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Akasa Icicle 238 Heatsink Review
Akasa Icicle 238 Heatsink Review
  79%   
Abstract: The Silver Mountain heatsink from Akasa was one of the most notable heatsink concepts to ever make it to market, but the Icicle 238 is not to be overlooked either.

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
Akasa   Cooling / Heatsinks   Oct 18, 2001   Max Page  
Akasa Icicle 238 Heatsink Review

The Silver Mountain heatsink from Akasa was one of the most notable heatsink concepts to ever make it to market, but the Icicle 238 is not to be overlooked either. It's difficult to say with exact certainty if the 238 is cut from one solid block of aluminum, or if it is just a simple extrusion as the fins are spaced very close together - something which is often difficult to accomplish with the extrusion process.

In any case, it is the cooling ability we are concerned with, and not so much the manufacturing technology.

Heatsink Specsheet:
  • Model: Icicle 238
  • Fan: Delta, 6800RPM, 12V, 0.48A, ball bearing.
  • Fan Dim: 25x60x60mm
  • Heatsink Dim: 58x61x62mm
  • HS Material: Aluminum
  • Mfg by: Akasa
  • Cost: ~$25-$30

Sold By: www.lapicon.co.uk
Heatsink Audio Sample Included. Intended for use on Socket 370/A processors.

Are thin fins better than thick?

Given the recent explosion of thin-fin this and thin-fin that you'd expect thin-fin heatsinks to be the only ones that work. To some degree this is right, the higher the fin density the larger the surface area which which to 'exhaust' waste heat into the environment.

The more waste heat you can exhaust in a given period of time, the better the heatsink generally is. Now this isn't set in stone by any means, as there are many, many other variables that can wreak havoc on these basic cooling ideas. In any case, while looking at the top of the Akasa 238 one thing becomes pretty clear, at least to us.

The fins are ~0.7mm thick and spaced about 1.0mm apart. Each and every fin is also flat on the top, where the initial leading edge of the airflow meets the fins. Given the way air likes to flow, the closely spaced aluminum fins would seem to resist a lot of the airflow destined cool the very same fins. If the exhaust from the fan is having a difficult time getting in between the fins, the heatsink is going to have a harder time keeping everything comfy and cool.

If I had the time, I would be really tempted to bevel the tip of each fin to decrease its' initial air resistance and then test the heatsink once more. I have a good hunch that a simple little tweak like this might improve performance by a few degrees at the least.

° Next Page 

Table of Contents:

 1: — Akasa Icicle 238 Heatsink Review
 2:  Looking at the heatsink from all angles
 3:  Heatsink Test Apparatus - Acoustic, Thermal
 4:  Thermal Test Results, Acoustic Sample
 5:  Conclusions on the Akasa 238

List all Akasa heat sinks that Frostytech tested?

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