When it was first released, it totally blew away all of the competition. Swiftech made some revisions to the heatsink since then (hence the "A"), but even in the age of all copper solutions, this cooler continues to dominate.
The package
The first thing that got my attention when I received the unit was the weight of the package. I've heard the reports of the size of the cooler, but it still didn't prepare me for it when it came in. Inside the box, you'll find the MC462A heatsink, an 80mm Sanyo Denki fan, thermal paste, screws, compression springs, nylon nuts, and a 1 page instruction sheet. I was disappointed they didn't include a fan grill, but more on that later on.
Specifications
Heat sink
C110 copper base, 3"W x 3"L x .375"H, flatness better than 0.001", micro surface finish 8 or better.
269 Pins made of High Thermal Conductivity aluminum alloy ( 230 W/m-K).
Overall dimensions with fan 3"x3"x3", without fan 3"x3"x1.56"
Weight: 27oz (760g) with fan, 20oz (560g) without fan.
Mounting
Motherboard fittings: 6-32 Female to Male 1/4" brass round standoffs, nylon elbow washers and nuts .
4 compression springs providing exact specified pressure per chip manufacturers.
For Intel Pentium 4 processors, 2 brackets bolt atop the block to match Intel's mounting specifications.
Fan
80mm Sanyo Denki Fan
4600RPM
53CFM
45db[A] Noise Rating
Pictures say it all. The MC462A is HUGE!
At 560g for the heatsink alone, this thing isn't light, or small for that matter. You can see from the pictures that it makes a total mockery of the AMD retail unit. Whether or not an AMD retail heatsink is adquate, that is up for debate, but I'd feel a heck of a lot more at ease knowing the huge MC462A is cooling my CPU. Due to it's sheer size though, it will not fit on motherboards that do not meet AMD's clearance zones. As of June 1, 2001, the following motherboards are incompatible: Asus A7A266, Gygabyte GA-7DX, GA-7DXR Tyan Trinity KTA, Tyan S2462 UNG Thunder K7 dual CPU, FIC AZ11E. You can modify them to fit, but you'll void your warranty, if not destroy your motherboard.
Heatsink and the Sanyo Denki Petit Ace fan.
The design of the heatsing is quite different from others we've looked at thus far. Rather than fins, the MC462 uses pins, 269 of them to be exact. The pins are made of a highly thermal conductive aluminum material that Swiftech attaches to the copper base. Unlike Alpha, which forges them, the pins here are soldered on.
The first revision of the MC462 had inluded the very, very loud 68cfm Delta fan. Noise, as usual, was extreme, and with the revision A, they went with a quieter 53cfm Sanyo Denki fan also. It isn't really all that quiet though. To me, it's just as loud as a 60mm Delta fan that we've heard on other performance coolers, but different. The Delta has a more high pitched sound to it, and the Sanyo is more of a whoosh. Either way, it'll be tough to sleep with the computer on. Because I never tested with the 80mm Delta fan, I can't compare it with the Sanyo in my review, but from what I hear, performance was lost when Swiftech made the fan change. It makes sense since the specs of the Sanyo are less impressive performance wise than the Delta, but either way, the results overall have been the best I've seen thus far.
One gripe I do have is that Swiftech does not provide a fan grill with the unit. I suppose not having a grill would cut down a bit on the high pitch noise, since the air doesn't have to travel through a barrier. Nevertheless, a grill cost is about one dollar, and I would like to have seen one included since the fan still spins at 4600rpms. At that speed, it's still not a good idea to stick your finger, or wires in there. Another problem, is that even if you have an extra grill, the fan mounting screws are too short. Basically, you attach the fan to the heatsink via the 4 screws on the corners. The length is just enough to attach it to the heasink, but fall about 1/4" short if you attach a grill. No big deal, since you can go to your local hardware shop and buy new screws, but it's an annoyance in my opinion.
Finely lapped and polished base
Swiftech did a good job cleaning the base. I don't think it needs to be lapped, and other than the Vantec CCK-6035D we've looked at earlier, it's one of the better polished heatsinks to come through our labs. The base is copper as I mentioned before, and there are four cutouts, or notches, to allow clearance over motherboard capaciters. Like I said before, motherboard manufacturers need to meet , and most do, save a few. Check before buying this cooler, to be sure it will fit.
The nylon washers are attached to the bottom w/mobo screw
Due to the size of this beast, Swiftech has designed the MC462 to utilize a mounting system that differs quite differently than most conventional heatsinks. Instead of a clip, you actually screw the heatsink into the motherboard. It's not as dangerous as it sounds, since as long as the motherboard follows AMD's recommendations, there are already 4 pre-cut holes in the PCB. You have to attach the mounting screw by placing a washer underneath the motherboard, then put the other washer on top, then using the screw, screw it in until you get a tight fit. Oh, in case you're wondering, you have to remove your motherboard from your case, regardless if you have a pullout motherboard tray or not. It is a pain in the ass, and you can expect to spend at least 20-30 minutes doing this.
Before assembly on left, and on the right, it should look like this
Once the mounting system is complete, you have to assemble the heatsink mounting system. There really isn't much to it. You place one nylon washer through the screw, then the spring, followed by the second nylon washer. I included a pic of what it'd look like, without the motherboard, below.
Completed heatsink mount on left. What it'd look like if mobo was invisble (cool!) on right.
With the motherboard mount in place, and the heatsink mounting screw assembled, we can finally attach it. It's pretty obvious where the heatsink screws go, so tighten them until they bottom out. You only need to go until you can't turn anymore without forcing. The screws are designed to AMD's specifications, so you can be sure it's making contact. One thing you'll like is that it's pretty much impossible to crack the core, unlike most clipping systems. Make sure you remember to put the fan back on when you're done! Swiftech suggests dropping a bit of crazy glue on the washers to keep them in place if you intend to remove the MC462 often. Anyhow, once this is all done, changing CPUs, or reapplying thermal paste becomes a breeze.
Not to worry if this seems confusing. It really isn't, and Swiftech does include instructions. If you misplace them, or you want to know a bit more about it, check out their .
Although the fan doesn't spin as fast as a Delta, it still draws 12V of power, which is enough to blow some motherboard headers. Swiftech includes a pre-assembled plug that goes directly into the power supply, as well as a motherboard fan monitor. Some motherboards, such as Abit (depending on the BIOS version) won't boot if it doesn't detect a fan, so this is a nice addition.
Testing
As usual:
AMD Thunderbird 1.2GHz (1.75v), HSF paired with regular silicone thermal paste
Abit KT7A-RAID, with socket thermal sensor touching the bottom of the CPU
Lian-Li PC60 Aluminum Case, with only the Enermax power supply fans on
Prime95 is run for 20 minutes
Room temperature is maintained at 23C/74F
The only factor I can see affecting the scores, is the Lian-Li aluminum case. I've determined the margin of error to be approximately 2C degrees. Temperatures were gathered using VIA's Hardware Monitor. I will be putting together some sort of a heatsink roundup/database of coolers tested here and more detail in how they are tested in the near future.
Final Thoughts
We got a new winner here in the labs. The Swiftech MC462A beats out the Vantec CCK-6035D by about 2C/4F degrees, and destroys everyone else by quite a substantial margin. Although 2C/4F doesn't seem like a whole lot, I think that with faster CPUs, which run hotter (Palomino cores are supposed to address the heat issues), the Swiftech MC462A will be better suited due to the mass of it.
You're probably wondering why I didn't give it a perfect 10. Well, the performance certainly warrants it, but there were several nagging issues at hand. First was the price. This cost me about 125$ Canadian, before shipping and tax, and I know it costs about 80$ US, before shipping and tax, at most US based stores. Considering there are several good coolers selling under 50$ Cdn, or 30$ US, that can easily handle CPUs in excess of 1.4GHz, so I'd probably tell you to look at one of those instead if the price of the MC462 is too much to swallow. For the money, you'd figure that a fan grill would be included, or at least the included screws would be a little longer. I can go get them myself, but it is just an added hassle for me. The MC462 is compatible with the P4, but they charge an extra 5$ (!) for the P4 kit. Again, it all comes down to the fact that this cooler is so expensive to begin with.
That being said, I am impressed with the performance. Despite my gripes about pricing, if you're a hardcore overclocker, having one of these in your system will provide the best in air cooling. It's sure to score you some chicks, or dudes if you're female (or male, but to each their own) at LAN parties as well.
Pros:Awesome performance, good quality, foolproof installation.
Cons: 80mm Sanyo Denki fan is LOUD, no fan grill, extremely expensive.
If you got any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
HOME
