If there’s one common hobby among gaming enthusiasts today, it’s case modding. Because hardcore gamers love to LAN together and just like the racing scene, appearance is as important as performance. So what can you slap inside to give your computer that racy edge and make the most of the brand new window view in your case?
Welcome to the next generation of cooling and just damned cool. Introducing the Transformer 6 from Evercool. Featuring a copper base, heat-pipe technology, aluminum fins and a design that looks ready to destroy, the Transformer is more than meets the eye. Or is it? I’ll find that one out for myself. Just sit back and watch the master work.
This highly compatible heatsink/fan combo comes to us from those Connoisseurs of Cooling over at Evercool. Not readily available in the US, this heatsink might be a little bit of a challenge to land your hands on, but the visual effects are nothing short of beautiful. Although some might find it bland or even uninteresting, any fan of the robotic genre is going to discover that the Transformer 6 has a certain appeal to it.
Here are some of its specs:
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And here are the compatible processors:
| INTEL | AMD |
| • 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/x6800/Qx6850/QX9650 • Core 2 Quad Processor Socket T Q6600-Q9550 |
• Athlon Phenom -9600/Phenom X3 -8600/Athlon Phenom X4 -9850 • Athlon 64 X2 -4800+/-6400+ (AM2) • Athlon 64 -4800+ • Athlon 64 FX-51/53/55/57/60/62 • Opteron 140-154/ 240-256/ 840-856 • Dual-Core Opteron 165-180/265-290/865-890 • Second-Generation AMD Opteron 1210-1222 • Sempron 3800+ |
Alright, now that the attack of numbers on our cerebellums’ is over, we can take a look inside the box and see what we are working with. Once you open the box you are confronted with a large plastic clamshell that houses the heatsink combo and the box of components. You will notice there is a piece of foam stuck in between the upper and lower fins of the heatsink. This is for shock absorbency and to prevent bending of the heatpipes.
Don’t forget to remove this prior to installing your heatsink. Take out the heatsink and set it to the side. You’re left with a 6×6” box that contains everything you need to make this monster fit your machine.
Inside the component kit is:
- Retention Holder for Intel P4 / LGA 775
- Screws for P4 Retention Holder
- Clip for AMD K8
- Retention Holder for AMD K8
- Speed Control (Silent/Powerful)
- Thermal Compound
Okay. You have everything you need. Now for the installation. Unfortunately, the T6 did require me to remove my motherboard from the case. Which is always a pain in the ass considering how much crap I have jammed in there. But you gotta do what you gotta do to please the technology Gods.
After removing my motherboard, I found installation of the heatsink fairly simple. Attach the retention holder, screw or clip the heatsink into place, plug the heatsink into the fan control, then the control into the CPU power source. Then the long process of getting your mobo back inside the case without breaking stuff. Which is something I seem to have a knack for.
I am using my household daily driver for this test. It has a mediocre CPU and basic RAM, so any load heats it up. It is sporting an Athlon 3800+ 1600Ghz processor, 2GB Elixer RAM, and a 320 GB Barracuda HD. May not seem like much, but you would be surprised what this little puppy can dish out when gaming or editing video.
So installation wasn’t a huge stress, but getting the motherboard in and out usually is. For me, this is points lost for the T6, but maybe it can get those points back in the performance round. I started my computer and let it idle for twenty minutes. After that I casually played World of Warcraft while a couple of processes ran in the background for extra heat.
After an hour or so I decided to play F.E.A.R for a while and give the heatsink time to really show its stuff. This game automatically adjust settings to what your computer can handle, so it takes full advantage of everything you have while running.
After an hour of game play I stopped the game long enough to take heat readings on the processor. Then I played for a little while longer. You know, just for safety’s sake. I would hate to think I didn’t do a good enough job of testing it by cutting my game short. At the end of it all I was getting a steady reading of around 32 degrees Celsius during moderate use, and 51 degrees Celsius during heavy use. This comes out to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit during heavy use.
This may seem pretty high, but on such a minimal load CPU that is taking the load of such a high graphics game, this is actually a damned good temp. On the chart I show comparison with some other after-market heatsinks that were put through the same trial. The Transformer 6 stood up quite well in its own right.
My conclusion. The design was a great surprise considering some of the ugly heatsinks that are hitting the market today. The mirror finish on the fan with the blue LED’s gave it that extra spark. It’s performance was well above average.
Although I found it was pretty damned bulky, it actually fit in my case with no problem and didn’t block any of my key components. I think that the heat pipe scene has begun to wear on the general public, as it’s all we’ve seen over the last year or so. But the unique design of the T6 gave heat pipes a more incorporated look instead of just looking like a dull component that is meant to do a job and that be that.
For the true gamer, I don’t see any reason not to invest in this heatsink. It will keep your processor cool during hardcore action, and has a one-of-a-kind appeal.
I did find one peeve with the T6. And unfortunately it is a big one for me. Having to take the motherboard out of the case is not the sort of thing I get all cheery about. So if you do decide you want this particular heatsink… Might I recommend getting it around the time you get a new case? That way you have a real reason for moving all your crap around.
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