The TI-V77L follows in those same foot steps and uses Thermal Integration's very efficient top-down design. The area under the fan motor is usually a dead spot for air flow and TI-V77L gets around this by using that section of material to transfer the heat from the processor throughout the body of the heatsink. Thus, all the cooling fins on the heatsink are located directly under the down draft created by the fan. As a further side benefit, the exhaust air blows directly down onto the top of the processor, adding further cooling into the mix.

While the Thermoengine and the TI-V77L may look similar from the outset, the newer heatsink has broken the 60mm barrier and now measures 70mm square. Additionally, the fins have been given a slight curve to better take advantage of the impingement air from the eleven blades of the 70mm YS Tech fan.

	Heatsink Specsheet: Model: TI-V77L Fan: YS Tech, 5000RPM, 38CFM, 41dBa, 12V, 3.12W, ball bearing. Fan Dim: 15x70x70mm Heatsink Dim: 82x74x46mm HS Material: Extruded aluminum, copper core Mfg by: Thermal Integration Technology Inc. Cost: ~$36 Sold By: Coolmax USA

A Detailed look at the TI-V77L:

I suppose one of the nicest things about the TI-V77L from the outset is the surface finish where it comes in contact with the processor core. Great care has been taken by the manufacturer to finish the copper core so that it is smooth and flat.

The rest of the base is also perfectly flat and level, although the copper core is about a hundredth of an inch above the rest of the surface.

The core, and indeed the entire fin section is just under 21mm in height, shorter than what we are accustomed to seeing. The body measures 70mm square - markedly wider than most heatsinks traditionally are.

The clip on the original Thermoengine always seemed a bit difficult to use depending on what you were putting it on (AMD or Intel). Many times we had difficulty getting the clip off of the socket for it bound into the fins tightly.

With the TI-V77L Thermal Integration have pulled out all the stops, and have introduced a lever action socket clip. You'll still probably need to use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the clip, but much of the tensioning is accomplished thanks to the lever - which puts added pressure on the heatsink. The lever clips in to a small locking mechanism to ensure it doesn't work itself free overtime, or with movement of the computer. During our testing it worked well enough for us.