Concluding thoughts
The Cooler Master XDream HAC-V81 and HSC-V83's biggest asset is price. Looking around the on-line vendors, one can find the former for as little as £13 ex-delivery. That kind of money would normally buy you a low-end cooler guaranteed to, say, 2GHz. The literature on the XDream states it's recommended for all current AMD CPUs up to XP2800+. With the recent launch of the Barton 3000+, we can safely say that it can handle each and every current AMD CPU with comparative ease. The SE version is a cut above in terms of performance. Pricing isn't finalised yet but I expect it to be around £20 - £25. The latter's lower speed fan setting of 2000RPM is a bonus too.
The attached rheobus is a good idea, as it gives those that wish to push their systems a little extra help. The fact that it mounts in a PCI slot (or in a 3.5" bay for the SE) means that you don't have to interfere with your PC each time you wish to change a setting. The XDreams, at their lowest fan settings, have more than enough cooling power for any default AMD CPU. You should only look to increase the volume and CFM if you're raising the Vcore substantially.
Kudos to Cooler Master for producing high-quality heatsinks at very affordable prices. Sure, there are better coolers out there, but you'd find it difficult to find a better one for sub-£15, or a better performing one for ~ £20 - £25.
Highs
-
80mm fan
-
Rheobus for changing the fan's speed to suit your needs
-
Quality construction
-
Price
-
Extremely easy to attach and remove
-
Decent performance at all noise levels
-
The SE is better but slightly more expensive
Lows
-
The clip could cause problems in some motherboards with a rotated ZIF socket