The Evercool Formula 2 VGA Cooler looks almost identical to their Turbo2 Cooler. Both are coolers with copper bases, dual heatpipes, and aluminum fins and have a similar mass. The Turbo2 was well reviewed several years ago, when video cards were not nearly as demanding as they are today. Back then the average video card was an ATI X1800 or nVidia 6800
The industry has moved on. You can now find cards for $40 that easily overpower these cards from several years ago, and produce very little heat when compared to their older cousins. These “entry-level” cards are a perfect candidtate for the Formula 2 VGA cooler. This cooler is not a good match for the latest and greatest power-hungry (and heat-producing cards) like the GeForce 260 and ATI 4870. The cooler just can’t keep up with the heat demands.
While the fan is relatively silent, but the use of a standard 3-pin fan plug means that you will likely lose the auto-cooling features built into many video cards. The fan will be running at the same speed all the time, so you must make a choice of throttling it down or leave it full-blast. It’s up to you whether you miss this feature or not.
Regardless of the performance issues of this heatsink, I was somewhat disappointed with its overall build. The copper base and mounting mechanism are very solid and are well constructed, as are the copper heatpipes that have been nickel-plated. I can understand the choice of aluminum fins, as they reduce weight and help keep costs down. What I can’t wrap my head around is why Evercool used fake chrome on the plastic cover. I just can’t take this cooler seriously.
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