Cooling KMPKT Heatsink and Fan Poll

How much would you pay for a full copper L9i style heatsink and fan (i.e. Fair Market Price)?

  • Less than 39.99 USD

    Votes: 10 4.7%
  • 39.99 USD

    Votes: 19 8.9%
  • 44.99 USD

    Votes: 31 14.5%
  • 49.99 USD

    Votes: 78 36.4%
  • 54.99 USD

    Votes: 29 13.6%
  • Over 54.99 USD

    Votes: 47 22.0%

  • Total voters
    214

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Hey Guys,

I've mentioned this previously, but I am aiming to make a 95mm x 95mm heatsink with 92mm fan to compete with and hopefully exceed the performance of both the Noctua L9i and the Thermolab LP53. I have received preliminary quotes on production for the design I'd like to use, and now I have to determine whether this would be a financially viable venture for me. I'd need to buy 500 units minimum, so I really want to make sure I have pricing dialled in on this. You can see a concept render below:

 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
I am intending to do AM4 and Intel 115x to start. I may add other socket support, but I'm not sure there's a massive need for it as the TDP rating likely won't suit Socket 2011 and with Ryzen out, I can't see any sane person (or a significant subset of my market) using AM3+ or below.
 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
I'm aiming for 45mm with a 92 x 15MM fan. May go a little lower as I would really like to fit comfortably inside the S4 Mini.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Deepcool will be the OEM, so I would think using a set of brackets like this:

 

zovc

King of Cable Management
Jan 5, 2017
852
603
I went ahead and voted "Over 54.99" because, realistically, if it was the measurably the best cooler for the job I'd be comfortable paying pretty much any "under $100" price. Granted, I do think ~$50 or less is what most people prefer to spend on coolers and I obviously would prefer spend less than more...

I am interested in seeing how this pans out because I'm already considering ordering dubious all-copper coolers off of alibaba.
 

IntoxicatedPuma

Customizer of Titles
SFFn Staff
Feb 26, 2016
992
1,272
I'd pay based on performance - if it can cool noticeably better than the Noctua while making the same or less noise, that to me would make the price worth it.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Yeah that's what I'm aiming for. Right now it's got the same dimensions in width and length as the L9i, and I believe the same fin count. The fins are however 28mm tall instead of 21mm tall which means there should be about 33% more surface area to dissipate heat over. Considering the LP53 has more or less the same surface area as the L9i and lowers temps between 6-10 degrees C, I'm really hoping this crushes the L9i by 10 degrees or more. As long as the heat pipes aren't a limiting factor (by my math they shouldn't be), I think the performance on this heatsink should be unmatched. Furthermore I am looking at some higher static pressure fans from Yate Loon and playing with the idea of making a denser fin stack on on of my prototypes to see if I can move more heat.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Yeah right now the demos are black, but I'd actually like to get a grey or grey/black combo not unlike Noctua's Redux line. Also I have put in an inquiry to see if I can have the entire heatsink coated in black nickel which looks pretty amazing if you haven't seen it.
 
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XeaLouS

Cable-Tie Ninja
Dec 29, 2015
180
123
Looks nice, but what's with the cover over the copper fins? Sure it looks nice but does it improve cooling performance?
 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
That's what I need to test out. I'm looking at this from a design perspective too and copper looks pretty shitty in most builds (everything now is monochrome + LED). The point of the shroud is to provide screw based fan mounting system as well as to obscure the copper somewhat for aesthetic purposes. I will be testing the L9i at some point in the not too distant future with a variety of shrouds to see if the shrouding hinders (blocks air exit) or helps (forces cool air over the entire surface area of the fin instead of allowing early exit). If there is a significant hit to the cooling then I will find another solution. As mentioned above, I am also looking into getting the entire thing done in a black nickel plating to again improve aesthetics.
 
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zovc

King of Cable Management
Jan 5, 2017
852
603
I don't mind the color of copper, personally. I think it's a lot more acceptable as an accent color than beige or brown are.

But, like you said, black/grey/silver fit into 'monochrome + LED' builds a lot better than copper does, in general.
 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Yeah, but I have to consider broad market demand. We're a pretty small subset of the overall market and a lot of people place equal weight on aesthetics and function. Like I said earlier, I need to move a lot of these.
 
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XeaLouS

Cable-Tie Ninja
Dec 29, 2015
180
123
Last edited:

stree

Airflow Optimizer
Dec 10, 2016
307
177
Copper and aluminium have slightly different properties. Copper is better at drawing heat, and ally is better at radiating it away.
In other words, a copper contact block for the CPU and ally fins is the best combination.
 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
Original poster
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Yeah I did reach out to him at one point via PM letting him know I had a much more reasonably priced OEM with good quality in case he wanted to work together, but received no response from him (which I take to mean no interest). As far as his design goes, I can't get over how much of the heatsink on his renders is NOT in the airflow of the fan. I don't know if he's rendering with a small fan or if the fan has to be small to fit in the keep out zone, but I just don't get the point of having a 130+mm fin array with a 92mm fan. Maybe someone can clue me in?