Dynatron DC1U-B01

Copper heatsink for 1U cooling – Joe

SUMMARY: An interesting design for Socket A 1U cooling.

1U

Size: 88.5 x 62 x 29.5 mm high; Weight 345 grams.

The good guys at Dynatron were nice enough to send a sample of their 1U heatsink, model # DC1U-B01 to test out (1U heatsink are typically used in server racks, where height is restricted). In contrast to most heatsinks, this one features a blower rather than an axial fan. The heatsink is a copper skive design, which means that the fins are literally peeled out of the copper base – there are no solder joints with this technique.

The blower is a YS Tech Model #BD125015BB-2F – an 50 x 15mm squirrel cage fan rated at 6.1 cfm @ 7800 rpm, 50 dBA¹ (my noise estimate). I found it to be noisy – I measured its noise at 68 dBA with a Radio Shack sound meter 8″ above the fan, about the same as a Delta 38 (about 69 dBA). It’s safe to use a motherboard fan header (3.6 watts).

The base is a copper baseplate:

Base

Some surface blemishes.

I found that when running a fingernail over it, you could feel and hear the polishing marks on its copper base.

The clip requires a screwdriver to mount on the socket. It does require some effort to clip into place, but once it’s on, it’s very secure.

THE TEST

I tested the Dynatron DC1U-B01 on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences.

TEST RESULTS – CPU Simulator

Heatsink
Die Temp
Ambient Temp
Delta
C/W
DC1U-B01, 76 watts
68.4 C
19.5 C
48.9 C
0.64

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

Interpreting C/W: For every watt (CPUw) that the CPU
consumes, the HSF will limit the CPU’s temperature rise to (C/W x CPUw)
plus the temperature at the HSF’s fan inlet. For example, at an ambient temp of 25 C, a C/W of 0.25 with a CPU radiating 50 watts means that CPU temp will increase 50 x 0.25 = 12.5 C over ambient temp, or 37.5 C. The lower the C/W, the better.

Motherboard results place the Dynatron DC1U-B01 in the low rank of heatsinks (Heatsink Ranking) tested to date.

CONCLUSIONS

Cooling in the restricted space of a 1U rack is a challenge, and one that will be increasingly difficult as CPUs increase in power. Heatsinks for 1U cooling are among the most difficult to design, considering the limited footprint available.

Considering its diminutive size, the Dynatron DC1U-B01 does OK, but it is noisy – maybe OK in server racks.

Thanks again to Dynatron for sending this our way – an interesting approach to 1U cooling.

¹Note that manufacturers measure fan noise usually 3 feet from the fan.

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