AVC 212AHO Skive Heatsink Review

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It's rare to come across a heatsink that actually surprises us with how it's made. The "Skive" from AVC, is just one such heatsink.

Constructed originally from a flat bar of aluminum, AVC's Skive heatsink is formed by passing a sharp blade over the aluminum at a very shallow angle - much like a chisel carving wood. The action of the blade cutting into the aluminum 'draws' up metal which becomes the fins of the heatsink. Each of the fins are roughly 24mm tall and ends up in a very slightly angled, perpendicular position to the base.

The result is not only a high aspect ratio thin-fin heatsink, but one which is constructed without any joints between the fin and base. Kind of a cool construction method isn't it? We'll have to see how 'cool' a heatsink the Skive really is when faced against the mighty reference coolers though.

Designed for: AMD Athlon (1.2GHz or below), Duron, Socket A. Intel Socket 462 (2.0GHz or below), Socket 370 (1.13GHz or below).

Heatsink Data: Model: Skive 212AHO Fan: AVC, 4800RPM, 43dBa, 12V, 0.19A Fan Dim: 11x60x60mm Heatsink Dim: 43x60x61mm HS Material: Aluminum Mfg by: AVC Cost: $unknown Sold By: www.avc.com.tw www.canarep.com www.thermo-link.com

AVC (Asia Vital Corp.) have been in the cooling business since 1997 and manufacture their own heatsinks and fans. The Skive heatsink is definitely a chance for AVC to break out and make a name for themselves - as long as the heatsink can cut it.

The benefits of the Skive's construction equate to a very light-weight cooler. Additionally the blade like form of the fins may have the added advantage of cutting down on air resistance. The fins themselves are shinny on one side and slightly rough on the other. Where some heatsinks employ scalloped patterns on the fins of extruded heatsinks to introduce turbulence in the air, the Skive has a naturally rough surface finish to it.