Swiftech MCX6400-V Heatsink

Installation

Test System

• Biostar K8VHA Pro
• AMD Athlon64 3200+ (2.2Ghz 512k Newcastle)
• Corsair 512MB  XMS PC3200 (2x256)
• Maxtor 120GB 7200rpm 8MB cache
• Lite-On 4xDVD+-RW
• BFG Tech GeForce FX 5950U 56.72 drivers
• Hercules Gamesurround MUSE Pocket
• Windows XP SP1
• AOpen A600 Aluminum case

After applying a nice layer of the supplied ArcticAlumina to the 3200's heat spreader, placing the nylon spacer over the threaded back plate is the next step.  The third step is placing the MCX6400-V on the CPU.  Make sure to have the heatsink aligned properly with the mounting holes before sticking it to the processor.  This will keep you from having to re-apply the thermal paste because of an improper alignment. 

The outer pins on the MCX6400-V come very close to touching some of the capacitors on my Biostar motherboard.  Take caution when placing the heatsink on the CPU so that you do not accidentally snap off a capacitor.  Swiftech does state that the MCX6300-V was compatible with all Athlon64 and Opteron motherboards at the time of its release (you can always check Swiftech's site to verify this).  The heatsink does fit inside AMD's "no component zone," so installation should be painless unless the motherboard manufacturer does not comply with this "no zone."

Finally, the springs and tension limiters secure the MCX6400-V to the back plate with the provided screws.  You will want to take turns tightening each side of the heatsink to ensure a proper fit.

The fan I used to cool the MCX6400-V is an AeroCool 8025 aluminum housing fan spinning at 2750 RPM according to Winbond's Hardware Doctor.  Although this fan uses a slightly different mounting technique, the supplied snap rivets worked just fine when it came time to mount the fan to the heatsink.

Testing

Once the heatsink and fan combination was mounted and working properly, the next step was benchmarking.  All temperatures were gathered using the on-die thermal diode of the Athlon64 and were read by Hardware Doctor.  Idle temperature was determined one hour after booting up and logging into Windows.  This temperature was measured every minute for 10 minutes and then averaged out by dividing the total readings by ten.  Load temperature was taken after running Folding@Home for one hour and then taking the average temperature for the next ten minutes, while still under load, the same way the idle temperature was taken.  Room temperature was kept at an average of 23.3C/74F.

Conclusion

With no noticeable flaws and great performance, the Swiftech MCX6400-V is a great cooling solution for the Athlon64.  Whether you are just needing a heatsink to keep the processor cool at stock speeds or if you are going to overclock the brains out of your 64, the MCX6400-V is a great value at right around $48 from CrazyPC.com.

Once again, special thanks go to CrazyPC.com for supplying the Swiftech MCX6400-V, and to Ron Schooler at Skyland Technology for hooking me up with the Athlon64 3200+.

After doing such a great job of keeping the Athlon64 cool, the Swiftech MCX6400-V recieves 9 out of 10 and the Bjorn3D Seal of Approval.