Components and Design
Both the MCX64-V and MCX6400-V coolers came securely packed in traditional brown, square, Swiftech boxes.
In addition to the MCX-V series heatsink, each box also contains:
- 80mm Fan and fan guard (MCX64-V only)
- Fan brackets for attaching 80mm fan
- Snap-rivets for fan installation
- Screws, washers, springs and spacers
- Syringe of thermal grease (Arctic Alumina)
- Printed Installation Guide
The MCX64-V heatsink incorporates a 3/8′ thick copper base with 360 aluminum pins.
The MCX6400-V heatsink uses a massive 1/2′ thick copper base and has 405 pins.
For both heatsinks, the base is CNC machined from C110 copper and finished to a flatness of better than 0.0003′ with a micro surface finish of 8 or better. To accomplish this, each heatsink base is machine lapped, washed, and then hand polished using diamond paper on a granite surface block.
A circular array of aluminum pins, arranged in concentric circles, is used to create a large surface area from which heat can be transferred via convection cooling. These pins are mass produced on CNC screw-machines, which form the helicoid surface for increased surface area and better heat transfer.
Each pin is inserted and pressed into a hole in the copper base. During use, heat flows by conduction from the relatively warm copper base up into the aluminum pins where it is dissipated into the moving air. Swiftech uses a special patent-pending process to bend concentric rows of pins, thereby ‘opening up’ the pattern of pins to optimize cooling and minimize noise generation
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The MCX64-V comes bundled with an 80mm x 25mm fan made by Delta (AFB0812M). It is rated for 31.4 CFM at 2,500 RPM and 34 dBA (measuring distance not specified).
The MCX6400-V heatsink does not come with a fan. The choice of fans is left up to the end user to best meet their specific requirements for obtaining the right balance between cooling performance and noise. Both heatsinks incorporate small, sheet metal brackets for attaching 80mm fans. The MCX6400-V can be fitted with a 92mm fan using optional fan mounting brackets available from Swiftech. However, they have found that 80mm fans perform generally better and with less noise than do most of the larger 92mm fans tested.
As I mentioned in the intro, each Swiftech MCX-V series cooler is fitted with its own specific mounting hardware according to the platform it will be used on. Both of the units reviewed here are designed to work with the Athlon K8 mounting scheme and require the standard steel K8 backing plate. The MCX64-V heatsink is designed to be mounted with the K8 retention frame in place while the larger MCX6400-V heatsink requires removing the retention frame prior to installation.
