together it weighs 520 g and is only 47 mm tall.

It brings the cooling of the Copper Pro to your NerdQaxe++ or NerdOctaxe without changing the miner. Copper takes up heat faster than aluminium and buffers load peaks instead of passing them straight to the ASIC temperature. The board runs more evenly, and you have room when you raise frequency and voltage. How far that makes sense is covered in the overclocking guide.

• Copper right into the fins: on the Full model, not only the base plate and heatpipes are copper but also the 0.3 mm fins. The standard AXP90-X47 has aluminium fins and is considerably lighter.
• Four 6 mm heatpipes: they pull the heat from the contact surface above the ASICs and spread it to both sides of the fin stack.
• 92 mm fan: the TL-9015R reaches up to 2,700 rpm and 42.58 CFM. AxeOS drives it via PWM only as fast as the temperature requires.
• 47 mm low profile: the cooler comes from the low-profile class for compact PCs. The build stays flat even though there is far more copper on the board.

The AXP90 Copper Pro fits the NerdQaxe++ and the NerdOctaxe. On the NerdQaxe++ this is exactly the combination of the Copper Pro; as a spare part it also fits the Copper Pro itself.

It is not suitable for the boards with a 5 V fan header: Bitaxe Gamma, Nerdaxe Gamma and Nerdaxe Gaia. The Thermalright fan is designed for 12 V and spins too slowly there. For the Bitaxe Gamma and Nerdaxe Gaia there is the AXP60 Copper Pro, which is built for them. Why the fan voltage matters so much is explained in the article making the Bitaxe quieter.

We have not tested the AXP90 on other boards. If you want to use it there, ask us before you buy.

The upgrade is a cooler swap; nothing is soldered or drilled. Unplug the power supply, release the stock cooler, remove the old thermal paste from the ASICs, apply fresh paste, seat the AXP90 and tighten the screws evenly in a cross pattern. Finally, plug the fan into the fan header of the board.

How the miner starts up again afterwards and where to set the fan curve is shown in the NerdQaxe setup guide. Keep the weight in mind: 520 g hang on the board. A firm stand, for the NerdQaxe++ for example the NerdQaxe stand, takes the load off the circuit board.

For everyone who does not run their NerdQaxe++ or NerdOctaxe at factory settings but adjusts frequency and voltage. And for anyone whose miner runs around the clock in a warm room and needs distance from the temperature limit.

It is less worthwhile if your miner runs at standard settings in a cool room and the temperatures are unremarkable. Then the swap brings nothing you would see in the dashboard. And copper alone does not make the miner quiet: under full load the 92 mm fan is audible too.

The box contains the cooler with the fan fitted, thermal paste and the Thermalright mounting hardware. You also need a suitable screwdriver plus some isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth to remove the old paste.

• NerdQaxe stand for a stable footing of the NerdQaxe++ with the heavier copper build.
• AXP60 Copper Pro if you also want to cool a Bitaxe Gamma or Nerdaxe Gaia with copper.

If your miner works at the temperature limit or you need room above it when overclocking, the AXP90 Copper Pro is the most direct route: the same copper cooling as in the Copper Pro, on the miner you already have.