Evercool Transformer 3 CPU Cooler Review

Today we are going to examine the Evercool Transformer 3 CPU cooler. The cooler is a tower style heatsink that uses direct touch heatpipe technology to increase it's performance capabilities and it is compatible with both AMD and Intel processors. Today we will be conducting our testing on the AMD AM3 platform. Before we go any further we thought now would be a good time to give you some background on Evercool, as we have never focused on them before. EVERCOOL has pursued sustainable management as its operating principle since it sold Intel 386 CPU Coolers in 1994. The head office is located in Taipei, and the factory in Dong Guang is around 25,000 square meters. There are nearly 500 employees in EVERCOOL, and the maximum production capacity is 2KK DC Fans and 1KK Coolers. During more than 15 years of business, EVERCOOL has gradually moved from original equipment manufacturer to own brand development. The five beliefs: innovation, quality insistence, perfect facilities, competitive price and accurate lead-time ensure EVERCOOL providing of good services and products with good quality to clients, and build a dependable customer loyalty as well. EVERCOOL can be separated into two words: “ever” and “cool” which means that EVERCOOL products will always avoid computers’ overheating by keeping them cold. The slogan of EVERCOOL is “The Aesthetics of Heat Dispersion”, which refers to the addition of aesthetics into the cooling product design. This concept makes EVERCOOL products different and stylish. In addition, the positive feedback from our clients is the motive power that encourages EVERCOOL to continue with its design innovation. The Evercool Transformer 3 is a tower style heatsink with 3 direct touch heatpipes and is compatible with a broad selection of both Intel and AMD processors. This tower type of CPU cooler design is very popular in 2011. The Transformer 3 is packaged in a multi-color cardboard outer shell. The front of the package has an area cut out of the center showing off the silver 120mm fan. The back of the box has a rather lengthy list of Intel and AMD CPU's that the Transformer 3 is currently compatible with. Both sides of the package have information and images pertaining to specifications and feature set of the Transformer 3. After emptying the box of all the contents we have the heatsink and 120mm fan, a quick installation guide, and a small white box containing a tube of thermal paste and the various types of mounting hardware needed to complete the installation. Evercool advised us that this cooler will be available for a very modest $26 USD. At this price the Evercool Transformer 3 will be a viable option for the modest overclocking market. Features: *Three 6mm V shape heat pipes and the special fin design effectively increases airflow and cooling performance. *Equipped with a 12cm PWM fan to provide silence and good performance; one additional fan can also be added. *Shock absorption rubber nail design reduces both vibration and noise. *It is compatible with Intel and AMD. Evercool uses their own design EC12025H12EP fan with the Transformer 3. The 12V, 0.32A, 120mm fan is painted an aluminum color and it operates at speeds between 800 RPM and 2,200 RPM. The front on view of the Transformer 3 gives us a great look at this 160mm tall tower style heatsink. In the center of the block is the small standoff that is there to provide stability when using the AM3 mounting bracket. The side view of the Transformer 3 gives us a look at the 3 heat pipes as they enter the block and also provides a good perspective of how tall the tower really is. The base of the Transformer 3 allows us to better view the quality of the H.D.T Tech (Heat pipe Direct Touch). The base is very flat and there are no visible gaps between the heat pipes and the remainder of the block. The build standards are excellent, considering the $25 asking price. The top view shows the product logo placed in the center of the top aluminum fin. The top of each heat pipe has been finished with a glossy chrome paint to enhance the finished look of the Transformer 3. Before we can install the Transformer 3 with an AMD system the 4 mounting brackets must be removed from the base of the heatsink. The only thing required for an AMD installation is the single retention bracket pictured above. The bracket slides between the bottom row of aluminum fins and the base of the heatsink. There is a small post on the block of the heatsink to provide stability for the bracket. In order to attach the fan to the Transformer 3, Evercool uses rubber standoffs that they refer to as 'rubber nails'. The rubber nails slide into a grove that has been cut out of the aluminum fins. Once all 4 have been positioned we then direct the pointed ends through the fans mounting holes and pull them through far enough to make the fan secure. To install the Transformer 3 we need to position the base of the heatsink over the CPU and secure it in place using the AMD retention bracket. The install is very straightforward and should not prove to be troublesome. Once we secure the Transformer 3 we discovered that the fins of the heatsink extend out over the first ram slot. On the Asus board we used for our installation photo purposes, the low profile DDR III fits unobstructed under the bottom row of fins which allows the use of all four ram slots. The stick closest to the Transformer 3 may require removal of the heatsink should it need to be replaced. After we moved the heatsink into out test system the first RAM slot can not be used due to the height of the heat spreader on the G-Skill memory. Intel Installation: The 2 images above are for those users that will be using the Transformer 3 with an Intel CPU. Today we are going to test the Evercool Transformer 3 with the AMD PII X6 1090T Black Edition CPU. The AMD PII X6 1090T Black Edition ships at 3.2ghz but can hit 4.0 GHz (and above) when paired with the right cooler. We like to try and mirror ‘realistic’ conditions when possible, so instead of the open bench concept, we are mounting the build inside the NZXT Phantom Chassis. Room ambient temperatures were maintained at a steady 20c throughout testing. AMD System: Processor: AMD PII X6 1090T Black Edition Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD80 Thermal Paste: Evercool Thermal paste Power Supply: Corsair HX 850W Chassis: NZXT Phantom Memory: GSkill RipJaws DDR3 1600mhz 4GB Cas 9-9-9-24- 1T Graphics Card: Sapphire 6950 2 GB (Unlocked Shaders 1536 unified) Validation Link We were able to boot into windows and get a CPU-z validation link with no trouble. When we were testing for stability with our 1090T at 4.0 GHz our load temperatures were too close to the suggested maximum operating temperature of 62C so we settled for a more modest speed of 3.6 GHz for our testing. There are several different apps out there that will load a processor to the max while running through a series of complicated calculations. For today’s testing we are going to use the latest version of IntelBurn Test. IntelBurn Test 2.5 is a program that simplifies the usage of Intel(R) Linpack. Linpack by Intel(R) is an extremely stressful program that will bring even the most powerful X86/X64 CPU in the world to its knees. Our first testing was handled with the built in PWM controlling fan speeds. At the stock speed of 3.2 GHz the Transformer 3 recorded a temperature of 25c when our system was in an idle state, and topped out at 45c under full load. This was 3c cooler than the default AMD heatsink when idle and 7c cooler under load. When compared at stock speed to the larger 4 heatpipe Arctic Freezer 13 Pro it was only 3c hotter when the system was loaded. Once we overclocked the CPU to 3.6GHz our idle temperature increased 2c but remained at a respectable 27c. Under load the Transformer 3 hit 50c , a full 6c cooler than the reference AMD heatpipe cooler. Now we re-test the coolers with the fan speed set to maximum settings. If we look at the chart above temperatures decreased by 2c or 3c in most cases. With the system idle and at stock speed the Transformer 3 temperature was 25c and that only increased by 1c when overclocked to 3.6 GHz. Under load with the fan at full speed the Transformer 3 reduced temperatures by 2c, maxing out at 48c. The EverCool Transformer 3 is a tower style heatsink that uses H.D.T. Tech (Heatpipe Direct Touch) to draw heat directly away from the CPU. The design incorporates three 6mm heatpipes that dissipate heat by distributing it across multiple rows of aluminum fins. The package includes an Evercool branded 120mm variable speed fan that operates between 800 rpm and the maximum speed of 2,200 rpm. We started out shooting for 4.0 GHz as our overclocking goal. We know that this AMD 1090T is capable of those speeds, but it's no easy task with increased voltage and demands a capable cooler. Much to our surprise we reached 4.0 GHz and received a validation link. Unfortunately we were close to exceeding the recommended maximum operating temperature when fully loaded so we backed down a little. It's hard to fault a $25 cooler for struggling with an AMD PII X6 1090T Black Edition CPU overclocked to 4.0 GHz. Adding a second fan could very well be all that is needed to reach stability at higher speeds. After testing the Evercool Transformer 3 we are happy with the performance and the installation is really simple on the AMD platform. If you are a modest overclocker or just want to improve the stock cooling then the Transformer 3 is a good, low cost choice. However, if you are looking to push the processor to the absolute limits then this isn't the cooler for you. If we were to fault anything it would be the rubber nails used for mounting the fan. We have mixed feelings because while they are a bit of a pain to attach they do lower vibrational noise. Overall, while the performance is far from the best on the market, we feel that at the $25 price point it's a product definitely worth buying. Currently we have not been able to find the Evercool Transformer 3 in any online shop but once we do we will add links to the vendors. Pros: Good price. decent cooler and better than reference cooler. easy installation. Cons: Isn't hardcore enough for pushing to maximum speeds. Another fan would help. Kitguru says: A great low cost cooler and a clear step up from the AMD reference design