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Evercool Transformer 6 (EC-HPI-12025)


Date
: 01/18/09 – 09:59:42 PM

Author
:

Category
: Cooling

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: EVERCOOL Thermal Co., Ltd.

Evercool is a Taiwanese company which focuses on computer cooling products and accessories, with everything ranging from fans, heatsinks, to fan controllers.

The first of two almost identical CPU coolers I will be looking at, with the other one being the Titan Cool Idol, the
Evercool Transformer 6
is very similar to other heatpipe-based coolers in the market.

Page 2 : Package

The blue-colored, cube-shaped box the Transformer comes in is quite compact. It features a carrying handle at the top and a window at the front that allows a peek at a few aluminum heatpipes.

On another side of the box, there are several graphics showing the package contents as well as an illustrated installation guide for both LGA775 and AM2/754/939/940.

Compatibility information and specifications can be found on another side.

Finally, we have the features.

Before opening up the package, let us take a look at the features and specifications.

Page 3 : Features & Specifications

I went to Evercool's webpage for the Transformer 6, identified as ‘HPI-12025′, to get all the information.

Here are the features:

• 6 x Ø6 Heatpipe structure with 3 set of stylish aluminum fin design to provide the Ultimate efficient heat conductivity and dissipation.

• Using 12cm huge fan not only to dissipate the heat from
  CPU, also reduce the temperature from other components, like the memory and northbridge parts.

• With high and low fan speed control switch and special aseismatic structure to decrease the resonant frequency of the fan.
• The spectacular effects of SUS 430 stainless case and the transparent Blue color FAN with LED light to perform the workmanship and aesthetics quality.
• All IN ONE design to application for Intel P4 LGA775 & AMD K8 series.
• Easy to install for all users.

Compatibility information:

• Intel:

• Pentium 4 Socket T 505~571/620~672
• Pentium D Socket T 805~840/915~960
• Pentium 4 Processor Extreme Edition Socket T 3.73G
• Core 2 Duo Processor Socket T E4300~E8500
• Core 2 Extreme Processor Socket T QX6700/QX6850/QX9650
• Core 2 Quad Processor Socket Q6600~Q9550

• AMD:

• Athlon Phenom~9600/Phenom X3~8600/Athlon Phenom X4~9850
• Athlon 64 X2~4800+ /~6400+(AM2)
• Athlon 64 FX-51/53/55/57/60/62
• Opteron 140~154 / 240~256 / 840~890
• Dual-Core Opteron 165~180 / 265~290 / 865~890
• Second-Generation AMD OpteronTM 1210~1222
• Sempron ~3800+

Specifications:

Based on the dimensions, the Transformer 6 shouldn't be too large. The 120mm fan is billed to have a noise level of 23 dBA at 1200 RPM and 30 dBA at 1800 RPM. It is compatible with most modern sockets, including LGA775 (socket T), AM2, 939, 940, AM2, and 754.

Let's move on to the contents.

Page 4 : Package Contents

The Transformer 6 is packed very well.

There is a plastic frame that holds all the contents in securely.

It holds the heatsink and fan in it while the mounting hardware is packaged separately.

Moving on to the actual cooler, we can see a lot of chrome. I misjudged the size of the cooler earlier – it is very large. The Evercool and Transformer 6 logos adorn the sides.

The other sides show off the heatpipes – four on one side and two on the other.

Based on the bottom view of the heatsink, we can see that it consists of two distinct sections. Two of the heatpipes go into the smaller bottom set of fins while the remaining four heatpipes are attached to the larger hood-shaped set of fins on top.

At the top, we can see the 120mm fan, also chromed. A nice touch is that the fan is mounted to the fins using rubber posts to minimize vibrations. The cable is sleeved and is terminated in a 3-pin connector.

Turning the cooler over, we can remove the plastic protection from the heatsink's copper base. The heatpipes are sandwiched between the copper base and another aluminum block. It does not have a true mirror finish but is very flat.

Overall, based on the size of the cooler, I would expect decent cooling. However, there may be some issues with installation given the width and overhang of the fins.

Page 5 : Installation

I'll be installing the Evercool Transformer 6 on my Biostar TF7150U-M7 motherboard, which has an LGA775 socket.

As with most heatsinks, you are going to have to remove your motherboard from the case to install.

With the CPU installed and locked, use some of the included Dowcorning TC-5026 thermal compound.

Remove the protective plastic from the heatsink's base, then align the cooler over the CPU in the orientation you prefer (or one that allows the fins to clear other components). Then use the base to spread the thermal paste around.

Now, flip the motherboard over while holding down the heatsink in place.

Use the included mounting hardware and screws to secure the heatsink to the motherboard.

There is a sleek fan speed control knob on the cable itself, a nice touch. The cable is sleeved and terminates in a typical 3-pin fan header.

I had clearance issues in all positions but one. Even the final position I chose had a slight problem with the heatpipes bumping into the motherboard's chipset heatsink.

Overall, the cooler looks nice when installed. The overhang covers a lot of components and should, in theory, provide cooling to them. It is, however, a bit heavy.

Page 6 : Testing & Performance

I will be measuring the CPU temperature at both stock and overclocked speeds and at the lowest and highest fan speeds. Temperature measurements were taken using Lavalys Everest Home Edition 2.20. Idle measurements were taken with the computer idling at the desktop for 2 hours and no CPU or hard drive intensive programs, such as antivirus software, running. Load temperatures for the CPU were taken while running SP2004 Orthos for 2 hours three times and taking the average.

The ambient temperature was about 25ºC throughout all the tests.

First up we have the CPU temperatures at 1.86 GHz.

Immediately apparent is that the Transformer 6 affords a slight advantage over Intel's stock cooler. Even with the fan speed set to the lowest position, it outperforms the stock cooler. At the high fan speed, the cooling is slightly more pronounced.

We have a similar story with the 2.33 GHz temperatures. Although the overall temperatures are higher, the rankings are very similar with the Transformer 6 (and its twin the Titan Cool Idol) performing slightly better than the Intel stock cooler.

With the fan speed at the lowest setting (1200 RPM, 23 dBA), there is still some vibration and noise that can be detected. At the highest speed (1800 RPM, 30 dBA), the sound becomes annoying. Based on the results obtained, I would opt to run the fan at the lowest speed given that the cooling gains of increasing the speed do not make too much of a difference. The increased noise is just not worth the minor cooling advantage.

Page 7 : Conclusion

I have several thoughts regarding the Evercool Transformer 6. It seems that every heatsink out there is based on heatpipes and in this case, we have six of them! Though heatpipes are excellent ways to transfer heat, it is actually the job of the fins to dissipate it away from the cooler and ultimately, the CPU. I am not entirely convinced that the fin design of this cooler results in efficient cooling. Based on the tests, it was slightly better than Intel's stock cooler but not by much. Given the large size of the cooler, I would have expected a larger airflow cross section through the fins. Also, a cross-flow orientation would have been more efficient instead of blowing the heat back down towards other components.

However, disregarding the performance aspects, the cooler looks elegant albeit somewhat large, asymmetrical and unbalanced. The finish looks nice, installation is extremely easy, and even the fan wire is sleeved.

With that said, the Evercool Transformer 6 as its design, and ultimately its performance, could be improved.

Advantages:

• Better-than-stock performance

• Easy installation
• Good overall package

Disadvantages:

• Design could be improved

Overclockers Online would like to thank Evercool for making this review possible.