The Heatsink Fan:

The six 6mm diameter copper heat pipes poke though the upper aluminum fin, but are hidden behind a translucent plastic fan shroud which envelops the entire cooler. This plastic shroud is internally illuminated with four blue LEDs. A 92mm fan can be mounted on either side of the heatsink (one to push and one to pull), although only one fan actually comes with the unit. With the aid of the fan-speed controller, the RCX-Z3's PWM fan can have its speed adjusted from as low as 600RPM to the default 3000RPM speed. The fan draws power through a 4-pin PWM cable which is backwards compatible with 3-pin connections. The fan speed controller connects to a full size molex power connector. No fan grill is supplied.

Heatsink Top Uncovered:
The 92mm PWM fan mounts directly to the plastic fan shroud, and power comes directly from the motor for the four integrated LEDs. There is a small 5mm plenum behind the fan motor. The stacked aluminum fins are 0.3mm thick, and are spaced about 2.0mm apart. Each fin has a partially serrated edge. This is an element designed to disrupt laminar air flow from occuring over the smooth surface of the fin.

As the RCX-Z3 heatsink weighs upwards of 852 grams, it is not recommended to leave it installed if you are transporting or shipping the computer long distances.

Heatsink Side A:
Looking at the Rosewill RCX-Z3 heatsink from the back we get a better idea of how the entire heatsink is built. At the bottom is a hefty 12mm thick copper base, to which the six heatpipes are likely soldered to. Above that is a small 52 x 68mm extruded aluminum heatsink which is almost completely blocked off by the translucent plastic frame. The heatpipes rise up through 52 aluminum fins, each 0.3mm thick. The opening in the plastic fan shroud is just large enough to accommodate a 92mm or 80mm fan. although we did not test the Rosewill RCX-Z3 heatsink without this fan shroud, we suspect the heatsink may perform better without it.

Heatsink Side B:
The side of theRosewill RCX-Z3 heatsink has a few curves and a recess in the plastic fan shroud for air to enter the fin section. The six heatpipes are visible at the bottom, soldered to the copper base. Each of the 6mm diameter heatpipes are butted up one against the other at the bottom as much heat as possible is absorbed from the processor below.

Heatsink Base:
The copper base of the Rosewill RCX-Z3 heatsink is machined, and the portion which makes contact with the CPU measures 33mm round. The base is at least 12mm thick, and perfectly flat in both axis. Surface roughness is on the order of ~32 microinches, which is considered very good. Note the four screws used to attach the different mounting plates to the heatsink.