The Akasa AK-860SF is an economical socket AM2 or 939 AMD Athlon64 heatsink of the most basic sense. It's been a while since FrostyTech has seen a pure extruded aluminum cooler for a modern processor, and because there are no special copper inserts, heatpipes, fancy fans, or oversized anything... the Akasa AK-860SF heatsink is cheap and simple to use. It's thermal performance isn't particularly grand, but it should be satisfactory for AMD Sempron or any of the new lower wattage Athlon64's AMD is set to introduce.

The only downside the AK-860SF faces is a steady fan speed - another once common feature all but wiped from the face of most heatsinks. The 94mm spins at 2000RPM, which generates about 45 dBA according to our read world measurements. Given the recent advancements in Pulse Width Modulation controlled fans, or even thermally responsive fans it seems remarkable to move back to standard fans that run at constant speeds, even though this has been the norm in PC's for over 10 years.

The Akasa AK-860SF ships with a pre-applied patch of AK-455 thermal interface compound, instructions and cam-lever mounting brackets which are compatible with socket AM2 heatsink retention frames and socket 754/939/940 as well.

Akasa AK-860SF Heatsink
	HEATSINK SPECSHEET Manufacturer: Akasa Model No.: AK-860SF Materials: 6063-T5 extruded aluminum Fan Mfg: N/A MH9225L12S Fan Spec: 2000RPM, 12V, 0.18A Fan Dim: 25x94x94mm Heatsink & Fan Dim: 69x68x77mm Weight: est. 280 grams Includes: pre-applied thermal compound Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940 and AM2 Est. Pricing: $20USD ($22CDN)

FrostyTech's K8 Test Methodology is outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course it performance in the thermal tests!

Since the Akasa AK-860SF is a pretty basic design, we're going to jump ahead and have a look at the cooler from all sides.

360° View - Akasa AK-860SF Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
	The Heatsink Fan: The 94mm fan spins at 2000RPM, and its seven bladed impeller produces a moderate 45 dBA noise as a result. Airflow is specified as 34 CFM by the manufacturer. The fan draws power from a standard 3-pin motherboard connector that supports RPM monitoring.
	Heatsink Top: The 26 extruded aluminum fins measure roughly 35.5 x 35mm in size. Each fin is 1.0mm thick at the base and spaced 2.0mm apart. This is a fairly open fin-pitch extrusion, and the fins tapper down as they reach full height to reduce air resistance. If you look carefully you'll notice a slightly wider space between the center two fins. This indicates the extrusion was originally used with Socket A processors.
	Heatsink Side A: The 94mm diameter fan is round in size, and mounts on holes spaced 70mm apart; further reinforcing the point that this is an old extrusion retasked for socket 939/AM2 processors. The fan intakes cool air, blows it down into the aluminum fins where the warm exhaust air then exits at either side of the heatsink to further cool northbridge chipsets, or adjacent power circuitry. The heatsink retention mechanism is dead simple, using just the center tab of the socket 939 or socket AM2 heatsink retention frame to lock itself in position. A cam lever then applies the appropriate clamping force. The base measures 77mm across, and 9.0mm thick. Note the center space which is slightly larger than the rest - on socket A heatsinks this was used to keep the clip in position. The fins stand 35mm tall.
	Heatsink Side B: From the side we see a 6mm overhang on either side of the Akasa AK-860SF heatsink. The sides of the heatsink have also been sanded for some reason, this is unnecessary with extruded heatsinks. The small black plastic lever is the cam arm, in this position it allows the clip to be installed on the heatsink retention frame. Rotated 180 degrees it applies the correct amount of clamping force to the CPU below.
	Heatsink Base: The effective base area of the Akasa AK-860SF heatsink is 77mm x 68mm. The extruded aluminum has a sanded finish and comes with a pre-applied patch of Akasa AK-455 thermal compound. The aluminum is slightly concave in one axis, and slightly wavy in the other. Surface roughness is about ~63 microinches, which is considered satisfactory.