DHC CONFIGURATIONS

3rd Generation Design
The DHC is available with a new 3rd generation design that has been significantly updated with the following revisions for improved cooling performance, especially with long-duration and high-intensity workloads:

• Up to 96% deeper cooling fin air channels and thinner thermally conductive coupling plate for increased cooling surface area and improved heatsink cooling.
• 23% thinner thermally conductive material assembly for reduced impedance and improved heat transfer from the laptop to heatsink.
• Angled vertical cooling air channels for improved internal processor cooling when used with the optional Fx Cooling Fan and laptops that include a center intake vent, such as the 2021-2023 MacBook Pros (M2/M1 Pro/Max), 2012-2015 MacBook Pros (Intel Retina) and 2010-2017 MacBook Airs (Intel non-Retina)

2nd Generation Design
Both the 3rd and 2nd generations include curving cutouts in the front horizontal air channel for improved airflow and heatsink cooling.

Aluminum Color and Finish
The DHC’s aluminum heatsink is available in gray, black and silver anodize colors (as shown in the above photo). There are different strategies for color selection, such as selecting the color that matches a laptop or selecting a color for improved heat transfer. If you want to select a matching color then the gray is similar to Apple’s Space Gray, the black is similar to Apple’s Midnight, and the silver is similar to Apple’s Silver. If you want higher heatsink performance, then a darker color will offer a slight improvement, such as gray compared to silver, and black offering the best. Each selection strategy is valid and depends on the customer’s priorities.

All colors are finished by hand with a heavy DA-sanding and heavy bead-blasting to produce a more even and consistent surface with a deeply textured matte finish optimized for increased surface area, improved heat transfer to passive/active airflows, and improved radiant heat transfer.

Aluminum docks are anodized in weekly batches by model and color, so the listed “est. build lead time” can fluctuate and might differ between colors based on the anodize schedule and based on estimated order build lead time.

Optional Fx Cooling Fan Accessory
The DHC has been designed to work with the optional Fx Cooling Fan accessory that boosts heatsink cooling, as well as providing direct internal processor cooling on 2021-2023 MacBook Pros (M2/M1 Pro/Max), 2012-2015 MacBook Pros (Intel Retina) and 2010-2017 MacBook Airs (Intel non-Retina). The separate Fx Cooling Fan design moves more air with less noise, while also allowing the heatsink to be as large as possible with the most thermal mass and cooling surface area. The new 3rd generation DHCR features new angled vertical and horizontal cooling air channels that direct more airflow for improved internal laptop processors.

The Fx is sold at or below our cost to offer customers a quiet compact desk fan made from high-quality materials with full right-to-repair modularity. The Fx can be bundled with the DHC or purchased separately later. The Fx comes in multiple fan configurations.

The Fx is available with a three fan kit for customers to select the best fan for their setup. The B16 can be used for baseline always-on ultra-quiet cooling. The W20 offers more aggressive hi-airflow cooling that can be used in less noise sensitive environments or switched on/off as needed. The R17 is pre-installed for a good balance between audio and cooling performance.

The Fx is also available with a black B22 variable speed fan that covers the full range of ultra-quiet to hi-airflow cooling performance. The B22 is a high-end Noctua NF-A8 PWM chromax.black.swap fan that is controlled with Noctua’s NA-FC1 PWM dial-variable speed controller.

The two above fan configurations include front and back black anodized fan supports, front and back black metal fan screen, mounting fasteners, fan 2/3/4-pin fan adapter with on/off switch, 12 volt power supply (fixed for North America and multi-plug for other locations) and hex key for right-to-repair disassembly.

Future Configurations
The Cooling Fan Fx can be order separately in the future, and the Fx’s bolt and snap modular system allows for easy fan exchange through accessories, and will work with any standard 80x80mm fan. We also offer a variety of upgrade options to our customers.