Socket-A Heat Sink Roundup

Date Reviewed: February 9, 2001
Reviewed By: Jason Rabel
Companies: Alpha, GlobalWinUSA, OCZ, TRIG, VantecUSA

GlobalWin WBK38:

A brand new cooler to enter the scene from GlobalWin is the WBK38. It looks very similar to the FOP38, but it has 24 rows of fins vs. the FOP38's 20 rows. Also, if you look at the side, the fins go in a wave motion, with a thicker base in the middle. The WBK38 came supplied with a finger guard, and with the Delta fan, you will definitely be glad you have it. Also, one edge of the base is rounded, my guess is to allow you to mount it easier and without scraping your CPU. One bad thing the WBK38 shares with its older FOP38 cousin is the awful clip that requires a heck of a lot of pressure to get it mounted. I've seen worse clips, but I've also seen better.

GlobalWin FOP38:

The FOP38 has been around for a while, it originated from the FKP32 which had less fins and wasn't as wide, then came the FOP32 (YS Tech Fan), then the FOP32-1 & FOP38, both which incorporated a non-anodized surface (AMD specifications), and a clip that requires a lot of pressure to mount (again, to meet AMD specifications). The FOP38 for quite some time has proven itself to out perform the competition, but sooner or later its luck is going to run out.

Vantec FCE-62540D:

Vantec has taken a big leap in cooling with their latest offering, the FCE-62540D. When I opened up the box, I thought I was looking at a GlobalWin FOP38 on steroids. One thing I was happy to discover was the clip is very user friendly, you don't need a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers to take this cooler on or off. It also doesn't require nearly as much force as the GlobalWin clips. This cooler also has 20 fins like the FOP38, but it is wider both at the base, and fins.

Vantec on the left & top:

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