A Cool Bunch: How To Put A Lid On The Die Temperature Of Your Athlon

Quiet Standard Fan: ThermoSonic V60-4210/Thermoengine

The neat workmanship and extremely low operating noise level of 47 dB(A) of the Thermosonics V60-4210 are impressive. One look at the fins and you'll see that they taper off from the center on out. Their surfaces are grooved, which increases the active cooling surface. On the top, below the fan, a kind of plastic hood covers the aluminum heat sink. Its job is to direct the air flow downward. Mounting it is no problem at all.

The underside: not an aluminum plate, but an aluminum core.

The result: mediocre cooling performance

The cooling performance is average, but it will still do for an Athlon 1400 Thunderbird. Don't use this cooler for overclocking, though.