Conclusion

The clear winner of this test is the micro fin design. All coolers manufactured using this technique rank clearly above average, almost regardless of air flow or material used for the heatsink.

Using this technique in combination with a powerful fan and a copper body, the performance winner of this test is the Dynatron DC1206BM-O.

The most recommendable design, being a good compromise of expense and performance, is the Dynatron DC1206BM-L. Despite being made from aluminium, it still ranks fourth. This makes it the recommendation of this test. It's only drawback is that it's still a little too noisy, but with another fan this could be easily corrected.

The prize for the most visually appealing heat sink goes to ThermalTake for their Dragon Orb 3. Third best in performance but very noisy, this cooler was the eye catcher wherever this collection of 23 CPU coolers showed up.

Technical Conclusion

Another conclusion from this test is that today's heatsink's problem doesn't seem to be transfering the heat away from the CPU core, but getting the heat away from the heatsink. To overcome this there are only two options, ether increase air flow or surface area. Of course, one can go water cooling, but not many people go to these extremes. So let's see what the future brings and with what ideas the engineers will try to overcome the problem of tranferring heat from the heatsink to the surrounding air.

For further reading : What heat transfer material is best ?

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