The included VAPO bearing system Sunon fan measures 40mm x 20mm and is geared towards silent performance with an
acoustic level of 18dBA is capable of pushing 6CFM of air at 5200RPM. The heatsink itself measures 40.4mm x 40.4mm
x 42 mm and features a 1/2" thick C110 copper base. The top portion uses a patent Helicoid Pin design; the 96
aluminum pins provide increased turbulence and greater heat dissipation.
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
Depending on the platform chosen, the installation of the MCX159-R will vary. I will be using an AMD based Nforce 2
motherboard therefore the installation procedure is slightly more involved. The first step is to remove the default
Intel clipping mechanism from the MCX159-R unit along with the four black neoprene pads as they are designed for
Intel usage solely. A set of standoffs can then be installed from the rear of the motherboard using a series of screws,
nuts and washers. These standoffs will work in conjunction with a set of brackets attached to the MCX159-R in order
to position the unit.
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
Once a paper-thin coat of thermal compound has been evenly applied to the Northbridge, users may attach the necessary
brackets to the two most outer holes on the base of the unit. After carefully positioning the MCX159-R above the
standoffs, the unit can be secured by the knurled knob which tightens a set of springs coupled with a compression limiter
for the exact amount of pressure needed to safely secure the unit. Upon successful installation, I did encounter some
minor space restrictions when using my Thermalright SLK 800 paired with 80MM Delta fan. Users who use larger heatsinks
which are designed for 80mm or 92mm fans should double-check their clearance.
Testing:
The test system consists of an AMD 1.47 GHz 1700+ Tbred B CPU, stock EPoX 8RDA+ V1.1 NForce2 Motherboard 2 x 256MB Corsair
PC3500 Platinum XMS RAM in dual channel mode. The system will be tested under both stock settings of 1.47Ghz and overclocked
settings of 2.0Ghz (10.5 X 195FSB). The comparison unit I will be using is the previously reviewed
Micro Cool NorthPole. SiSoft Sandra 2003's Burn-In Wizard along with the Folding@Home
Client was used to set the system under 100% load for 2 hour intervals on regular priority. A fresh evenly spread layer of
high performance Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound was used for each unit. A stock voltage of 1.58V was sustained to
the chipset during the course of testing. Temperature results for idle and load was recorded from an on die thermal probe
attached directly to the Northbridge. The results are as follows:
Click image for larger view
Under stock speeds, the Swiftech MCX159-R was on par with the competition, both yielding an idle temperature of 34°C
and a slightly lower load result of 35.5°C. The overclocked conditions were conducted several times in order to ensure I had
accurate results. Surprisingly, the MCX159-R produced only a single degree rise in temperatures from 36 to an impressive 37
degrees Celsius at load, a whole three degrees lower than the Micro Cool NorthPole unit. The small increase in temperatures
are mostly likely contributed by the 1/4" thick copper base along with the 96 Helicoid pins. The overall performance of the
MCX159-R was impressive along with near a silent operational level.
Conclusion:
The Swiftech MCX159-R can arguably be warranted as the currently best available active chipset cooling solution. The low noise
levels and quality cooling allow for the Swiftech MCX159-R to be easily adapted into a high performance low noise environment
such as a new or existing water cooling setup. The overall attention to detail and quality construction are very impressive
with performance to match. The 1/4" thick copper base paired with the patent Helicoids aluminum pins ensure maximum thermal
dissipation with minimal associated noise levels. The included documentation is excellent and easily guides users through the
necessary mounting procedures. One minor drawback is the mandatory removal of the motherboard in order to install the unit yet
this is typical for high performance units due to weight restrictions. As previously mentioned, users with larger heatsinks
which use 80mm and 92mm should double check measurements prior to purchasing this unit. I didn’t encounter any overly negative
aspects with the Swiftech MCX159-R during the review timeframe. Aside from a few minor issues, I’m rating the Swiftech MCX159-R
MTB's Seal of Approval and a perfect score of 10 out of 10. If
you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Swiftech
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
Pros:
Excellent performance
Silent fan operation
1/4" Copper base & Helicoid Pin Technology
Excellent documentation
Quality Construction and attention to detail
Cross platform compatible
Cons:
Price may be steep for some
Possible space issues when used with larger heatsinks
Pros:
Cons:
