360° View - Gelid Silent Spirit Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
The 100mm PWM fan spins at 2400-900RPM and draws power from a standard 4-pin PWM motherboard fan header. It is backwards compatible with 3-pin connectors. Each of the four 6mm diameter copper heatpipes is swagged into the aluminum fins, and soldered the 2-4.5mm thick copper base below. The textured aluminum fins measure 0.3mm thick and are spaced 2.0mm apart.
The body of the Gelid Silent Spirit heatsink is elevated 34mm above the CPU for reasonable clearance of adjacent capacitors, northbridge heatsinks, etc. The copper heat pipes are positioned side to side at the center of the base block for optimal heat conduction. The base incorporates a 9mm thick aluminum top section to provide support for the clamping brackets which attach by screws to either side. Note the dimpled texture of the aluminum fins and slight angle of the upper portion of the heatsink.
The usable area of the Gelid Silent Spirit's copper/aluminum base is 35x44mm. Note the small fins on the upper portion of the base, and the inverted and suspended white impeller of the fan which rests on rubber vibration absorbing posts.

Base Finish and Flatness

Flipping a heatsink over to inspect the business end is often a simple indicator of overall cooler quality. More practically speaking, a heatsink is in many ways only as effective as the contact it makes with the processor - the flatter and smoother the better. Base finish is one of the criteria that Frostytech measure in the course of evaluating heatsinks, and it involves two distinct aspects. Surface Finish is the first; this is calculated with the aid of Surface Roughness Comparator that has a cross section of common machine surface finishes and their numerical surface roughness equivalents in microinches. The second is Surface Flatness. This is tested with an engineers straight edge or proven flat surface, in two axis.

The Gelid Silent Spirit heatsink has a copper base plate with a surface roughness of approximately 16 microinches, which is considered good. The base itself has a machined finish that is perfectly flat in both axis. A path of grey thermal paste comes pre-applied.