The nPowerTek NPH-1366-140HC heatsink is intended for socket LGA1366 Intel processors up to 130W TDP, but in this review Frostytech is going to stress it with a 200W heat load and see how it stacks up.

The first thing you'll notice when looking at this Intel cooler is that NPowertek NPH-1366-140HC looks very much like Intel's retail heatsinks. However, on the inside of the NPH-1366-140HC heatsink is a hollow copper heat column and surrounding this, a bog-standard bifurcated aluminum fin extrusion. The heat column functions essentially like a large heatpipe, you can see the inside of one in our review of Intel's FCLGA4-S reference heatsink. The copper heat column is 33mm in diameter, with the inner surfaces covered by a sintered metal wick and the contents under vacuum. Surrounding the heat column is a "donut" of extruded aluminum containing 140 bifurcated fins. "Bifurcated" is the technical term for a body divided into two parts, as in a snakes tongue.

Equipped with a bright red 95mm PWM fan that scales from 1500RPM to 3000RPM, the cooler is at most moderately audible. The 446 gram heatsink stands 72mm tall and has a circular footprint 95mm in diameter.

nPowertek NPH-1366-140HC Heatsink
	heatsink specsheet manufacturer: npowertek model no.: nph-1366-140hc materials: copper heat column, extruded aluminum fan mfg: n/a fan spec: 3000-1500rpm, 12v, 0.20a fan dim: 25x95x95mm heatsink & fan dim: 72x95x95mm weight: 446 grams includes: mounting screws Compatible with Sockets: AMD: none Intel: LGA1366 Est. Pricing: $30USD ($50CDN)

nPowertek's NPH-1366-140HC heatsink has some of the thinnest extruded aluminum fins we've seen in a long while. These bifurcated aluminum fins increase the surface area of the heatsink, without creating a situation where fin density is too high for air from the top-mounted fan to easily flow through. The tips of each fin measure 0.5mm, fin pitch is about ~1.5mm.

With the cherry-red fan removed, the structure of the bifurcated fins clearly visible. At the center we can see the copper heat column pressed into a ring of extruded aluminum. The copper column is 33mm in diameter and extends nearly the full height of the 38mm tall aluminum extrusion.

Heat is conducted by the column more efficiently than a solid block of copper, transferring it to the aluminum where it is shed into the surrounding environment as air passes through the thin fins.

Installation Hardware

nPowertek's NPH-1366-140HC heatsink includes four spring-tensioned Intel socket LGA1366 mounting screws. The captive mounting hardware is attached to the body of the heatsink, so the cooler need only be removed from its packaging, thermal compound applied to the base, and installed in the processor.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course its performance in the thermal tests!