360° View - Gigabyte 3D Rocket II GH-PCU23-VE Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
	The Heatsink Fan: The 92x92x25mm fan spins at 1500-3000RPM with aid of an included fan speed controller. According to FrostyTech's real world sound measurements this translates into a noise output of between 44 dBA and 65 dBA. The lack of a fan guard shouldn't be problematic given the extreme height of this heatsink with its second fan duct installed (159mm tall). If the fan speed controller is not installed the fans spin at full RPM. The heatsink draws power from a standard 3-pin motherboard fan header, and supports RPM monitoring. The seven bladed impeller is internally illuminated by four blue LEDs. Around the outer edge is a groove for a fluorescent rubber ring to be installed (shown here with blue in place).
	Heatsink Top: Removing the top fan and ducting from the Gigabyte 3D Rocket II GH-PCU23-VE heatsink gives us a clearer idea of who the unit really works. Note how the four 6mm diameter heatpipes are lined up along either side in a row - as opposed to being equally spaced throughout the aluminum cooling fins surface. The small exhaust fan at the base is 70mm in size, has 11 blades, and is of fixed RPM. The diameter of each aluminum 'donut' is 100mm, the inner hole is about 68mm in size.
	Heatsink Side A: The 3D Rocket II PCU23-VE stands about 159mm tall, making it a very large heatsink to contend with. The second fan duct is removable, and that brings the height down to a more reasonable 140mm. There is another space to put one of those rubber rings on the main fan duct, so removing the second duct is not a big deal if appearance is a concern. Each aluminum cooling fin measures 0.4mm thick, and is spaced 0.8mm from the next. The total height of the base is 13mm, but of this the copper section which actually makes contact with the processor core is 5mm thick. The four copper heatpipes are each nickel plated to resist oxidation, and are 6mm in diameter. From this angle the two aluminum flanges on the base are visible, these are for the socket 478 mounting hardware to rest on.
	Heatsink Side B: Cool air is drawn into the 3D Rocket II GH-PCU23-VE heatsink through the sides, through relatively tightly packed aluminum fins. The writing on the wall is this... if your case is full of dust, this heatsink will be blanketed by dust pretty quickly. Be nice to your cooling system and keep dust out of your PC, or at the very least give it an occasional dusting with the vacuum. Note how the vents in the second fan duct at top go all the way through from this angle. Three sides of this attachment are open, one is closed.
	Heatsink Base: The circuit board at right controls the fan speed when the potentiometer is plugged in. The copper base insert measures 39mm x 39mm and is soldered to the four heatpipes so thermal conductivity is impeded the least possible amount. The copper base has a wire-brush finish, and is generally quite flat in both axis, but not perfectly so. The base has a smooth surface finish to the touch. Surface roughness is equivalent to ~32 microinches, which is considered very good. To save on materials and cut down weight, the upper half of the base cap is made of injection molded aluminum.