Swiftech MCX462-V

Very good Socket A cooling, depending on noise preference – Joe

SUMMARY: Top rank performance at incredibly loud noise levels – this heatsink is designed for very good low noise performance.

The good guys at The Heatsink Factory were nice enough to send us a sample of Swiftech’s latest, the MCX462-V. This is a bit of a departure in Swiftech’s usual design as the pins are fanned out in a radial pattern – clearly visible when looking down into it:

This design is intended to maximize performance at lower fan speeds.

The Swiftech MCX462-V ships with additional brackets to mount an 80mm fan:

The plastic push-pins are used to mount the fan to the brackets. Changing the brackets simply involves unscrewing the 92mm mounts and replacing them – not particularly difficult.

The base is a all copper and extremely well finished:

This is one of Swiftech’s strong points – lapping is definitely not recommended or required.

The clip is a good one:

It’s easy to mount, engages all three socket lugs and very secure – once mounted on the socket, simply unscrew the bolts until they clear the top of the clip – done! Mounting the heatsink requires that you first mount it without the fan, then install it once it’s on the socket. I think it’s easier to use long bolts rather than the plastic pushpins, but that’s me.

Overall, the build quality is usual Swiftech quality – a very nice piece of gear.

THE TEST

The MCX462-V was tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences.

I used two fans for this test – a Delta FFB0812SHE 80mm, 68 cfm @ 4800rpm, 48.5 dBA¹, and a Vantec Tornado TD9238H 92mm, 119 cfm @ 4800 rpm, 56.4 dBA¹; both feature vanes in the base which straighten airflow into the heatsink. I varied rpms to give a range so users can match performance to noise tolerance.

I measured noise using a Radio Shack sound meter placed 8″ from the fan’s intake – noise levels are included in the table below. Heat generated by the die tester during testing averaged 69 watts.

TEST RESULTS – CPU Simulator

Heatsink	Die Temp	Ambient Temp	Delta	C/W
MCX462-V, Vantec 92mm, 4870 rpm, 78dBA	42.3 C	24.5 C	17.8 C	0.26
MCX462-V, Vantec 92mm, 4002 rpm, 72dBA	43.5 C	24.8 C	18.7 C	0.27
MCX462-V, Vantec 92mm, 2937 rpm, 62dBA	45.9 C	25.2 C	20.7 C	0.30
MCX462-V, Delta 80mm, 5430 rpm, 72 dBA	44.6 C	25.8 C	18.8 C	0.27
MCX462-V, Delta 80mm, 4892 rpm, 69 dBA	45.4 C	25.8 C	19.6 C	0.28
MCX462-V, Delta 80mm, 3992 rpm, 63 dBA	47.0 C	26.4 C	20.6 C	0.29

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.

Simulator results place the MCX462-V in the top rank of heatsinks (Heatsink Ranking) tested to date. However, performance depends upon your noise preference: the less noise, the less performance – no surprise here.

Swiftech’s MCX462-V is an extremely well built, high performance heatsink, if noise is NOT an issue. The more you “detune” the heatsink by using a slower turning fan, the less you get for your money.

Swiftech has designed this heatsink as an answer to those seeking very good performance at lower noise levels; using a high energy fan, such as the Vantec Tornado, is certainly possible, but most users are turning away from overly noisy fans.

Test Results show that detuning aggressiver fans, such as those used above, turns in very good performance at acceptable noise levels (0.30 C/W @ 62 dBA – note that these sound measures are 8″ from the fan’s intake¹).

Thanks again to The Heatsink Factory for sending this our way.

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

Email Joe

SUMMARY: Low noise fans yield good performance – a heatsink for all reasons?

As a second series of performance tests, I ran the Swiftech’s MCX462-V with a number of low noise fans.

The MCX462-V was tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences.

I used five low noise fans for this test:

• ARX Model# CH80B12M: 2288 rpm
• NMB Model# 3110NL-04W-B20-D06 (Swiftech recommended): 2430 rpm
• NMB Model# (thermistor controlled): 1317 rpm
• Panaflo Model# FBA08A12H: 2981 rpm
• Sunon Model# KD1208PTS1-6: 3255 rpm @ 53 dBA

I measured noise using a Radio Shack sound meter placed 8″ from the fan’s intake – noise levels from all fans was less than 50 dBA with the exception of the Sunon; either one of these will range from virtually silent to low noise (in order of rpm). Heat generated by the die tester during testing averaged 69 watts.