Standardized Heatsink Reviews

[Casual_Sphinx]

Something that has been bugging me for some time is that all the reviews of CPU air coolers I can find review the heatsink and the included fan as one item. It seems like reviewers are completely ignoring the fact that fans are,with some exceptions, interchangeable. Has anyone seen a review of multiple heatsinks (just the metal) all using the same fans? I ask because I want to know how getting a fan with higher static pressure changes the noise level and heat dissipation and would like to see this compared between multiple heatsinks. I know higher static pressure and higher CFM should increase cooling, but say one heat sink has its fins X mm apart and another 0.5X mm apart, what is the difference in noise level one should expect using a high airflow fan.

I really don't expect anyone to have done this in-depth of analysis, otherwise I feel like I would have found it by this point, but I figured it didn't hurt to ask somewhere other than the Google search bar. Thanks in advance for the replies.

[WoodenMarker]

Heatsinks are sometimes used to benchmark fans since the cpu temperature is a good indicator of how well the fan on the heatsink is performing. SPCR is a great place for these types of tests.

There are few fans with airflow or static pressure optimized variations where the only change is the fan blade or shroud design. A static pressure as opposed to airflow oriented design being louder isn't the only factor that determines fan noise either. The relationship of static pressure, airflow, and noise level also change depending on the speed of the fan and shape of the heatsink. 

Because of all the permutations of heatsink and fan combinations as well as fan speeds, needed cooling capacity, and target noise levels, it's near impossible to get this that type of guide that explains the relationship between different fan and heatsink designs.

Some of this research is already done when a manufacturer designs a cooler and it's one of the reasons why it makes a lot more sense to just compare heatsinks with their included fans deemed appropriate for the fin density. If cooling capacity is what you need, then there's no replacement for a large heatsink. If low noise is what you desire, look at some of SPCR's reviews where they hit target noise levels and report the corresponding temps. 

Heatsink fin density doesn't usually affect noise levels as much as the fan design anyway so a quiet fan will usually stay quiet.

[Casual_Sphinx]

The SPCR data looks interesting. I take your points about all the permutations and see why that data probably isn't readily available.