Kingwin KP-02 and KP-05 Heatsinks

SUMMARY: Two heatsinks for moderate Socket A cooling requirements.

The folks at Kingwin sent us two of their heatsinks to test out; the KP-02, spec’d for up to a T-Bird 1.3 GHz, and the KP-05, spec’d for up to a T-Bird 1.5 GHz. They also fit Socket 370 CPUs. They ship with a 60 x 15 mm 5000 rpm fan which is rated at 20 cfm.

Kingwin

Construction of the KP-02 looks like an extrusion with ridges and outcroppings designed to increase surface area. The KP-05 is more interesting: It is a two piece heatsink with the separate pieces pressed together to form one unit. Cooling performance on such a unit relies to some degree on the quality of the bond between the two units. Best would be something like soldering, worst would be a sloppy press fit. The joints on the KP-05 seem tight, but I can’t tell you what it looks like at the microscopic level.

Both heatsinks are very quiet – the spec is 31 dBA and, in use, it’s a whisper.

However, quiet comes at a price – lower airflow means lower performance. To give an idea of what to expect with a higher cfm fan, I tested each with a 28 cfm ADDA 60×25 mm fan and also tried a Papst 33 cfm unit on the larger KP-05. Both heatsinks measure about 60mm square, so they cover the socket’s footprint.

The clips are not bad – not finger busters like some we’ve seen, but as a matter of routine, I do use a needle nose pliers to set Socket A clips; these were pretty easy.

TEST METHOD

I drilled a hole in each heatsink’s base above the CPU’s core and epoxied a thermocouple inside the hole. Temps were measured with the Omega HH23 Digital Thermometer. Ambient temps were measured with a thermocouple placed about 1 inch from the fan’s intake. I used Prime 95 to stress the CPU on an Iwill KK26, running a Duron 800 @ 800, radiating 41.7 watts, Arctic Silver grease. Considering the size of these heatsinks, I did not want to push them too far.

TEST RESULTS
Heatsink

CPU Temp

Ambient Temp

Delta

C/W

Noise

KP-02 ADDA 28 cfm

42.7 C

23.5 C

19.2 C

0.46

Mod

KP-02 20 cfm

45.3 C

21.8 C

23.5 C

0.56

Very Quiet

KP-05 Papst 33 cfm

35.5 C

23.0 C

12.5 C

0.30

Mod+

KP-05 ADDA 28 cfm

38.1 C

22.0 C

16.1 C

0.39

Mod

KP-05 20 cfm

39.5 C

22.8 C

16.7 C

0.40

Very Quiet

Delta = CPU temp – Ambient Temp
C/W = Delta / CPU Watts

Interpreting C/W: For every watt the CPU radiates, the heatsink will cool the core by the (C/W x watts) plus ambient temp. For example, at an ambient temp of 25 C, a C/W of 0.25 with a CPU radiating 50 watts means that the CPU temp will be 50 x 0.25 = 12.5 C over ambient temp, or 37.5 C. The lower the C/W, the better.

Kingwin’s C/W specs on the KP-02 range from 0.38 to 0.74, and the KP-05 from 0.35 to 0.71, the higher C/Ws presumably being what to expect for a 1.3-5 GHz T-Bird. A range such as this is refreshing to see (most specify only one C/W) as it presents a more accurate picture of what to expect from these heatsinks. It does indicate that there is not a lot of headroom in these, which, just looking at them, is to be expected. I personally would not be too comfortable with either of these on a T-Bird over 1 GHz.

However, for cooling something like a Duron in the 700 to 900 MHz range, the KP-05 could be a nice, quiet cooling solution. This assumes your case temp is not too far over ambient temps. If Kingwin markets the KP-05 with something like a 25-30 cfm fan, it could be a good mid-level cooling solution.

Although I did not test them for Socket 370 CPUs, the lower cooling requirements for Intel’s PIII Flip Chips may make the Kingwins a competitive cooling option. For example, a PIII 700 radiates half of what the Duron 800 does. Next test is on a PIII to see how it does.

Email Joe



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