In the past year, we have reviewed a number of Aerocool products, though it wasn't until we looked at the DP-102 late last year that we stood up and took notice. When the numbers came in, I was quite shocked with the results as not only did the heatsink outperform the previous champ in air cooling, but it's performance surpassed some water cooling solutions as well.

It didn't take long for Aerocool to release something new though, and today we'll be looking at their latest AMD and Intel solution, the .

Heat Sink Specifications
Dimension	Tube x 3 (6mm diameter) 31 Fins - 76mmx50mm
Material	Superconductor Tube + Copper Fins
Features
1. High thermal conductivity
2. Full copper cooler w/3 superconductor tubes for max performance
3. HT-101 offers "Dual Fan" solution - user can mount 1 or 2 fans on the cooler (70mm or 80mm fans)
4. Blue UV sebsitive plastic injection cap
5. Quad blue UV LED fan w/ "flower shape" fan blade design for super silence Revolution=2500rpm Air flow=29.6cfm Noise level=22dba
Applications
AMD: Athlon XP 3600+ and higher Intel: P4 socket 478 3.6Ghz and higher
Weight
Cooler Weight 470g (without weight of fan)

The HT-101 is a true universal heatsink, with all the parts needed for either CPU platform in one package. Sharing similar cooling technology as the DP-102, we were curious to see if performance would be better, on par, or worse. Let's find out.

The Aerocool HT-101 HSF

My first impression when I received the package was, "Damn! This thing is huge!". The HT-101 is certainly the tallest heatsink I've tested, but it isn't overly "fat", so as long as your motherboard follows the CPU manufacturer's clearance specifications.

For case window fans, the HT-101 features a blue UV active fan cap with the company logo laser etched on the top of the cap.

The HT-101 is 100% copper based heatsink, which will absorb more heat than an aluminum cooler, but take longer to dissipate. This is a problem with all copper coolers, and Aerocool addresses this in a couple ways.

The superconductor tubes contain a chemical mixure that reacts to heat, drawing heat in and rising where it is cooled by the fins and fan(s). As an added performance measure, the superconductor tubes pass through a smaller, radiator-style heatsink built into the base.

Thrity-one thin copper fins (0.2mm) cross the fan cap, and they intersect with 3 superconductor tubes. Although the high number of fins will improve performance, this will cause more air turbulance (especially if you use two fans). Granted, more turbulance will result in better cooling, but it will also cause a bit more noise.

The HT-101 is capable of supporting up to two fans for installation, depending on how much cooling you need. Both 70mm and 80mm fans are supported, but be aware that the size of these fans do matter. Our Delta SHE fan, when installed on the right side (the side facing the PSU), the heatsink would not install as there was not enough clearance in our Cooler Master ATC-201A SX2.

Another problem we ran into with that particular case is the side panel with the cooling funnel would not install as the heatsink won't fit in the funnel. For full sized ATX case, and most mid-towers, I don't imagine the heatsink will cause problems, but it will for the case we used.

By default, the HT-101 ships in an AMD configuration. At this time, an Athlon 64 kit (or heatsink for that matter) are not available, and this heatsink will only support Socket-A CPUs. The clip is quite stiff, and will require a flathead screwdriver to install, but it isn't too difficult nonetheless.

For a Pentium 4 install, you'll need to take apart the clip assembly, and install the P4 kit. You will also need to remove your P4 motherboard to install the heatsink retention bracket.

The base of the HT-101 is not polished to a mirror shine, but it is very flat and lapping shouldn't be necessary. In anycase, remember to test install it first by placing thermal compound on the CPU and installing the heatsink. Remove the heatsink, and verify that there is good contact by noting the thermal past impression on the base of the cooler.

As we've mentioned earlier, all the pieces for a Pentium 4 installation are included. There is also a coloured instruction guide for both AMD and Intel which is well put together. A syringe of silver based compound is included, and after a week of testing with this compound, we find it's quality and performance within 1°C of Arctic Silver 3.

The quad blue UV LED fan is based on a "flower shape" fan blade design. It's performance is in the mid-range of most 80m fans, and provides decent performance at acceptable noise levels.

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