The main purpose of a heat sink is to expel heat from a generating source.

Heat sinks
work through the process of conductive and convection heat transfer. Heat sinks are a
passive form of cooling, as they have no moving parts and require no power. In most
cases, heat sinks are used in conjunction with fans. The effectiveness of a heat sink fan is
often measured in cubic feet per minute. The higher the flow rate, the more air will flow
across the heat sink and, therefore, better cooling. However, at higher flow rates usually
more noise is generated.

Advantages
- No Moving Parts
- Require no power
- Ideal for components which cannot be in contact with liquids.
- Quiet
Disadvantages
- Heat transfer capabilities
- Limited by ambient air temperature and convection as the final heat transfer method.

Links
http://www.pcguide.com/byop/byop_ThermalConductingCompoundTape.htm

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~allan/thermo/page5/page5.html

http://www.heatsink-guide.com/content.php?content=hdd.shtml

http://www.amd.com/us-
en/Processors/ComputingSolutions/0,,30_288_13265_13295%5E13333,00.html

http://www.systemcooling.com/review_index.html#liquidcooling