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Hello World! The MCX462-V really makes an imposing first impression right out of the box. Most people won't know what to make out of it. Is it a weapon, a wireless receiver, a heatsink? In the cooling realm, it is engineering at its best. Swiftech's R&D department really deserves recognition for their hard work.

Introduction:

Swiftech is synonymous in the tweaking community as one of the top leaders in active cooling.Although their products are located in the upper end of the price range, it is justifiable given their performance track record. The newly released MCX462-V is Swiftech's newest offering for AMD platforms (an Intel compatible counterpart has just been released).It is modeled from the original MCX462 with added improvements.The most noticeable difference from its sibling is the fact that the outer cooling pins are angled out in a V-shape.This V-shape allows for a wider cooling area for larger fans while not interfering with motherboard components.The shape is also intended to maximize performance at lower fan speeds.

The MCX462-V is impressive looking, rest assured, but it is even more impressive when viewed first-hand. It outweighs most of the competition at a staggering 650 grams (close to a pound and a half). It is a bona fide cooling monster!

The MCX462-V definitely is not stingy in the copper department. Unlike many of the cheaper coolers, the base is one-half inch thick solid copper polished to a near-mirror finish, not just a copper slug in the middle surrounded by aluminum. The near-mirror finish promotes ideal thermal conductivity. Besides looking great, there are other signs of great attention to detail. There is no need to a need to lap the base of the MCX462-V; the surface is already lapped to 0.0003 inches in-house before shipment. The cooler pins being grooved allows for a greater surface area, meaning that heat dissapation is much better than smooth rods.

Not convinced about the grooves and think that it improving cooling is just marketing BS? Do a calculation of the surface area of a cylinder. Some math 101 here. 2*pi*r (for the circumference of the rod)* the height of a rod. With a grooved surface that still applies, except in each groove you also get an additional pi*(r-delta)^2 * 2 where delta is the distance from the center of the rod to the inner edge of the groove (the area of the rod is subtracted from the area of the groove that is not exposed to air). We multiply by 2 because of the 2 surfaces per groove and we also multiply by about 30 grooves per rod. Because there are so many rods, the overall added surface area is quite large. The thinking behind machining the rods is fundamentally sound and it would be interesting to see how a cooler with smooth rods would fare in comparision with the MXC462-V.

A Canadian "toonie" never looked so nice and shiny!

Feature highlights of the MCX462-V: (taken from Swiftech's site)

• Hybrid 1/2"thick copper base,thin aluminum pin heatsink.Patented Helicoid pin design: pins are individually machined in an helicoid shape, to increase their surface area, and further enhance heat dissipation efficiency
• 390 Helicoid Pins made of High Thermal Conductivity Aluminum Alloy, press fitted in the base
• Several patents pending for concentrically aligned rows of pins, bent at multiple angles. The spacing and angles between the concentric rows has been precisely calculated to optimize cooling and reduce noise at air flow levels as low as 22 CFM and 23 dbA.
• The MCX462-V is optimized to work with 80 and 92mm fans and ships with brackets for both.
• Within AMD height restriction areas
• Quick and easy fan installation: the fan installs "in a snap" with convenient snap-in rivets.
• The heatsink base is lapped to 0.0003" (3/10 of 1/1000"), and polished to near-mirror finish to promote optimum thermal conductivity.