FrostyTech Synthetic Temperature Test Platform Results
Mfg.	Model	Ambient Temp.	27mm large copper block	15mm small copper block		27mm large copper block	15mm small copper block	Thermal pad	No. Fans	Fan Noise	Clip force
			50W	50W		100W	100W
Thermalright	SLK800	21.7	34.8	37.5		45.2	51.6	none	1	loud	med
Thermalright	AX-7	21.7	34.8	37.1		46.1	52.1	none	1	loud	med
Tocools	Novasonic-AlCu	20.1	33.1	37.9		49.3	53.0	none	1	med	easy
Tocools	Novasonic	22.9	40.9	39.9		54.4	59.4	none	1	med	stiff
Coolermaster (high)	ASBV73U1	25.5	38.9	43.6		50.2	62.2	none	1	loud	easy
Coolink	U1P2	26.1	39.4	44.9		50.9	62.2	none	2	loud	easy
Arkua	628	23.9	42.7	42.1		58.9	62.3	none	1	med	med
Thermal Integration	TI-V77L	26.5	39.1	44.4		57.5	63.6	grey	1	med	med
Sibak	AC02625B	23.2	41.3	59.0		43.2	64.7	none	1	loud	med
Sibak	AC06725TH	22.5	42.9	46.2		61.7	67.7	none	1	Very loud	med
Coolermaster	HHC-001	21.7	40.0	44.8		56.3	68.1	none	1	loud	easy
AVC	Tundra2	22.0	41.4	47.5		59.0	71.1	none	1	loud	stiff
Thermalright	SK-7	19.9	39.2	42.7		57.8	72.0	none	1	low	easy
Aopen	ACK7L	21.4	43.4	47.2		62.6	73.2	grey	1	low	easy
Scythe	Kamakaze	20.7	39.6	47.9		54.8	74.3	none	1	med	hard
Coolermaster	HSC-V62	21.4	47.4	52.8		61.7	74.5	none	1	quiet	easy
Arkua	728M-7N01	20.8	40.5	47.8		60.5	75.8	metal	1	med	easy
Spire	5F263	22.6	44.7	51.8		64.3	76.2	white	1	low	med
Taisol	CGK760092	23.4	42.7	51.3		61.2	77.5	pink	1	low	med
Zalman	CNPS6000-Cu	24.8	46.4	53.8		65.6	78.2	none	1	very low	easy
Titan	TTC-CU9TB/SC	21.9	43.7	49.9		63.5	78.8	none	1	loud	easy
AVC	112AM1	24.8	46.6	52.9		70.1	79.6	none	1	low	stiff
Taisol	CEK787172	21.5	38.4	53.5		57.3	82.0	PCM45	1	med	easy
nPowerTek	TTIC NPH-2	20.6	35.2	50.3		60.6	82.5	none	1	med	easy
Titan	D9TBCu35R1	21.5	44.5	53.2		68.7	83.0	none	1	med	easy
Spire	5U213C1H3G	19.8	45.8	54.4		67.1	83.3	pink	1	low	easy
Spire	SPA04B4	21.5	45.9	55.1		70.1	86.6	none	1	low	easy
ArcticCooling	CuSilent2	20.1	42.7	57.4		68.1	86.7	none	1	low	med
Verax	P14Cu	25.5	51.3	57.4		75.2	88.7	white	1	silent	easy
Akasa	AK821	22.7	49.4	57.2		74.1	93.2	grey	1	med	med
Verax	P11T	26.1	61.2	69.7		90.9	102.7	none	1	none	easy
			50W	50W		100W	100W

Equipped with an 80mm fan, the Thermalright Sk-7 still manages to put on a good show and out perform some of the more recent heatsinks in this reference list. Let's skip forward and see how the SK-7 ultimately manages the heat...

In spite of its age, the Thermalright SK-7 has shown us that even with a lower noise oriented 80mm fan, it can still mange the 100W small die thermal test well. In this reference list, the SK-7 comes in towards the middle of the road, but given the competition, that is still a noteworthy achievement.

With a fully copper heatsink such as the Thermalright SK-7 it is important to make sure it is firmly attached to the socket, as a nearly 500 gram object rattling around inside a computer could do a lot of damage. The three-prong clip helps to ensure no tabs are snapped from the socket if the computer is moved roughly. Never the less, it is always a good idea to remove a heavy heatsink if you plan on shipping that PC any great distance.

The wire clip system used for holding down the fan is pretty unique to Thermalright, but falters a little if you want to add a wire fan grill. Still, it does offer the user a lot of fan flexibility which is always appreciated.

Bottom line; while the Thermalright SK-7 is an aging heatsink, it still has a lot of potential if paired up with the right fan. Overclockers already know this, but for the rest of us who simply need a good cooler without all the noise, adding an 80mm fan as we have shown, gets the job done rather well all things considered.