Do heatsink material differences matter?

[huesmann]

Originally posted by: WarCon
I think a big key that is often overlooked is surface area when your dealing with conduction to air. And not just the ruler measurements. A rough surface can have significantly more surface area than a polished shiny one. I believe that is why aluminum is thought to conduct heat better to the air as it is typically a rough surface in its finished state. Copper heatsink manufacturers need to find an easy way of roughing up or grooving copper fins for the next stage of heatsink improvement (or thats where I would be trying to improve as it involves little or no extra material costs).

I would just brush both sides of each "fin" of a sink like the SLK-800 with a wire brush to create a little more surface area. If I could.

 

[Mist]

Oh, now that seems a good idea, very do-able too.

I'm going to give that a shot.

Michael.