The Holiday Heatsink Roundup
As stated at the beginning, heatsinks are an
important part of having a stable computing environment. In the particular case
of AMD processors, this is even more critical, as they run considerably hotter
than current Intel CPU's. Buying the right heatsink for your application is not
a cut and dry affair. I hope this guide helps you make the right decision. All
of the heatsinks are adequate for a regular system build, and all but the JMC
can be considered for Overclocking applications. If I had to pick a winner out
of this group, I would have to give the nod to Overclock Warehouses Ofrio. This
is an excellent first offering from a newcomer to the heatsink market. It's
clearly the best performer of the lot. I've dealt with the OCW guys for quite
some time now, and I'd have to say they've done an excellent job with this
design!
Take into consideration all the choices laid out here today, to help you decide
exactly which heatsink meets your needs. And if you decide to score the OCW
Ofrio, and the beast will fit, you have made a great choice!
JMC ArcticWind+ - Score 5 out of 10
Pros
Presumably inexpensive
Performs better than OEM sinks, most likely
Cons
Performs poorly in high temperature situations. Just cannot dissipate enough heat.
Slow fan
Uninspiring. Only adequate
Thermaltake SuperOrb -
Score 8 out of 10
Pros
Great performance for a lower budget heatsink
Cons
Socket A only. Not reliable on Socket370, and not recommended.
Alpha FC-PAL 28 -
Score 7.5 out of 10
Pros
Great performance in a compact heatsink
no mounting problems on nearly any Socket370 mainboard.
Cons
Only marginally better than the SuperOrb, at a higher cost.
Alpha PEP66T -
Score 8.5 out of 10
Pros
Excellent performance.
Similar cost to the FC-PAL 28, and better performance.
Cons
Some mounting issues, with it's sideways ducted design. Some can be overcome.
Overclock Warehouse Ofrio -
Score 9 out of 10
Pros
Awesome heat dissipation capabilites
Similar Cost to the Alpha's with significant performance improvement.
Cons:
Can have mounting issues, due to it's size and orientation
Delta fans are LOUD :)
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