Aluminum vs Copper Heatsinks

[avert1]

I can't seem to find a solid answer. Which one's better? And can someone provide me with an ebay link to some good ones that'll take away the need for a fan?

 

[bassmasta]

Copper, by far.

These probably would work well.

 

[FierceDeity]

Copper has almost twice the thermal conductivity than aluminum, but that does not mean it's better. Aluminum weighs 3 times less than copper, and on a handheld, weight matters. If N64s required excessive heatsinking, copper would be better, but since the N64 doesn't get very hot, an aluminum heatsink works nearly as well as a copper one, and is way lighter. For a weight to thermal conductivity ratio, Aluminum is better than copper.

That being said, those heatsinks bassmata linked are great and perfect size, but you have to buy 2 packs.

 

[Basement_Modder]

Just take a gamecube heatsink, trim the fins down to about 3mm, and cut out squares the size of each chip. Works great.

 

[XCVG]

I remember reading somewhere that copper is a better conductor, but aluminum is a better dissipator. That's why expensive heatsinks use copper heatpipes with aluminum fins.

Either that or aluminum is cheaper.

 

[ShockSlayer]

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2328

Is a good read on this topic.

"On paper, copper is better than aluminium in every way, but sometimes alu is a better choice because it's 1/3 the weight of copper and can be anodised to make it a better radiator of heat, which is sometimes good for low-airflow set-ups."