A Comparison of 34 Coolers for the AMD Athlon XP

The Coolers In Depth

Ajigo Corporation: MF014-021 & MF018-021

The Ajigo Corporation sent us two of their high-end models, the MF014-021 and the MF018-021, for testing.

The MF014-021 is recommended by AMD for use with all currently available AMD Athlon XP CPUs.

Both models are based on a solid base plate, made of copper, into which the aluminum cooler fins have been inserted. The insertion/ imprinting of the cooler fins into the copper allows for significantly better thermal conductivity than, for example, would be the case if the fins were soldered to the base plate. The base plate has been coated with nickel in order to afford protection against oxidation. The disadvantage of this is that, at 90.7 W/mK, nickel is significantly less thermally conductive than copper (402 W/mK). There was no cause for complaint as far as the products' manufacturing quality was concerned.

MF014-021

Fitted beneath the cooler is a pad made of T725 by Chomerics.

The MF014-021 is only equipped with a simple clip. However, provided that you have the right screwdriver, the assembly of the cooler does not pose any problems at all. With a loudness level of 55.1 db (A), it is not the world's quietest cooler, but it is not annoyingly loud, either. We determined a value of 0.41 K/W (Kelvin per Watt) for the thermal resistance. The temperature at full capacity clocked in at 53°C. All in all, these are rather good values that would provide sufficient safety reserves, even for an over-clocked CPU.