Of the many heatsinks we have tested out previously, the SwiftTech is one of the largest, if not the largest. Weighing in at 760 grams it is also one very heavy heatsink. Most of its weight comes from the thick copper base which gives it the ability to transfer heat laterally to its' many aluminum pins. While the MC462-A sits at a high price point, it can offer the performance user some very valuable cooling head room.

The fan on the MC462-A Rev1 is large, and at 43dBa noticeably louder than most other cooling solutions. Inside of a case tucked under a desk it shouldn't be too much of a problem. The RPM monitoring lead is a good feature for anyone of us, who in the past had to get used to not being able to monitor the speed of a fan plugged directly into the power supply Molex connectors.

With a perfectly smooth, and flat base the MC462-A Rev1 managed to impress us a lot. I suppose a mirror finish would have been even more impressive, but it would really be unnecessary as far as cooling is concerned. SwiftTech specify a microfinish of grade 8 for the base.

While we were a bit concerned with the 2.5mm of threaded material for the long screws holding the fan in place, we were very satisfied with the spring tensioned mounting screws, and the method by which the entire heatsink was held in place. With a cooling device of this size, and weight, ensuring that it stays put and doesn't crush the processor is quite important. The tensioning springs help ensure that properly seating the cooler on your favorite T-Bird or Duron will result in a proper fit, and not an over-tightened situation.

All in all, the MC462-A Rev1 is an excellent upgrade from its previous iteration, the MC462-A. By offering a large and powerful Sanyo Denki fan, notched corners for capacitor clearance, and that oh so smooth base Swift Tech have a winning heatsink on their hands. We should also mention that with a little modification this heatsink should be compatible with socket 423 Intel processors.

The price will put this heatsink in the hands of only the most performance seeking enthusiasts out there, but from what we've seen this heatsink will not disappoint cooling-wise. The sheer mass of copper in the base ensures that, as well as the 53CFM fan. What more could you really ask for in a high-performance cooler?