Quote Originally Posted by shendog View Post
I've come across very heavy heatsinks in a bunch of servers that "appear" to be aluminum (in color), but are obviously too heavy. I figured they were a type of coated copper, as other metals would not conduct the heat as well. Can anyone confirm if these are indeed copper, or what other type of metal they may be. As stated, they look just like a normal heat sink with a solid base and fins above, but the weight tells me they are something besides aluminum.
The base is tinned copper (#2 copper value) The fins are aluminum. An air chisel with a wide straight bit will knock the fins loose in a few seconds. Well worth the time. You can verify that it is copper with a grinder or a drill bit as the coating isn't very thick. These heat sinks are fairly common in older Dell and HP servers.