360° View - Coolermaster TPC-812 Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
The 120mm PWM fan on the Coolermaster TPC-812 heatsink spins at 2400-600RPM and is powered by a 4-pin PWM motherboard header. The heatsink stands 164mm tall with a footprint of 139x102mm. Additional fan clips are supplied for a rear-mounted fan. The aluminum fin stack is 107mm tall, 70mm deep.
The nickel plated aluminum fins on the Coolermaster TPC-812 are soldered to six 6mm diameter heatpipes and two 3x19mm vapour chamber strips. Each aluminum fin measures 0.4mm thick and is spaced 2.0mm apart. The lowest fin is elevated 43mm above the CPU for motherboard clearance. The nickel plated copper base plate is 7.5mm thick and topped with a 5mm aluminum cap to distribute clamping forces. Curiously, the 19mm wide vapour chamber is set within a 24mm slot... perhaps CM have a supped up version in the works?
The nickel plated copper base plate is 2-7.4mm thick and measures 52x37.5mm in size. The six 6mm diameter nickel plated heatpipes are recessed into semi-oval troughs and soldered to the copper base. The two 3x19mm vapour chambers are soldered alternatively, to the tops of three heatpipes. Looking at the top of the TPC-812 heatsink we see a false anodized aluminum cover holding chrome plated plastic caps for the heatpipes and vapour chambers. Both HP and VC are soldered along their full heights to the nickel plated aluminum fins.

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 nickel plated copper base plate of the Coolermaster TPC-812 heatsink has a turned finish with a surface roughness of approximately ~16 microinches. The base is perfectly flat in one axis and very slightly convex in the opposite (perpendicular to the direction of the heatpipes).

Next up, sound measurements to determine how loud this heatsink is at full fan speed, and 600RPM.