There have been very few entirely passive heatsinks across this test bench - perhaps only five since we began reviewing heatsinks in 1999... What really makes the TS Heatronics NCU-1000 stand out, is that it is an entirely passive heatsink for the Intel Pentium 4 processor (max. 2.8GHz). The NCU-1000 (care of Scythe Co.) does not come with a fan, but nor is there any place on the heatsink to actually attach one should you decide to add a fan of your own. Instead, the NCU-1000 makes use of the airflow that already exists within a computer case to keep itself, and the processor below, cool.

A distinction which needs to be made early on is that while this is technically a 'zero noise' heatsink - a cooler which in and of itself produces exactly 0 dBA of noise - it cannot operate without some degree of airflow within the computer enclosure. So whether that airflow comes in the form of convection currents, or more likely, from the intake and exhaust fans of a powersupply and case, the heatsink needs some degree of air moving over its folded aluminum fins in order for it to work.

I suppose you could think of this way, while the TS Heatronics requires no direct cooling, or noisy fan, it does indeed need the airflow generated by them to operate within comfortable temperature levels.

For the purposes of this review, we will be using a single 92mm x 92mm low-noise Zalman fan set at 6" and 12" distances from the TS Heatronics NCU-1000 heatsink, to replicate typical computer case air flow in an impingement fashion. I can tell you right now, the temperature results we saw were not at all what we expected to see from a passive heatsink!

	Heatsink Specsheet: Model: NCU-1000 HS Material: Aluminum fins, Heatpipe, Copper base, stainless steel plate. Fan: none Fan Dim: none FHS Dimensions: 145x108x60mm Weight: 615gram Made by: TSHeatronics Sold By: ScyThe Co www.tsheatronics.co.jp