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AMD A64 Heatsink roundup Q2 2005

Cooling/CPU Cooling by jmke @ 2005-05-15

In this massive Athlon 64 heatsink roundup we compare 17 cooling solutions from different manufactures including Scythe, TTIC, Arctic Cooling, Thermaltake, Titan, Thermalright, Zalman and Coolermaster.

Scythe Kamaboko & KamabokoZ

Scythe Kamaboko & KamabokoZ:
Supplied by: Bacata

Scythe has been very busy lately producing a wide variety of heatsinks to meet the demands of the ever changing industry. These 2 products, named after a Japanese fish meal, are aimed at those who want good performance at a reasonable price. The Kamaboko comes at $30, the “Z” version is $5 more expensive.

Specifications Kamaboko :

Compatibility:

Intel: Socket 478/775

AMD: Athlon64/64+ Socket754/940/939

Fan included: 92x92x25mm
Fan Speed: 1900rpm±10%
Fan Noise Level: 22.9dBA
Air Flow: 47.3CFM

Heatsink + Fan Dimensions: 96x94x92mm
Weight: 555gram

Specifications KamabokoZ :

Compatibility:

Intel: Socket 478/775

AMD: Athlon64/64+ Socket754/940/939

Fan included: 92x92x25mm
Fan Speed: 1000-3800rpm
Fan Noise Level: 14-46dBA
Air Flow: 18-73.6CFM

Heatsink + Fan Dimensions: 96x94x92mm
Weight: 700gram

In the Box :

The Kamaboko comes with everything needed for installation:

The KamabokoZ adds a fan controller to the mix:

Construction :

Made out of aluminum for the most part, the Kamaboko is quite a light weight, the copper insert at the bottom is very smooth.

The KamabokoZ is also a mix of copper and aluminum; however Scythe decided to add 2 heat pipes to this design, as you can see the heat pipes transfer the heat from the base to the copper fins at the top. It’s quite a unique design, interesting to see how it peforms.

Installation :

Both heatsinks use the same mounting gear; you simply replace the default A64 bracket with the Scythe’s version, which uses a metal back plate for extra support. 4 clips are pushed down over the mounting bracket, motherboard removal is required, but the overall installation goes very smoothly.

Performance and Noise :

The Kamaboko with its own fan performs on par with the Athlon 64 stock cooler, swapping the fan with the 92mm Panaflo offers better performance but noise level goes up. If you want silent operation and you’re not into overclocking, you’ll find that the Kamaboko does fairly well with the fan’s speed reduced to 50%.

The KamabokoZ delivers quite impressive numbers; the heat pipes seem to do their job very well, if you look closely at the chart below you’ll see that the KamabokoZ when combined with the 92mm Panaflo at 50% obtains the same temperature under load as the Kamaboko with the Panaflo at full speed. This translates into a drop of ~18dBA without sacrificing in the performance department. The fan Scythe included with the KamabokoZ seems to offer a better performance/noise ratio then the Panaflo when both the fans are running at 50%, at full speed both fans become quite loud, but turn the “Z” into a high performance heatsink.

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