With the fan removed from the NT05 shroud, we can get a better idea of just how small the actual heat sink really is. The fins and surface area is just a tad smaller than my Vantec Tornado fan!
On the side of the fins, you will find that each fin has a couple of folds which help keep them away from each other. Looking at these folds, you can see that the fins are actually somewhat shiny in appearance. There are three copper heat pipes that run through the fins. The start at the top of one side, run down the fins, across the copper base and then back up the other side through the fins again.
From the top, you can see that the closure tips of the heat pipes do not make complete contact with the top few fins. This is due to the shroud having removed available space for the tips to stick out. I would have liked to have seen full contact here. The Cooler Master Hyper TX simply allowed the tips to rise above their shroud. The top also enhances the view of the channeled cuts in the aluminum fins.
Looking at the base of the NT05, we see that the copper fins are actually very small and do not follow across the entire surface. Though I am not a thermal engineer by any means, I wonder extending the copper fins across the entire surface would help in the cooling of the processor. From these shots you can kind of make out the solder that holds the heat pipes on. This is the only retention of the heat pipes to the base.
