Swiftech MCX775-V

     Swiftech is among the few names quickly recognized for their outstanding cooling products. While a lot of the attention is going to water cooling products these days, air cooled heatsinks still have a very large place in the PC world. Air cooling remains the old faithful while water cooing is still largely more of an enthusiast pursuit. Back when the OEM processor buy was just more economical, after market heatsinks were in very large demand. Now, with the price gap between the OEM and retail processor being so insignificant, most retailers don't bother carrying the bare-bone OEM CPU anymore. The retail kit usually includes a capable (yet lackluster) cooling solution right out of the box. So why look any further? Because companies like Swiftech provide air-cooling products that are affordable, easy to install, and are incredibly efficient.

     Like most major dedicated heatsink manufacturers, Swiftech has founded their product line on a design that has proven itself time and time again. Rather than completely revamp a heatsink for each and every CPU platform, Swiftech modifies the mounting method for their now famous MCX line of heatsinks. With the signature Helicoid pin design and thick copper base, Swiftech has produced a heatsink that allows lower RPM fans to yield outstanding cooling results.

     The MCX775-V is designed only for the Pentuim 4 LGA775 processor. The above illustration clearly depicts the entire installation procedure. First, Stand-off studs are installed through the motherboard. The heatsink comes with the nylon fasteners and their tension springs pre-installed. After you apply your choice of thermal paste to the CPU slug, align and tighten the bolts in a cross-pattern. Once the heatsink is secure, use the plastic push-pins to mount an 80mm fan to the L brackets on the heatsink. The fan guard and push-pins shown on the top of the picture are not provided with the heatsink kit.