Akasa Evo 120 Heat Pipe Cooler

Performance

I'm not particularly surprised that the Akasa Evo performed quite well.  The Idle temperature dropped noticeably from the stock cooler, as did the Load temperatures.  One of the biggest improvements was the noise level.  The testing was done with the fan running just about in the middle of it's available settings.  The only noise that I can hear coming out of my case is the Power Supply fan.  Even when the Evo's big 120mm fan is turned all the way up, the noise is barely audible.  Also, turning it up gives us approximately another two degree temperature drop under load.  The Akasa Evo averaged 52C under load, never hitting over 55C.  The Idle temperature was around an average of 33C, and never broke 36C. 

Conclusion

Although I encountered some problems installing this cooler due to my obvious inability to read a manual, once I figured out where the problem was, installation was very easy.  The motherboard did have to be removed, but that was a minor setback, and only took a few minutes.  The only other problem was getting the removable mainboard tray back into the case after the cooler was installed.  It may even be easier to install the cooler itself after putting the removable mainboard tray back in.

Putting this cooler to the test was a pleasant surprise.  The temperatures were noticeably lower than with the stock Intel cooler, and they were rock solid.  There was very little variance.  The noise reduction from this cooler was also a very welcome change.  After getting the Akasa Evo up and running, the temperatures can speak for themselves.  We want to extend our thanks to Sidewinder Computers for making this review possible.

Pros

• Large 120mm fan produces very little noise

• Installation was simple

• Good Performance

• Fits Intel P4 Socket 478, AMD Athlon64 and Opteron processors

• Solid construction

• Provided Thumb Screws a welcome addition

Cons

• Motherboard must be removed for installation

• BIG

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