The Neng Tyi SN03 proves itself to be a middle of the road cooler in our tests on the Synthetic test bed. The tests on the larger copper die template illustrate some very good scores, but that victory is tempered by the average temperatures on the small copper die template. With such a large mass we really expected the SN03 to rank in the top 5 of this group of reference heatsinks, but it was unable to do so.

While the Nidec is a great fan, it just doesn't have the CFM's to push the SN03 up into a respectable position. Secondly, the joint between the fins and the copper base would appear to be less than thermally ideal. It is a difficult step to solder or otherwise bond the fins to the base with out destroying the temper of the metal, but it probably would have greatly improved the performance capabilities of this otherwise excellent heatsink.

Conclusions:

In the end we have to look at the numbers and compare this heatsink to some of the best performing heatsinks on the market. When compared to such a high-performance line up it really cannot compete on the same level, and it shows. That is not to say that the SN03 is a bad heatsink. In terms of average performing heatsinks, it ranks quite well. After all, the SuperOrb is still considered a very good heatsink, and the SN03 out performs it by 5 degrees.

The question then turns to the fact that if you are faced with a choice between two equally priced heatsinks, the decision always falls to the better performing model. When squared off against such a line up, most heatsinks would wilt, the SN03 avoids that fate, but then again, it doesn't take the medal either. Bottom line, the SN03 is a good solid average performer.