And how does the AX-7 perform? I'm glad you asked that question. To get idle temps I waited 15 minutes after a fresh boot and even with light surfing and photo editing the temp didn't change much. Load was reached by running the Prime 95 cpu torture test for at least 45 minutes. Room temp DOES have an effect on cpu temps as we know so it was maintained at 68 degrees. Test was done using a Thermaltake 80mm fan and a 5k rpm 80mm fan. The Thermaltake fan runs at 2900rpm and has a rated 37 cfm while the 5k fan is around 45 cfm(rated).

• Shuttle AK-31
• AMD XP-1700 +
• 512mb pc 2100 DDR
• cmedia 5.1 sound
• Maxtor ata 100 7200 rpm hd
• swedish bikin team (hehe, just kidding)

*Using 2900 rpm 80mm fan, 37 cfm

*Using 5000 rpm fan. 45 cfm

Not too shabby eh? Now of course your temps may vary. A lot depends on the motherboard, how good your airflow is in your case and the room temp along with your other peripherals.

The Thermalright AX-7 is a winner! As you can see even for overclocking it still cools most eggselent. I couldn't overclock higher because my ram is holding me back but I have no doubt you'll be very hard pressed to find a better performing heatsink for under $65. And from what I've tested so far a better one under 65 does not exist. Major pluses are the 3-prong clip and providing great cooling without having to use an annoyingly loud fan like those delta-type fans are. For even better performance you can use a higher speed delta-type fan but beware, the noise will be a factor. And the AX-7 is not only designed for superior performance it's also designed for quietness. You don't have to use a noisy fan to achieve the cooling you desire as you can see by the results.

The only bad thing is the install can be a bit of a pain. The clip is designed to stay near the bottom but the problem is it really isn't long enough. When attaching the back you need either a small finger or you must use a screwdriver to guide the clip over the rear mobo catch because the clip stays in a rather slim slot in the heatsink. I just held my finger sideways and it barely fit. Once done just use a screwdriver to guide the front clip over the mobo catches and you're done. Do test a screwdriver first in the slot on the front clip to be sure you have the correct size. Aside from a possible small hassle attaching the rear of the AX-7, that's the only bad I can think of. And of course no fan is included so you'll need one. I'm sure Thermalright's thinking is to let the user decide their level of cooling along with quietness. Some actually love getting a degree or 3 better cooling so they put up with those lawnmower-loud fans.

• Cools as well as you'd want
• designed for quietness
• designed for maximum performance
• 3-prong clip
• made of copper and aluminum and using them the better way together

• no fan included
• attaching back clip can be hairy for those with large fingers

Thanks goes out to Mr. Dave at KD Computers for sending us this most excellent heatsink for review. Direct link to the $27 AX-7. Please note: If you order the AX-7 from KDC mention "PC Abusers" in the special comments section and you'll get $2 off! *Good till the end of March 2002.