Quiet cool and inexpensive!

We test as many CPU coolers as we can because you just can't ever have enough cooling in any system. So today we are testing the Evercool Transformer 4 CPU cooler on our brand new rig to see how it cools that. This CPU cooler has four heat-pipes with large aluminum fins to cool effectively.

We will not be able to compare the results of the results from this test with our previous CPU cooler tests because of our new test system. We upgraded the motherboard, CPU, memory and video card so the results are expected to be different. The rig is more powerful so a more powerful cooling system is needed. Let's see how the Transformer 4 performs.

LOOK AND FEEL

The Transformer 4 comes in a clear plastic packaging that give you a clear view of the the contents inside (the cooler itself). Inside the package you will find two 120mm cooling fans, the Transformer 4 heatsink itself, AMD and Intel installation hardware, a back plate and thermal compound. The heat sink itself has is made of aluminum fins with copper heat-pipes that go from the base and through the fins. There are two 120mm silver cooling fans that affix on either side of the heat-sink to cool your CPU. The cooler weighs about 845 grams--not too heavy. The fans are silver/chrome, the same as the aluminum fins so they blend in to give a nice and sleek look.

(click image to enlarge)

TEST SYSTEM

INSTALLATION

First of all, you need to remove you old CPU cooler and all related hardware from your motherboard and clean the surface of the CPU (you may need to remove the back-plate too). Attach the HPJ backplate (with six holes) on the back of your motherboard and bolt it on with the supplied bolts with washers (white). Remove the sticker at the bottom of heatsink, and put the “I” shaped bracket in notch of the heatsink. Apply a little bit of thermal grease on the center of the CPU and place the heatsink on the center of the CPU while aiming at the holes of the bolt (I would recommend that you remove the fans before starting the installation). Then use the supplied nuts to secure the heatsink in place (make sure to tighten the nuts together so you don't damage anything). Then just install the two fans using the fan clips and plug in the power connectors (you can choose to use just one fan if you want). By the way, do not use any kind of tools to tighten the nuts (thumb nuts) that fasten the heatsink to the motherboard (this is to prevent over tightening). Install the motherboard back in the case and install any other necessary component that you removed (video card, memory, etc). Now you are done and ready to use this.

(click image to enlarge)

TEST METHOD

First, I will test the system at idle by leaving it sitting for 1 hour. Then I will perform a load test using CPU Burn-in v1.01 for 1 hour also. I will use Gigabyte's EasyTune 6 (ET6) utility to monitor the temperatures. I will then install the Transformer 4 CPU cooler and perform the above tests again. Then we will compare the Stock heatsink and Transformer 4 test results to see how much improvement we actually get. I will not be able to compare with any other CPU cooler because this is a totally different test system.

RESULTS

So, looking at the results, we can clearly see that while the Transformer 4 is obviously way better than the stock as expected. On idle the stock heatsink kept the CPU temperature at 51^oC and the Transformer kept it at 42^oC. On load, the stock heatsink kept the CPU running at 86^oC where the Transformer lowered it down to 70^oC. So at both idle and load the Transformer 4 ran the CPU well below 10^oC cooler than the stock. This is excellent improvement for the everyday user and it also give you room to overclock a little bit if you wanted.

(click image to enlarge)

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Evercool Transformer 4 CPU cooler is a very good choice for any low to mid range computer setup, specially a budget system. Performance is really good and the fans are very quiet. The overall installation was fairly easy but not as easy as one would expect (I am very spoiled by Noctua). The fan provides awesome cooling even if you overclock your CPU a little. The cooler performed very well in all our tests and it beat the AMD stock cooler as expected. I would highly recommend this CPU cooler for anyone looking to cool their budget system and get the best value for their money. A quick search online reveals that you can buy one of these Transformer 4 CPU coolers for well under $40 USD. I am giving this CPU cooler 4 out of 5 because of the performance and low noise. I am also presenting it with our Best Buy award because it is worth every penny you spend on it.

DETAILS AND SPECIFICATIONS :