A Comparison of 34 Coolers for the AMD Athlon XP

Inconspicuous But Effective: Neng Tyi's KNO2 And KNO1

Taiwanese producer Neng Tyi kindly supplied us with two products. Both coolers are based on a base plate of five-millimenter copper that has been galvanized to protect against corrosion. The one-millimeter cooler ribs are made of aluminum and have been neatly soldered to the base plate. They are connected to each other by a kind of fold at the upper and lower ends. This raises the ribs' stability and improves heat distribution over the entire cooler. The fans of both models spin at approximately 4,800rpm.

Improved Cooling Capacity Thanks To A Larger Surface: KN02

The KN02 is the slightly larger model of the two. The base plate measures 80 x 62 x 5 millimeters and so is more than 20 percent larger than the smaller KN01. Installation is a snap and, thanks to the clip, possible even if you don't have a screwdriver.

Neither is a heat transfer pad affixed to the base nor is a tube of grease included with the product. The contact surface is very even, but not polished. Despite its relatively simple construction and the flaws in the galvanized contact surface that has a clearly worse heat transfer capacity than copper, the KNO2 still manages a thermal resistance of 0.50°C/W (die temperature = 58°C). This puts it on the same level as a good aluminum cooler. The noise level was just shy of 52db(A).