Traditionally, Athlons have always run hotter than the Pentium series of CPUs. The misconception however is the Pentium CPUs, specifically the Pentium 4, run cool. Although they do run cooler than their rivals on a clock-for-clock basis, they still need a decent heatsink to perform reliably. That being said, credit is due to Intel's engineers for designing an extremely fast CPU that still needs an aluminum heatsink, with a near silent fan.

The stock Intel heatsink is something their competitors should mimick in some ways. For one, it's absolutely tooless, making it a snap to install and to remove. It's also huge, therefore you don't really need a monsterous fan on it. Thanks to both the CPU and heatsink engineers, overclocking with the stock heatsink is relatively easy, although once overclocks start hitting 3GHz+, alternative cooling may be required.

For quite a while, there wasn't really much in the way of selection for aftermarket P4 coolers. That's not really the case anymore, as there are a lot of high performance coolers available for the Pentium 4. For the most part, the same high performance equation that applied to AMD, also applies to the P4. Either create a huge copper heatsink, or attach 6000+ RPM fan. In most cases, it was both.

Specifications

Model No.: CCK-7025
CPU Socket: 478
Rated Voltage: 12V
Rated Current: 0.20 A
Power Consumption: 2.4W
Bearing Type: Double Ball Bearing
Fan Speed: 4000 RPM
Airflow: 33.1 CFM
Noise Level: 34 dBA
Outline Dimension: 83 X 73 X 61 mm
Weight: 537.0 g
Life Time: 50,000 Hrs

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As the name implies, the CopperX 478 is an all copper heatsink. 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.

Like many heatsinks, this one uses the thin fin design. The idea of thin fins is that the manufacturer is able to pack more of these fins into the heatsink. The benefit of course, is that more fins creates more surface area for heat to dissipate. Thinner fins should also create less resistance for the heat to escape. Because of copper's heat retaining properties, thin fins are the way to go, coupled with an adequate fan.

In order to direct some airflow into the fins, the CopperX uses a shroud for the fan to mount on. Despite it's copper appearance, the shroud is aluminum, anodized to match the heatsink. The shroud also elevates the fan slightly. The reasoning behind this is the "dead" spot is usually around the motor of the fan, aka, the center. With the fan slightly raised, there's a little more airflow since the majority of the air disturbance is away from the center. This is the theory, but in practice, I doubt we'll see much benefit as the elevation isn't a whole lot.

As you've probably noticed, the fins are interlocked on the top. this is the first heatsink I've tested that did this, and to be honest, I'm not really sure why this is the case. I've done a little research on the subject, but I came up empty. In my opinion, I'm guessing it serves to stabalize the fins. In other words, they won't bend out of place as much as if they were free standing. In this case, the interlocking pins also serve to support the heatsink clip (obvious in the third image above), which does apply a lot of force.

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I've mentioned in previous Vantec heatsink reviews that lately, they've applied some kind of a polish to their heatsinks. Aesthetically, the shine is really nice, and can make a nice addition to your PC if looks are really important to you. I am assuming of course, that the reasoning behind the polish was to inhibit any tarnish that typically forms with copper heatsinks. I have yet to determine if this "shine" does anything for the overall cooling, and personally, I coudn't really care less if the heatsink sparkled. If the performance sucked, it's not going to get a reccomendation here.

That being said, there is no glossy finish this time with the CopperX 478. The base is machined to a really smooth finish, and I was not able to feel any imperfections by running my finger on it. Despite not having the gloss coat, the base is machined well enough that there is still a reflection on it.

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With the exception of the last heatsink I've looked at, Vantec has always been well known for their excellent clips. I know it's an odd thing to point out, but unless you've actually worked with one of their coolers, you haven't seen "easy" like these clips. Of course, every heatsink they've released has used a different clipping system, but they seem to put a lot of thought into it in order to make your life as simple as possible.

Basically, many heatsinks, particularly Athlon coolers, require a screwdriver, a lot of elbow grease, and steady hands. The horror stories of cracked cores only serve to demonstrate that although it doesn't take a Physics degree to install a heatsink, attention is required. The Intel Pentium 4 on the otherhand is perhaps one of the easiest heatsinks to install. No joke, all you do is drop it in the bracket, and flip two tabs. Any P4 owner will tell you it doesn't get any easier than this. Well actually, that statement is no longer valid, as the CopperX 478 is even easier to put on.

The fan is no Delta, and spins at 4000 RPM, with an output of 33 CFM and 34 dBA. It's a little louder than the Pentium 4 stock heatsink, but honestly, not much more. In fact, with the case closed, the 80mm fan in the front of our case was more noticable.

Testing

Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz
MSI i845E Max2-BLR
Nanotherm Ice Thermal Compound
Prime95 run for 20 minutes as a background task

A quick look in Windows XP showed us a 100% CPU load, which told us it's time to watch the temperatures. Temp readings were taken at idle, as well as full load. Room temperature was maintained at 23C/74F during testing. I've been told there are two stock Intel coolers, but we'll be using the one that came packaged with the 2.4GHz 533FSB P4 "B". This particular cooler is all aluminum (no copper or copper core)...

Idle

When the CPU is idle, there isn't a whole lot of difference between the two coolers. Neither the stock cooler or the CopperX use huge fans, so neither heatsink has any real advantage over one another.

Load

It gets a little more interesting under load. As we can see, the CopperX holds a noticable lead over the stock cooler. It's important to note that we are using the fans that were designed for both heatsinks. I wanted to use the same fan for both, but the conflicting heatsink designs would not allow for it. This now becomes a test between cooling "solutions". Although the CopperX is clearly superior on paper, it doesn't blow the stock cooler out of the water.

We did a little overclocking as well. Unfortunently, due to the limitations of either our CPU or our motherboard, the Vantec CopperX failed to best the stock cooler in overclocking, as both coolers tied at 153FSB. The gap did widen slightly in terms of temperature performance. The stock cooler hovered at about 64C, whereas the CopperX was at 61C. Although temperatures were much higher than I felt comfortable with, the testbed was rock solid, even at these high temperatures.

Final Words

No doubt, this is a good cooler. It simply wasn't a great one. Personally, I wasn't comfortable with either the stock or Vantec heatsink at the overclocked settings. Granted, these are not monster coolers, such as the Alpha or Swiftech, so I didn't expect any surprise results.

The CopperX 478 is a better performer than the stock solution, and unlike the bigger coolers, this one can probably be purchased in the 25$ - 30$ USD range, which to me is a good deal. By the same token, if you've purchased a retail Pentium 4, this heatsink isn't really much of an upgrade. If you're purchasing an OEM Pentium 4, which is just the CPU with no cooler, this may be something to consider. For anyone with a sub-2GHz CPU, and planning to keep the overclock under 2.5GHz, this wouldn't be a bad choice. Any higher than this... you're best to get something beefier.

It's not all bad for the product however. Despite it's performance, you'll have to consider a few things. It doesn't require any tools to install, which cannot be said for the really big coolers. It's fairly cheap, and the price includes the fan. The fan can be replaced with something more powerful, though it must be a 70mm one. Eitherway, the fan is adequate, and is very quiet, which will be a relief for anyone looking for a change from their 48 dba monster.

Pros: Well designed, simple clipping mechanism, quiet operation, well priced.

Cons: Doesn't improve much over stock cooling, and not suitable for long term, extreme overclocking.

Bottom Line: If you're not into overclocking, and are in need of a new heatsink/fan, I'd put this on your short-list. Overclockers may want to consider alternate coolers, but if you expect to stay under the 2.5GHz range, this may be a decent choice, and your ears will thank you for it.

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