Coolsonic CS1662K Copper Skive Heatsink Review
When we reviewed the very first copper skive heatsink a year
or so ago there was only one manufacturer - now a days it
seems as though there are dozens. Not to be left
out, Coolsonic have a few skive based heatsinks of their own. The first
of which we are examining today.
A stout
60mm cube of a heatsink, the Coolsonic CS1662K is good for just about
any AMD processor, and should be able to handle a little overclocking on the side as well.
Skive technology for those who are unfamiliar with the term is based on a few
principles which make it exceptionally good for heatsinks. The most important
point is that the fins and base are one and the same - the fins have been cut
from the base, rather than being soldered or swaged into cut groves. As the
copper is unbroken from the base all the way to the tips of each razor sharp
fin, thermal energy can flow more easily.
If for example, the fins were soldered into
place, the thermal energy from toasty AthlonXP would face some resistance as it
passed from the base to the fins. Depending on how well that imaginary fin was
soldered to the copper base this resistance could be pretty significant, or
marginal. By removing that "interface" from the resistance equation, the
heatsink is able to operate a little more efficiently.
Skiving essentially
describes a process where a tool cuts into the surface of a copper bar at a
very shallow angle to draw up fins of about 0.45mm in thickness.
As each skived fin is formed, the side that is in direct contact
with the blade remains quite shinny while the opposite becomes somewhat rough. The stresses and
motion of a sliver of copper being drawn up from the flat bar cause distortion
on the crystalline level and this causes the rough surface. But anyway, enough
of the flash back to materials science, let's have a closer look at the
Coolsonic CS1662K now.
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