Evercool Transformer 4 Heatsink Review

Okay, so everything is installed.  My PC is back together, and is turned on.  Here is what I am going to be testing this heatsink on:

• AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.9Ghz 5600+  (check prices)
• Asus M4N82 Deluxe Motherboard (check AMD motherboards)
• 2GB DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz  (check prices)
• 1TB Western Digital SATA HDD  (check prices)
• Antec Twelve Hundred Black Tower Case (check prices)

The T4 takes up a lot of room

I am going to be running a stress test on my processor using Software Sandra, and this temperature will be my “load” temp.  My idle temperature is going to be how cool my PC is after sitting idle for half an hour.  I am leaving all the background programs running, as this is a real world test and most people have crap running in the background.  After half an hour of idle, my CPU temperature was around 40C with my usual heatsink, a stock heat-pipe build that came with my processor.  It is rated to cool all the way up to the 7000+ range.  I thought this was a pretty nice temperature, so I ran the stress test on the processor to see what would come up.  I got a steady 56C when all was said and done with.  A little high for my taste, but this is also without my usual fan setup as well.

Unusual idle temps, but performs better under load

Now we’ll check out how the T-4 compares under the same tests.  During the idle test, I was getting a steady 44C at the end.  Okay, that is completely unimpressive.  If a stock heatsink can beat a third party behemoth like the Transformer 4 then what good is it, really?  During the load test, the final reading was hovering around the 52C mark.  Not too bad, but why was it not able to keep the CPU cooler during the idle test?  Some of the reasons for this could be the low pressure of the quiet fans, or the efficiency of the heatpipes.  What is really puzzling is that the Titan Fenrir has a similar design and manages to outperform the T4.

As much as this heatsink is huge and capable of cooling a stressed dual-core under load, it is also a complete anomaly.  The fact that it was out-performed by a stock cooler during the idle test and then beat it during the stress test is just confusing.  Still a very good heatsink to have on your side when you are running your PC at full load, however.  But still, between those idle temps and the sheer weight, I still have my doubts.

	REPORT CARD : Evercool Transformer 4 CPU Heatsink category rating comments Quality 4 Good construction and materials, and good mounting materials. Innovation 3 The design is pretty standard Performance 4 Other heatsinks are able to outperform at idle temps, but does a much better job at load Installation 4 Requires motherboard removal, but it won’t be going anywhere.  Its weight and size may be a concern Value 3 Slightly cheaper than similar heatsinks.  You get good performance, but I’m a little wary of the idle temps. FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars