SUMMARY: After looking all over the place for coolers that don't cost a fortune, we have managed to find a company that deals in cheap HSF units. But we need more than just a low price. Come join Mike "Darthtanion" Wright as he takes a look at the Neng Tyi Nexus NC02 HSF. While the entry price is one of the best available, we'll be taking a closer look at the performance of this little thing. If we can match performance with a low price, we'll have a definite winner on our hands!
As stated in the Introduction, this sink is made of copper. It weighs in at a hefty 430 grams so should have enough mass to handle the cooling chores of at least a non-overclocked rig. It comes with a shroud as well, so you won’t worry about having to force screws down through the fins of the heatsink. This is always a welcome touch for any cooler.
I noticed that the fins were all split. Since I’m not the designer, I can’t say what they had in mind, but the result is more surface area. We have talked before about two big factors in cooling being mass and surface area, so we might just be on to something good here.
Unfortunately, I also noticed that the contact between the fins and the base of the sink isn’t as solid as many other coolers on the market. But since this isn’t a high dollar HSF, this is easily explained. This method manages to keep costs down to a very reasonable level.
The Base
Overall, the base was smooth with some minor nicks. A good lapping would be highly recommended, but our testing will be conducted on the cooler in the factory condition that I received it. There was something strange, though, about the base of this sink:
It seems almost like a bull’s-eye for your processor core. Indeed, when I finished testing I noticed that the mark made by the Arctic Silver was almost dead center in the middle of this design. I’m not sure why it is slightly cut into the base, but I would again recommend a good lapping to get the most out of this sink.
The Fan
Just like it’s little brother, the Nexus NC02 comes with a 60mm x 60mm x 25mm Y.S. Tech fan. This is certainly not something that I would expect to see on a cost-efficient cooling device, but there it is. This model spins at roughly 5500 RPM and delivers 31-CFM airflow at a rated 39.9 dBA of sound output. Pretty good for a HSF that aims at the budget conscience among us.
The Clip
Though not the prettiest of clip designs, this one did manage to go on relatively easily and did a fair job of holding the sink in place. There was just a slight amount of rocking movement noticed after the clip was attached to the front lug, but it shouldn’t be enough to cause any worries. Too bad that this model didn’t have the same clipping mechanism that the KN02 model had. The single lug design is becoming a bit dated and a means to use all lugs on the socket is preferred.
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