FrostyTech.com Heatsink Reviews and Analysis
   
  

TOP 5 Heat Sinks     TOP 5 Low Profile Heat Sinks     TOP 5 Liquid Coolers    
 Heatsinks by Brand / Mfgr      Reviews + Articless     Advanced Search    

Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. Ceramic Coated Heatsink Review
Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. Ceramic Coated Heatsink Review
  85%   
Abstract: Here's what Frostytech has been able to find out. The black ceramic coating on the Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. heatsink is described as high thermal conductivity metal surface treatment by its manufacturer; SAU Applied Materials.

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
Xigmatek   Cooling / Heatsinks   Oct 10, 2012   Max Page  

Home > Reviews > Page: 360° View - Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed.

360° View - Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. Heatsink


Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.

The 120mm PWM fan spins at 2200-1000RPM and draws power from a standard 4-pin PWM motherboard fan header. It is backwards compatible with 3-pin connectors. Each of the three copper heatpipes are 8mm in diameter and extend from the base up to the top of the 159mm tall heatsink. Each ceramic coated aluminum fin measures 0.4mm thick and is spaced 2.0mm apart.

The Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. heatsink stands 159mm tall, the fin stack is 112x120x70mm in size with the bottom fin elevated 36mm above the CPU socket. Heat pipes are spaced 3mm apart at the base plate and where they intersect the aluminum cooling fins. The base incorporates an 11mm thick aluminum section to provide support for clamping. Notice the closed off strip along the side of the fin stack; this curved bit creates a duct to direct airflow towards the heatpipes.

The base of the heatsink is 35x40mm in size. Looking from the top down we can see the large v-shape cut outs on either side of the fin tower, located directly behind the fan motor. This area typically sees little airflow so it tends to be opened up to prevent air stagnation. The fan plenum ranges from 5-17mm as a result. Heatpipes are positioned in the path of highest airflow and rubber mounts are used to hold the fan in place.

Base Finish and Flatness

Flipping a heatsink over to inspect the business end is often a simple indicator of overall cooler quality. More practically speaking, a heatsink is in many ways only as effective as the contact it makes with the processor - the flatter and smoother the better. Base finish is one of the criteria that Frostytech measure in the course of evaluating heatsinks, and it involves two distinct aspects. Surface Finish is the first; this is calculated with the aid of Surface Roughness Comparator that has a cross section of common machine surface finishes and their numerical surface roughness equivalents in microinches. The second is Surface Flatness. This is tested with an engineers straight edge or proven flat surface, in two axes.

Most exposed heatpipe base heatsinks are machined flat, what you need to look carefully for are uneven aluminum-copper-aluminum joints. Sometimes the heatpipes dislodge and stick out a bit if the manufacturer doesn't know how to properly make a heatpipe direct touch heatsink. In this case, everything looks good. The surface roughness of the base is approximately 16 microinches, which is considered excellent. The base has a machined/sanded surface finish which is perfectly flat in both axes.

Next up, Frostytech heatsink sound level measurements...

 Previous Page ° ° Next Page 

Table of Contents:

 1:  Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed. Ceramic Coated Heatsink Review
 2: — 360° View - Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Night Hawk Ed.
 3:  Heatsink Sound Level Comparison
 4:  AMD Heatsink Temperature Comparisons
 5:  Intel Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

List all Xigmatek heat sinks that Frostytech tested?

Facebook RSS Feed Twitter
Resources
° Got Feedback?
° Mk.II Test Platform
° Where To Buy?
° Manufacturer Index
° Industry Dir.
° Cooling Projects
Recently Tested

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B SCMG-5100 Heatsink Review

Gelid Tranquillo 4 Air Cooled Heatsink Review

Coolermaster Ergostand III Laptop Cooling Stand Review

Noctua NH-D9DXi4-3U LGA2011 Xeon Server/Workstation Heatsink Review

Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile Heatsink Review

Scythe Fuma SCFM-1000 Heatsink
...More Articles >>


Websites you may also like:
PCSTATS


FrostyTech.com
Since June 1999


Find a Heatsink
Latest Heatsink Reviews
Top 5 Heatsinks Tested
Top 5 Low Profile Heatsinks
Top 5 Liquid Coolers
Heatsinks by Mfgr / Brand


Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest


FrostyTech.com Info
Feedback
Contact Us / Heatsink Submissions
Submit News
Privacy Policy
Suite 66

© Copyright 1999-2023 www.frostytech.com All Rights Reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use
Images © FrostyTech.com and may not be reproduced without express written permission. Current students and faculty of accredited Universities may use Frostytech images in research papers and thesis, provided each image is attributed.