Written By:
Date Posted: August 30, 2001

41C! This is in a closed case with only the power supply fan above the Thunderbird 1.2GHz CPU on. Yes folks, we are talking about the Swiftech MC462A heatsink/fan. 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.

Next