Provided by: SharkoonSharkoon HPS1The Sharkoon HPS1 has much in common with the Aerocool DP-102, and as you will see, the "big heat pipe in the middle" design is quite popular. The main difference with its competitors is the use of aluminum instead of copper (the heat pipe is made from copper though). Previous tests between copper and aluminum with this design
here have shown no difference what so ever in performance. TTIC provides Sharkoon with an OEM model without the bracket so this explains the striking resemblance (thanks for the info Gary!)
Aluminum absorbs/dissipates heat faster than copper.? Reality: All thermal properties of copper are better than aluminum. Aluminum's advantage is that it is lighter and easier to machine. So, if one were given a pound of copper and a pound of aluminum, you might make a better performing heatsink with aluminum, as it might have more surface area to dissipate heat than copper for a given weight. Considering footprint limitations for air cooled CPU heatsinks, however, copper is definitely favored. Source:
OC.com The HPS1 only supports 80mm fans, but they can be installed on either side, or both!
Its base is quite smooth but shows the same anomalies as the DP-102.
The main advantage of the aluminum is of course its weight, this heatsink weighs a lot less then the other tower coolers seen so far.