Titan TTC-CU9TB/SC Copper Heatsink Review
A common
way heatsink manufacturers get the most from their investment in tooling and
design is to make one particular heatsink available in different versions which
are compatible with multiple processors. Titan released the TTC-CU9TB/SC in a virtually identical model for
the Pentium 4, and while in that instance it performed pretty well, we'll have
to wait for the results
to see how the Socket A version handles the job.
Given
that the surface area
the heatsink makes contact with is so drastically different between that of
Intel and AMD processor, it's no wonder the results are so unpredictable.
Typically, AthlonXP heatsinks work best with a base of no more than about 3mm thickness. This
varies with the type of material used to make up the heatsink, but is generally
consistent no matter what type of fins are used. Conversely, Intel Pentium 4
processors have a much larger surface area to make contact with the heatsink,
and so P4 coolers generally do
best with a thicker base, of say about 6-10mm.
The Titan TTC-CU9TB/SC and TTC-CW9TB/SC are the same heatsink, save for different
clipping mechanisms. Yet, when it comes to application, the
Pentium4 version would seem to be better suited to that processor than the
AthlonXP, as you'll see in the results below.
 |
| Heatsink
Specsheet: |
- Model: TTC-CU9TB/SC
- HS Material: Copper, chrome plated fan
shroud
- Fan: 4200 RPM, 12V, 0.24A
- Fan Dim: 25x70x70mm
- FHS Dimensions: 85.5x70x72mm
- Made by: Titan
Sold By: www.titan-cd.com |
| |
  |
With a healthy dose of chrome plating, a clear plastic fan grill, and an expansion bracket
fan speed controller, the TTC-CU9TB/SC does offer a lot up front. The idea of a fan speed controller is good, but using an
entire expansion
bracket for this just seems a little counter-productive in the end.
Not only do users have
to reach around back of the PC to fine tune the speed of the
TTC-CU9TB/SC's fan, but they also loose access to one
whole PCI expansion slot... though the bracket is relatively well made.
Given that the Titan TTC-CU9TB/SC is based on copper
fins soldered to a copper base, the design seems to be one where from first
impressions we could expect pretty decent performance.
Of course, with all heatsinks where
there is a solder interface, you can never be too
certain of how well the cooler will perform before actually testing it out. If
there are microscopic gaps in the solder flow, they can resist the flow of heat
energy from the base - and that could mean problems when it comes
to keeping your AthlonXP running cool.
0%
