Socket-A Heat Sink Comparison

Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Reviewed By: Jason Rabel
Companies: Thermaltake, Thermal Integration, Millennium Thermal, Fortis Technologies, VantecUSA, Dynatron, Swiftech

Millennium Thermal Glaciator II:

The Millennium Thermal Glaciator II is a very unique heat sink. When I first got the package, I thought there were two heat sinks in the box because it was so heavy! This heat sink is 99.99% pure copper, and believe me you can tell when you pick it up! The box itself is a no-frills white OEM look with the name "Millennium Thermal Solutions" stamped on the front. This doesn't really matter to me (and it shouldn't to you) because you end up throwing the box away after you get it. Like momma used to say, "It's what's on the inside that counts." And on the inside you find one heat sink, a small packet of "Arctic Silver II", and a one page instruction sheet.

The heat sink itself is a two piece design. However, the base and fins are all one solid piece, then the top half that houses the fan is a second piece. The fan is embedded inside the heat sink, producing 29CFM and is very, very quiet. Even with the lower CFM this heat sink was able to produce quite nice results. Most of the heat sink seems to be covered with some sort of protective coating, probably to prevent oxidation. However the base is bare and milled very smooth. In the picture below if you look very carefully you can see that there is a plastic wrap on the base to keep it clean until you are ready to mount it on your processor. The clip was user friendly and easy to put on and take off, the tab on the clip is very easy to grab with your fingers, so you don't have to worry about needing a screwdriver or anything. I don't know if it just me or what, but the clip didn't seem to apply as much resistance to get it hooked on the tab than many other heat sinks with similar clips. It could possibly have a lower clamping pressure or just a better design, but if you compare it to trying to put on a globalwin heat sink (which have one of the most difficult clips to work with), there is just no contest, the Millenium Thermal would win hands down.

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

Fortis Technologies A91, A92, and A102

These three heat sinks each have their differences, but they also have many similarities.

The first model, the A91 is your typical looking heat sink, featuring aluminum fins with a good 5mm thick copper base. It utilizes a 5000RPM fan pumping 26CFM, needless to say this fan is very quiet. The clip was also very user friendly, easy to put on and take off.

The box that it came in has a very nice retail look to it, and the inside packaging is very functional too. You get the full specs on the back of the box, detailing all the features of the heat sink. Inside the box you will find the heat sink and a small tube of 25% pure silver compound in a plastic clamshell. I really like how many of these companies are including "premium" silver compounds with their heat sinks, not too long ago it was a miracle if there was just regular thermal compound included. There is also an "owners manual" which basically explains how to mount the heat sink on your processor properly.

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

The next model, the A92 is a mild step up from the A91, it has many of the same features except it uses a 7000RPM 36CFM fan. The rest of the heat sink is identical to the A91. I must note that the box color is different and it is clearly labeled "A92" and "7000 RPM" to help distinguish it from the A91 box. This is very nice because it helps differentiate the products better than if they were all in the same looking box with just a little sticker in the corner with the model number.

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

Finally, the A102 is the definite behemoth of the three. Having much taller fins to dissipate the heat, along with the same 7000RPM fan as the A92 model, this heat sink has a definite advantage over its smaller cousins. The clip is the same as the previous two, in fact the heat sink looks almost the same except someone just stretched it out some. One thing the A102 does include that the others don't is a 3-4pin adapter for the fan which can save you a couple dollars from buying it separate, I was surprised the A92 didn't include it since it has the same high powered fan, but that is just how it goes. I actually used the motherboard header with all these heat sinks and didn't encounter any problems, however motherboards do vary on the amps that the fan headers can pull.

Again the box is a different color and you can clearly see the heat sink through the clear plastic. Also all the boxes show that they include silver compound, this one even has a little picture of a syringe in the corner.

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

(Click on any image to get a closeup of the whole row)

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