Thermalright AX-7 From All
Angles |
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The Fan:
This 80mm fan is
what gives the Thermalright AX-478 its massive bite - it is also was
leaves the entire cooler over 80mm in height. The fan draws 0.81A of
current so it should not be connected up
to a motherboard fan header as this may eventually kill the board. To
save fingertips from 'damage' it's
also a good idea to install a wire fan grill (there is a nice bloody
picture of my fingertip in an older review if you
care to go looking ;-). Wire grills won't
have any noticeable effect on air intake by the way.
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Top: The "H" designed heatsink
is one that we've seen do rather well lately. The main section
measures just over 20mm in thickness. The outer arms are ~5mm thick, and
the fins average at about
1mm thick. Outer fin spacing sits at 2mm. The heatsink is
composed from this small extrusion section which has been nickel plated and
brazed/soldered to a rather thick copper base plate. Since the fan's motor sits
directly overtop of the central hub, the design is very efficient -
all working fin sections are directly in the path of
airflow. |
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Side A:
With the 38mm thick fan back on top of the
Thermalright AX-7 we can get a feel for just how tall this
heatsink really is. The main portion of the heatsink sits 38mm in height as
well, and the copper base adds another 8mm. The copper base does not extend the full
width of the heatsink however, and is only 61mm long. |
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Side B:
From this side the heatsink
looks pretty serious. The fins of the heatsink are undercut so that the
heatsink will actually fit onto boards with capacitors placed close by. The clip requires a
flat head screw driver to engage. |
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Heatsink Base:
The
base as has been
milled flat, and the surface is very smooth. There are some small machining marks visible
to the eye, but nothing too extensive. The four corners mark where thermal paste
can be applied. The heatsink with a fan weighs in at 400grams without a fan so
it should be removed if the computer is being transported any great distance,
or shipped. |