A Comparison of 34 Coolers for the AMD Athlon XP

Variable Cooler Monster For Overclockers: Swiftech MCX462-U

An old friend made its way to the THG laboratory in the shape of the MCX462-U from Swiftech. The heat sink is based on a plate made of solid copper and excels thanks to its high workmanship. Corrugated aluminium pins that have been pressed into the base plate are the actual cooling elements of the cooling tower and ensure an extremely large cooling surface.

The 9.5mm thick base plate is as smooth as a baby's heinie, lapped and polished. The packaging includes a tube of heat transfer grease, an assembly kit and comprehensive instructions. Mounting the 560g cooler monster is somewhat more complicated. Because the heat sink has to be screwed onto the main board, the board first has to be taken out of the case and replaced once the cooler has been affixed.

Swiftech supplied THG with a TMD fan from Y.S. Tech and Vantec's Tornado TD8038A for testing.