Swiftech MCX6400-V

     The Swiftech name has been associated with quality heatsinks for as long as I've been an Overclocker. Continuing their excellent tradition, the MCX line of heatsinks represent the very latest and finest in Swiftech heatsink technology. The entire line of MXC coolers all benefit from the Patented Helicoid pin design which takes air cooling to a whole new level. The MXC159 is specially designed for motherboard Northbridge chipsets and is also fashioned to not interfere with other CPU mounted MCX coolers, regardless of the application. Whether it be the Pentium 4, Pentium Zeon  AMD Athlon (K7) / Athlon64 (K8) processors, there is a Swiftech MCX heatsink ready to tackle your cooling requirements.

MCX6400-V Specifications

• CNC machined, C110 copper base, flatness better than 0.0003", micro surface finish 8 or better.
   

• 405 Helicoid Pins made of High Thermal Conductivity Aluminum Alloy, press fitted in the base.
   

• Weight: 26.4 oz (750 g)
  (Exceeds AMD weight specification of 450g. Exercise extreme care when moving the computer if you leave this heatsink installed)
   

• Accepts either 80mm or 92mm cooling fans.

     The bottom of the heatsink can be more important than the top, and certainly tells a lot about the manufacturer. A base with no visible flaws or scars is a sure sign of quality craftsmanship and machining. The contact area where the CPU will mate with the base of the heatsink is raised which creates plenty of clearance for the adopted hardware on the two mounting points. The MCX6400-V will not ship with a back plate to be used for this heatsink, but you should have no problem using the stock back plate that shipped with your motherboard.

     Installation

     The instructions that Swiftech includes with the heatsink are very easy to follow, but for the folks who like pictures, it can't get any easier than this. The above illustration shows a set of four "snap rivets" being used to hold the fan guard onto the cooling fan. The MCX6400-V I received only had a total of four snap rivets in the associated hardware bag, which were used to mount the cooling fan to the heatsink. Other than that minor discrepancy, the above illustration clearly depicts how installation will occur.

     The use of the snap rivets is very convenient because you won't be limited to one size of fan. Meaning, you can choose to use a regular 25mm fan or the more super-duty 38mm fans such as the Vantec Tornado. For the purpose of this test I have chosen the Enermax UC-8FAB-B 80mm cooling fan. It is manually adjusted and can yield the following performance: Low Speed 25cfm/21dBA, Mid Speed - 32cfm/27dBA, High Speed - 40cfm/33dBA (1000-300RPM) This heatsink/fan combo will be subjected to the same conditions that I used to test the Foxconn A64 Heat Guzzler. An AMD Athlon64 (Socket 754) 3200+ running at default speed and voltage on the Foxconn 755A01 motherboard using the boards own utilities to read hardware temperatures.

     Conclusion...........

     I would call this a move in the right direction. Temperatures are OUT of the 50s and a nice and respectable 42°C at idle. With the price of this heatsink sitting at $47.95 the bargain is a bit steep but the performance and quality are unparalleled. While it may be labeled as an Extreme Heavy-Duty cooler, the only worries come into play when you start thinking about moving the computer around while the heatsink is still installed. I've seen this size/style heatsink used in many LAN computers and nobody removes their heatsinks before transport. As long as you're careful and don't drop the rig then you should be fine. On that same token, if you are considering SHIPPING your computer someplace, then by all means take the proper precautions and remove it. A word about the performance; These temps of 42/45 were achieved with a very affordable and relatively quiet 80mm fan. The fan was set to its highest/fastest setting for the duration of the test. Extensive tests have been done on similar heatsinks that can utilize multiple fan sizes, and even Swiftech has posted their own results. The MCX6400-V performs better when used with an 80mm fan.

Club Overclocker Rating
Innovation:	9.5 out of 10
Performance:	10 out of 10
Quality:	10 out of 10
Stability:	N/A
Compatibility:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Software Pack:	N/A
Value:	9.5 out of 10
Overall Rating 9.0
Skill Level
Project Skill Level (10 being hardest)	4 out of 10