The soldered on fin design of all Thermalright heatsinks is nothing new, and it is a process that works well if done right. Each roughly 0.35mm thick copper fins is stamped from sheet metal and then assembled into an interlocking fin assembly via little tabs and keys on the outer corners. The entire fin assembly is then soldered to the copper base plate.

Providing the solder joint is thin, and complete, the overall effect is very similar to having a full copper heatsink from tip to base (but not exactly as thermally efficient).

Thermalright protect the heatsink base finish with a protective sticker, but unfortunately it seems they may have been a little too zealous choosing the adhesive, because as we pulled off the sticker, the glue stayed in place. Suffice to say, it was a real chore to remove all that adhesive before even being able to test out the Thermalright SK-7 heatsink.

Fans are held in place on the Thermalright SK-7 by means of two springy wire clips. The clips hook into little tabs at each corner of the copper base plate. With a fan in place on top of the fins, the clips are positioned so that they lock into place in the small screw holes in the fans' plastic frame. The system works pretty well, and makes it rather easy to remove and swap out fans without the need for any tools.

The SK-7 comes with four sets of these clips so that fans of 38mm, 25mm, or 15mm in height can be used with the heatsink. Depending on the height of the fan you wish to use, one set or another of the clips are necessary. A small set of foam stand offs are also included which you can stick to the bottom of the heatsink to help prevent the silicon core from being chipped during installation.