nPowerTek TTIC NPH-201 Socket A Heatsink Review

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The Thermal Transtech International Corp. NPH-201 Socket A heatsink is at first glance a cooler with a rather large central heatpipe. That assessment is just about correct, except that the large column supporting its many copper fins is not technically a heatpipe as we know it. It is what TTIC have termed a "heat column." This column, 25mm in diameter and made from a hollow copper cylinder, has a chemical coating on the inside that works to the same effect as a wick in a traditional heatpipe... at least as far as we can glean from TTICs patent on the technology.

The heat column as it called by the manufacturer, absorbs heat from the AthlonXP core and disperses it to approximately 30 copper fins measuring roughly 60x75mm in size. The 25mm diameter copper column passes up through the center of each of the 0.2mm thick copper fins, transferring the heat energy to them in the process. A set of fans arranged in a push-pull configuration provide the necessary airflow to remove the heat from the fins of the heatsink to the surrounding environment.

	Heatsink Specsheet: Model: NPH-201 HS Material: Copper stacked fins and copper heat column Fan: (x2) 1400-3200RPM, 12V, 0.75A Fan Dim: 15x70x70mm, 25x80x80mm FHS Dimensions: 105x108x80mm Weight: approx 400 grams Made by: TTIC Sold By: www.npowertek.com

According to this documentation by QuTech, the heat column used here is essentially an empty cylinder of copper which has been internally coated with a thin "superconducting heat transfer medium." The copper cylinder is sealed off at both ends, and inside is under a vacuum of approximately 1 Torr.

Patent no. 6,132,823 explains QuTech's very interesting and potentially revolutionary process to the topic of heatpipes, entitled Superconducting Heat Transfer Medium . Here is a short excerpt from the patent which explains the technology in plain english... but feel free to skip ahead to the actual heatsink review.

"Inorganic Medium Thermal Conductive Device. This heat conducting device greatly improved the heat conductive abilities of materials over their conventional state. Experimentation has shown this device capable of transferring heat along a sealed metal shell having a partial vacuum therein at a rate of 5,000 meters per second.

On the internal wall of the shell is a coating applied in three steps having a total optimum thickness of 0.012 to 0.013 millimeters. Of the total weight of the coating, strontium comprises 1.25%, beryllium comprises 1.38%, and sodium comprises 1.95%....

The fact that a conventional heat pipe shares a similar outside shape to a thermal superconductive heat pipe used to raise some misunderstandings. Therefore, it is necessary to give a brief description on the differences and similarities of the two. A convectional heat pipe makes use of the technique of liquids vaporizing upon absorbing great amounts of heat and vapors cooling upon emitting heat so as to bring the heat from the pipe's hot end to its cold end. The axial heat conducting velocity of the heat pipe depends on the value of the liquid's vaporization potent heat and the circulation speed between two forms of liquid and vapor. The axial heat conducting velocity of the heat pipe also is restrained by the type and quantity of the carrier material and the temperatures and pressures at which the heat pipe operates (it can not be too high).

The present superconductive heat transfer device is made of a thermal superconductive medium whose axial heat conduction is accomplished by the thermal superconductive mediums' molecules high speed movement upon being heated and activated. The present superconductive heat transfer device's heat conducting velocity is much higher than that of any metal bars or any convectional heat pipes of similar size, while its internal pressure is much lower than that of any convectional heat pipe of the same temperature."

While this 'heat column' technology has surfaced on a few heatsinks we've tested already, it may be slower to adopt in spite of its otherwise promising attributes. Also, since most people would be hard pressed to explain what a heatpipe is, or does, the "superconducting" heatpipe, or heat column is probably going to continue to generate a lot of confusion. Anyhow, on with the review of the TTIC NPH-201!