360° View - Thermolab BARAM 2010 Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
Thermolab's BARAM 2010 heatsink ships without a fan, but by using the supplied wire clips (two pairs supplied) a 120mm fan can be attached to one, or both sides of the 109mm tall fin tower. Five 6mm diameter copper heatpipes extend from the base up through the aluminum fins on a fairly wide spacing, but at the base you'll note they are covered by a 3mm thick copper plate. Each aluminum fin measures 0.3mm thick and is spaced 3.5mm from the next at the tips. The heatsink stands 160mm tall, the first fin 44mm above the base.
The copper base of the BARAM 2010 heatsink measures 40x29mm in size, and has a very smooth finish. The five 6mm diameter copper heatpipes are soldered to each side of the copper base, the holes are for the CPU mounting brackets to attach. Each heatpipe is spaced 10-13mm away from the others, so heat is conducted into the aluminum over a larger total area. Also note the unique "scalloped" leading/trailing edge fin geometry.

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 Thermolab BARAM 2010 heatsink has a surface roughness of approximately 8 microinches. The base has a smooth finish and is generally very flat in both axis.

Up next, acoustic measurements with each of the fans....