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Product: MC462-A
Manufacturer: Swiftech
Homepage:
Crack aside, there is very little these days that will bring a smile to my face. I have become a seasoned cooler warrior in a little over a month and am forced to endure the dross that companies insist upon sending me. They seem to miss the point that our site is read by overclockers. Admittedly this is a broad and sweeping euphemism for simpletons and village idiots but don't tell anyone I said so.
Anyway, my friend ordered a cooler about five weeks ago and paid too much for it but as he pointed out to me, it was for a rheostat as well. Just for the record he is not under the influence of the crack goblin, as you may assume. So, after waiting for enough time to build about 100 of these things he finally received it, not before he had to stump up £27 more in import duty (I know it is amusing). The total cost for this mystery item was $166 which isn't bad for a lump of metal and plastic. No, I'm serious these charges are a realistic cost for a high end cpu...oh its a cooler perhaps the word is ridiculous?
Okay, as you already know the "review" is for the Swiftech MC462-A copper hsf. To say this is a behemoth is to become a master of understatement. The whole thing weighs 880g and scares small children. We are talking a different world of coolers when compared to our previous gladiators. Check it.
This "thing" is an unbelievable feat of engineering. The margin for error during the manufacture process is large with the design of the heatsink. It is made from a copper base with aluminium pins stuck into it and the biggest mofo of a fan that you have ever seen! Even the power lead has been encased in the same web stuff as the Enermax psu but this seems to be more for effect. The end is terminated with a four pin.
Here's a shot of the heatsink without fan purely because it seems de rigeur these days.
The base is extremely well polished as opposed to nearly all of the other coolers. This will allow a better transfer of heat from the die and the need for less grease.
Now for a laugh as we picture it against the Global Win WBK 38
No, you are not meant to be laughing at the camera work, I'll have you know that the best women that money can buy have been...erm I think I'm digressing again. The heatsinks are comparable in size but wtf is up with the fan? If size and noise are relative then I'm afraid. The 38 series from Global Win are frighteningly loud and look at the size differential. ****. What have I let myself in for?
Test Rig
Duron 700
Abit KT7A-RAID
2*128 mb PC133 CL2
Voodoo 3 3000 PCI
Maxtor 6 Gig HD
Enermax EG 365P-VE
The PC is the same one used for all the cooler reviews except for the psu which we upgraded to the latest version of Enermax's 365 series. This one produces 350w which will be more than enough for us at the moment.
Our highly scientific approach has been compromised by a small number of factors. Chiefly that we don't have a scientific approach. This means that our aim is to provide a real world test, i.e. to simulate the experience that you would have if you had bought this heatsink. Therefore, we will take measurements from the onboard temp gauge under the cpu and decibel readings but not under lab conditions.
The ambient room temperature was kept at 22c, if this changed we stopped testing until
it had returned to this base level.
Installation
Usually this is a pretty rudimentary operation with the only difficulty coming from the attachment of the front clip. The bods at Swiftech (allegedly they chain the designers to their desks and use cattle prods on them 'till they come up with new designs) have decided that the plastic cpu socket is not man enough for their baby so the unit comes with a couple of packets of screws and other bits to plug the hsf straight onto the mobo. The installation looks a bit daunting at first but in reality it is extremely simple. You need to unscrew the mobo from the case or shelf, screw the metal struts in place and secure with the plastic washers or whatever they are called. Re-attach the mobo to case and your halfway there. I gave the base a good clean as it had a film of grime on it and there was no thermal pad. WOOHOO. Another hit and we were off and running. I had to remove the fan to insert the spring threaded screws then put it back again. Simple but a real pain in the ass. Then it was time to seat the heatsink over the cpu and screw it down. There is not a lot you can do to **** this up as the screws only go down so far and this won't cane the core but you can make up for that by doing a little caning of your own and I don't mean corporal punishment. Sorted. Yes I did apply the Arctic blah blah blah blah.
Noise
It was the moment I dreaded, but with knees a knockin' and hand a tremblin' I realised I had not finished my supply. One hit from Mr. Pipe later I was brimming with Bolivian stylee courage. Experiencing blurry vision, shaking hand and general euphoria I braced myself and hit the power button. Nothing. I re-assessed the situation and decided to push it this time and hey presto - we have lift off!
Hang on a minute. Did I miss out a 1 before both figures? Nope. I was amazed by the noise that didn't emanate from the case, it was a fraction of the anticipated levels. The actual dB readings are a bit lower than the Deltas on the GW 38 series but in reality the pitch is lower as it revolves at 5k and therefore is far less intrusive. I could quite happily keep this fan on constantly and not be bothered by it. I'm getting a good feeling and I think we all know why. Right. Back to reviewing the Swiftech!
Is this a joke?
That's what the CAK was heard to remark when it first saw the 462. The crown really goes to the head of our cooler kings as the FOP will testify, but the over confidence on this scale has yet to be witnessed. Bloated and over weight are the adjectives that I would have chosen but then I'm not throwing down the gauntlet. Btw, the 462 did struggle to get down to pick it up. Game on.
The first test as ever is default speed (700) at default voltage. Idle taken after 30 mins and full load taken after 30 mins of Seti@home. Let's get it on.
....... For once I'm speechless. Wtf are those figures about? A full load temperature which equals the CAK idle is simply stellar performance. There is already a new champion and this looks like being another painful time for the loser.
I crack the whip and they both jump to the 900 mhz challenge the light spring (get it) in the 462's step in stark contrast to the CAK's heavy movement. The main difference between all these speeds is the voltage with this test running at 1.775v.
I feel for the CAK as people generally support the underdog but this IS a bridge too far. There is no chance for the CAK to hold until relieved. The only surprise is the 4C increase for the 462 at idle from the 700 level. The gap has narrowed between the two at idle but under full load there is still the 6C margin.
I hold my breathe as the last hurdle rolls into view. 945 mhz at 1.85v.
These matches have become savage affairs with the loser generally being hamstrung and dragged off behind a chariot. The CAK has been soundly defeated by the 462 in the last test we set them and the margins have increased again. The gap between them is frankly dazzling. I would never have dreamt that air cooled solutions would be able to batter the already base temperature levels.
Conclusion
This cooler is phenomenal in every way. It is pretty, large, powerful, quiet and super efficient. The performance needs no analysis, when it can outperform the CAK by upto 7C.
I would choose this cooler over all the past hsf that I have tested BUT only if the cost was lower by 66% and I could walk into a shop or order online and expect to get in within 5 weeks! The cost is prohibitive and the delivery is a joke, my friend was rather dismayed to find that Swiftech had neglected to include his rheostat which they claim they will have in stock by June ahahahaha that is a funny joke! He rang Swiftech to complain, and let's just say that they were less than helpful.
For it's ability the 462 scores a solid 10 but it has to lose 1 crack crystal for the terrible service. Remember the old adage, what goes around....
The final ChillBlast rating is *********
No thanks go to Swiftech for their not sending us any review copies and their attitude towards my friend, Homer. The customer IS king but don't let that get in the way of profit, Gabriel.
Homer without you none of this would have been possible so big up yourself (not in that way).