360° View - Zaward Vapor 120 Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
The 120mm PWM fan spins at 500-2000RPM and draws power from a standard 4-pin PWM motherboard fan header. It is backwards compatible with 3-pin connectors. The three copper heatpipes are 8mm in diameter and extend up through an 111mm tall fin array. Each aluminum fin measures 0.3mm thick and is spaced 1.8mm from the next. Downward facing dimples 4.5mm in diameter are impressed into every other fin.
The Zaward Vapor 120 heatsink stands 159mm tall, with the bottom-most fin elevated 38mm above the CPU for clearance. Three 8mm diameter copper heat pipes are positioned side by side where they make direct contact with the processor. The base incorporates a 14mm thick aluminum section to provide support for clamping brackets.
The base measures 41x35mm in size, each 8mm diameter copper heatpipe has been swaged into the aluminum base block and the surfaces made flush by a light sanding. Surface roughness is on the order of ~32 microinches, which is considered good. From the top down, we can see the 4.5mm punctured dimples that adorn every other 120x50mm aluminum fin. There is a 1.5mm plenum behind the fan. The heatpipes are positioned in the path of the highest airflow from the fan.

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 Zaward Vapor 120 heatsink has a surface roughness of approximately 32 microinches, which is considered good. The base itself has a smooth sanded finish and is flat in both axis. The copper and aluminum parts were flush on the unit Frostytech tested.