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Swiftech MCX478-V Heatsink Review
Product: MCX478-V Heatsink
Author: Weiye Zhou
Date Published: 02/26/04
Price: $41.95 + $8.55 S/H
Purchased at: Sidewindercomputers.com
Introduction
Swiftech has been around for as long as I can remember, I didn't even know about them untill I really
got into computers (overclocking, enthusiast, power user). Untill recently I was content with my
stock P4 cooler, but I've been hearing numerous stories on how well the P4 "C" overclocked so I decided
to get into the action so to speak. I knew I would have to get some decent cooling and I didn't want to go
with water quite yet. I started looking for the best air cooling solutions around and finally decided on the Swiftech
MCX478-V; it was on sale (lol) at sidewindercomputers.com.
Specifications (from Swiftech Website)
- Hybrid copper base, thin aluminum pin heatsink: the massive 1/2" thick copper base
provides superior heat capacity for unparalleled stability in extreme overclocking applications. The
thin aluminum pins promote increased turbulence for more efficient heat dissipation compared to
traditional fin extrusions.
- Patented Helicoid pin design (U.S. patent 6,469,898): pins are individually machined in an helicoid
shape, to increase their surface area, and further enhance heat dissipation efficiency.
- Several patents pending for concentrically aligned rows of pins, bent at multiple angles. The spacing
and angles between the concentric rows has been precisely calculated to optimize cooling and reduce
noise at air flow levels as low as 22 CFM and 23 dbA.
- The MCX478-V is optimized to work with 80 and 92mm fans and ships with brackets for both. One
can appreciate the size of the heatsink once a 92mm fan is installed, as shown below. Since the
heatsink fits entirely within Intel stock retention frame, it is fully compatible with all Intel
compliant motherboards.
- Quick and easy fan installation: the fan installs "in a snap" with convenient snap-in rivets.
- Exceptional quality and attention to details: the heatsink base is lapped to 0.0003"
(3/10 of 1/1000"), and polished to near-mirror finish to promote optimum thermal conductivity.
The box and the contents (click on pictures for bigger view)
Picture of the box; nothing out of the ordinary (not that there needs to be any).
The heatsink, spring clips, 92mm fan brackets, 80mm fan brackets (pre-installed), snap rivets (for fan
installation), thermal grease (Arctic Alumina), and the installation guide; everything you need.
The bottom of the heatsink; very smooth, but didn't look pre-lapped to 0.0003" (probably just
me). semi-reflective and it looks good!
Installation
Installation was a pain in the ass to say the least. The spring clips required a lot of force before they were securely installed (a bit too much by my standards). I also had a heck of a time trying to get them installed, every time I tried to push the spring clips into place the heatsink would slide to the other side due to the force I was applying. I finally got them on after using one hand to hold down the heatsink in place (held it down really hard!) while I installed each spring clip at a time using the other hand. Again, I had to use A LOT of force to get the spring clips on; I was afraid the CPU or something was going to crack! Another problem I had while putting on the spring clips was the helicoid pins getting in the way (there just wasn't enough space) and I actually bent one down pretty far, but I put it back into place without much damage. Yet another problem I had was my fault for not readying the instructions thoroughly. If you planned on using a 92mm fan, you were supposed to take off the pre-installed 80mm fan brackets, install the heatsink, THEN put put the 92mm fan brackets on and install the fan. I didn't follow those instructions and ended up having to take off the 92mm fan brackets after I had installed them because they were in the way of me installing the spring clips. Overall the installation wasn't much fun, but much better than a Thermalright installation were you have to take out your motherboard. I'm sure Swiftech has their reasons for making the spring clips so stiff considering how heavy the heatsink is plus a fan! Now here's the before and after pictures,
Ghetto Intel stock heatsink
Looks great with the Vantec 92mm Tornado!
Testbed
P4 2.6C / Abit IS7
Swiftech MCX478-V Heatsink / Vantec 92mm Tornado
Radeon 9500 Pro
1GB Corsair XMS-3200C2 RAM
Western Digital 36GB Raptor
Aspire 500W PS
Windows XP SP1
