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Last week, we got a chance to look at the Thermalright SLK-700, and came away fairly impressed with its performance. Although the heatsink was more than capable of handling our overclocked Athlon XP 2400+, the performance was limited by the 70mm TMD fan used during testing. Would a bigger fan aid in improving upon our overclocking endeavors? Perhaps. Would a bigger fan improve upon our temperatures? Bet on it.
Thanks to , we got a chance to test the Thermalright SLK-800, which until the release of the SLK-900, was Thermalright's top dog. With reports of installation issues with some AMD motherboards, the SLK-800 would probably be a wiser choice if you're shopping for a new cooler.
Specifications
All copper design for maximum performance
Soldered fins to base to ensure effective contact
Three pronged type heat sink clip
Stepping fins to hold 60mm, 70mm and 80mm fans
Dimensions:
L87 x W56.4 x H48 (mm) - Top, without fan
L57.5 x W56.4 x H48 (mm) - Bottom
L25 x W56.4 - Base
Weight: 505g (heat sink only)
 
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As most enthusiasts already know, copper is typically the preferred material (as opposed to aluminum) in performance coolers. Copper can absorb heat much faster than aluminum, but retains heat longer. For overclockers, I can see where copper's heat absorption can be handy when an overclocked CPU initially powers on. The heat created may be too much for aluminum coolers, but it may be handled by copper ones.
Thermalright didn't get cheap when pouring the copper into its mold. The SLK-800 weighs in at a whopping 505 grams, making it easily one of the heavier heatsinks on the market. By default, the SLK-800 doesn't ship with any fans, but it can accomadate 60mm, 70mm and 80mm fans.
Unlike many heatsinks, the SLK-800 is not a "square" design, but rather, it is tapered going up. This will allow this large cooler (and it's big alright) to fit in any AMD motherboard that follows AMD's socket clearance specifications.
 
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The base of the heatsink is protected with a clear plastic sticker for shipping. In this particular case, the sticker didn't come off cleanly, requiring quite a bit of work to clean off the residue. Like the SLK-700, the base is fairly narrow, but rests perfectly on the AMD core. It's highly polished, meaning additional lapping isn't required, and has a nice shine to it that's very reflective.
 
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The SLK-800 works the same way as the SLK-700 when it comes to fan installation. The edges of the heatsink are staggered to accomadate the different sized fans. Rather than using push pins, or traditional screws for installation, they use metal wire clips to secure the fan.
 
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Depending on the size of the fan, you install the wire retention mechanism into one of three holes (on both sides of the heatsink, on either edge). The corners of the hooks then go into the fan holes themselves. I do find this method of fan installation to be somewhat annoying, but I guess that's only because I'm used to using the screws to secure the fan.
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For motherboards without the four mounting holes, which are more and more of them these days, one of the advantages of the SLK-800 is the fact that it uses a six hole clip (three on each side). Some people may have some concerns, given the weight of the heatsink, but installation is pretty secure. Like SLK-700, there is a notch for a flathead screwdriver, but it doesn't have any support should you slip. If you're not too careful, you can seriously ding your motherboard.
Next Page - Testing and Final Words
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Thermalright SLK-800 Socket-A: We take a look at Thermalright's former flagship cooler, and see if it still has what it takes to stand up against our current champ, the MCX462+.
