MikeTimbers
20th January 2002, 15:17
This is not particularly scientific and there are no pictures. We've all seen pictures of both these heatsinks before.
I have two computers. Both use the same motherboard - the Elite K7S5A which only has the in-socket thermistor for heat measurements. Both have the same processor - the Athlon XP1500. One runs at 10x150 for 1500 at 1.74v and the other at 11x138 for 1511 at 1.78v.
In the hunt for Intel-like temperatures, I bought the best heatsink that money could buy which at the time was the Swiftech MC462. I bought it bare, without a fan since I have loads of 80mm fans around.
When I got it, I thought "Wow" like everyone else who sees one for the first time in the flesh. Pictures do not do these things justice. But when I got it all set up, I was a little disappointed. It just didn't seem to cool all that well. It was only when I tried other heatsinks that I realised my disappointment was caused by my expectations and experience with Intel. I just hadn't realised how hot AMD chips get!
I settled for relative quiet - an Evercool 80mm - and temperatures in the mid 40s which was around 22C over case ambient. Remember that all temperatures will be at full load. My systems are never idle, since they are busy running Genome 24/7.
When it came time to replace my P3 system, I naturally bought another K7S5A and another XP1500. Bang for buck, this combination is impressively fast and ridiculously cheap. But I balked at buying another Swiftech. I knew they were bringing out a newer version in the near future and didn't wat another old model. Then Alpha brought out the 8045. I'd had a PEP66 running on the P3-750E (at 1Gig with 2.1v) and it had done really well, so I was happy to give an 8045 a go. The reviews all said it was as good as the Swiftech so a quick visit to www.overclockers.co.uk and an Alpha was winging its way to me. I also took advantage of a rare item being in stock at www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk and bought two Mechatronics 80mm fans. These are 53cfm but much quieter than even the Sanyo-Denki 53cfm supplied with the Swiftech.
Just like the Sanyo-Denki, the Mechatronics also has a 4-pin Molex for power but also the 3-pin single cable for rpm monitoring.
Now the second system with the Alpha had a big advantage. It was going into my Lian-Li PC60! With two Panaflo L1As at the front and a high-speed Adda at the rear with an Enermax 350W PSU, I expected the Alpha to be slightly cooler.
And it was. The Alpha ran only 15C over ambient, a 7C difference. But was it all down to the case and better airflow? How could it be? The Swiftech was in an open case - one where the cover was an inverted U. Maybe it was down to the minor difference in voltage and speed.
The only way to find out was to switch the heatsinks over leaving everything else the same. Yeah, but that means removing the motherboards as well to get the heatsink mountings out. But wait a minute. A quick check and lo and behold, the two companies use exactly the same screw sizes so the mountings are the same too.
OK, I only had to change the heatsinks. A bit of fiddling around later and the Swiftech was in the PC60.
CPU temperature was exactly the same as the Alpha had been. Once the Alpha was in the open case, it was at exactly the same temperature as the MC462 had been.
What does all this mean? The MC462 and the Alpha are so close as to be indistinguishable. But the Alpha is quite a bit cheaper and looks (I think) a bit better.
I have two computers. Both use the same motherboard - the Elite K7S5A which only has the in-socket thermistor for heat measurements. Both have the same processor - the Athlon XP1500. One runs at 10x150 for 1500 at 1.74v and the other at 11x138 for 1511 at 1.78v.
In the hunt for Intel-like temperatures, I bought the best heatsink that money could buy which at the time was the Swiftech MC462. I bought it bare, without a fan since I have loads of 80mm fans around.
When I got it, I thought "Wow" like everyone else who sees one for the first time in the flesh. Pictures do not do these things justice. But when I got it all set up, I was a little disappointed. It just didn't seem to cool all that well. It was only when I tried other heatsinks that I realised my disappointment was caused by my expectations and experience with Intel. I just hadn't realised how hot AMD chips get!
I settled for relative quiet - an Evercool 80mm - and temperatures in the mid 40s which was around 22C over case ambient. Remember that all temperatures will be at full load. My systems are never idle, since they are busy running Genome 24/7.
When it came time to replace my P3 system, I naturally bought another K7S5A and another XP1500. Bang for buck, this combination is impressively fast and ridiculously cheap. But I balked at buying another Swiftech. I knew they were bringing out a newer version in the near future and didn't wat another old model. Then Alpha brought out the 8045. I'd had a PEP66 running on the P3-750E (at 1Gig with 2.1v) and it had done really well, so I was happy to give an 8045 a go. The reviews all said it was as good as the Swiftech so a quick visit to www.overclockers.co.uk and an Alpha was winging its way to me. I also took advantage of a rare item being in stock at www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk and bought two Mechatronics 80mm fans. These are 53cfm but much quieter than even the Sanyo-Denki 53cfm supplied with the Swiftech.
Just like the Sanyo-Denki, the Mechatronics also has a 4-pin Molex for power but also the 3-pin single cable for rpm monitoring.
Now the second system with the Alpha had a big advantage. It was going into my Lian-Li PC60! With two Panaflo L1As at the front and a high-speed Adda at the rear with an Enermax 350W PSU, I expected the Alpha to be slightly cooler.
And it was. The Alpha ran only 15C over ambient, a 7C difference. But was it all down to the case and better airflow? How could it be? The Swiftech was in an open case - one where the cover was an inverted U. Maybe it was down to the minor difference in voltage and speed.
The only way to find out was to switch the heatsinks over leaving everything else the same. Yeah, but that means removing the motherboards as well to get the heatsink mountings out. But wait a minute. A quick check and lo and behold, the two companies use exactly the same screw sizes so the mountings are the same too.
OK, I only had to change the heatsinks. A bit of fiddling around later and the Swiftech was in the PC60.
CPU temperature was exactly the same as the Alpha had been. Once the Alpha was in the open case, it was at exactly the same temperature as the MC462 had been.
What does all this mean? The MC462 and the Alpha are so close as to be indistinguishable. But the Alpha is quite a bit cheaper and looks (I think) a bit better.