The Cooler

After we strip the box from the contents, we see the cooler, the mounting system, a small tube of thermal interface material, and the mounting screws. There is also a small installation manual included, which was a good thing since the mounting style is not like most others on the market. As for the TIM, I will continue to use Arctic Silver 5 for testing so that results remain consistent with previous tests and can be used in a comparison.

Taking a closer look at the cooler itself, we see some similarities to a turbine engine. For some reason, I don't think this is a coincidence. The cooler uses a heatpipe technology that is popular today, and then uses a large copper fin array surrounded by a plastic cover to give it the uncanny resemblance to the turbine.

Above is a closer look at the copper fin system used on this model. Many products using the heatpipe technology have gone back to aluminum due to its light weight and the fact that the heatpipes do such a good job dissipating heat. The Antazone uses fewer heatpipes, so it appears that they have gone with the copper due to its better heat dissipation capabilities.

Rolling the unit over shows us the fan used to keep everything cool. While it is a 92mm type fan, its round shape will keep you from using a different fan without losing the aesthetics of the sink. The fan spins at 2200RPM and puts out roughly 50 CFM of airflow. Sound output is listed as 25 dBA on the box and 32.6 dBA on the company website. Regardless, this isn't going to be a real quiet solution, but if the results turn out good then I can live with that.

A small issue with the fan is in regards to its 3-pin motherboard header limitation. Most manufacturers have gone with a standard Molex connector for their fans, and for good reason; the motherboard headers (especially of some budget motherboards) are notorious for not supplying a sufficient amount of power. I prefer not to rely on this method of power for one of the most important components in the system.

The photo above gives you a better look at the heatpipes used on this product. As I mentioned earlier, this model uses fewer pipes than many others, but it also isn't as cluttered around the base area either.

Speaking of the base, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this one is a gem. I was unable to feel any distortions with the finger, and a quick look above shows the type of finish that you can expect to see. For those who dislike lapping a heatsink before using, you will truly enjoy this one since the work has been done for you. This should make for an excellent contact patch between the processor and the sink.

The last item to look at before we move on is the mounting system. These two brackets are used to install the heatsink onto the processor. Those familiar with replacing heatsinks will quickly realize that this installation will require the removal of the motherboard. Given the large size and weight of this unit, extra support is really necessary to ensure no damage is done to the system components.