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Evercool CUD-725 Heatsink & Kingwin KCU-725 Manufacturer: Evercool
Technology Co., Kingwin
Corporation By Dean Barker (1/26/2002)
Introduction
It
is not often that we review two different companies’ coolers in the same
review but today is different. Earlier
in the week when I sat down with several boxes of new heatsinks to test out,
something odd hit me. The Evercool
CUD-725 and the Kingwin KCU-725 were the exact same heatsink save for a label on
top of the fan. A quick e-mail from
Kingwin
clarified things. Evercool and Kingwin
are a partnership company, hence the same products but under different product
names; CUD-725 and the KCU-725. I also noticed that Titan has a few sinks
that are identical to Evercool/Kingwin so maybe its a three way. Who knows
but when you get right down to it, price and performance is what really matters
so lets get down to it. Thanks to Evercool
and Kingwin
for the two review samples we have up on the bench today.
Both coolers have a very noticeable shine about them. The 725s are from the trend of solid copper construction. The polished mirror like finish gets your attention right off the bat because not only is it the base that is so shiny you can read by its reflection but so are the sides AND the clip. Yes the clip is also made of shiny polished copper. The heatsink’s shape is similar to the Titan TTC-D5TB / Kingwin KAE 8025. On the 725s there are a total of 26 fins (including the sides) that radiate out from the 55mm wide base to 70mm at the top. Having only 26 fins is almost unique anymore being that microfin technology has taken such a firm hold of heatsink design. Microfin technology is a natural mate for heatsinks constructed of copper because of copper’s thermal properties. Copper has a higher thermal capacity than say aluminum but it doesn’t dissipate that same thermal energy as quickly as other metals. That’s why you see companies utilizing whatever they can to assist in the dissipation of heat from these solid copper sinks i.e. microfins, Delta fans, etc.
The 5 mm thick base of the 725s as we noted earlier, is a thing of beauty. The Evercool and the Kingwin are both true “shavers.” The base is 54mm x 62mm. It is unclear if the fins and the base are cut from a single piece of metal. There are some imperfections that are barely apparent at the bottom of each fin where it connects to the base. To be honest with you, I could not tell if this was from the sink's molding or from fins being set in place and attached as separate units. Superficially no gaps were evident, which is the important thing.
The clip was a bit of a surprise. Its design was of the standard variety with a small catch on each end to provide a pry point for a screwdriver during installation. What was not standard was the material used to make the clip. Never have I seen a copper clip. Not only was it copper but it was also polished to a high shine as were the base and the sink’s sides. Using the clip during installation didn’t present any special problems or advantages. Sitting on top of each 725 is a 70 x 70 x 25mm blower. It is nice to see more companies giving 70mm fans a try. More air flow at a lower noise level can’t be wrong. This fan is rated at moving 42.08 CFM at 4,200 RPM while only generating 32 dBA of sound. This is compared to your typical Black Label 7k RPM Delta that only moves 38 CFM but does so at an tooth jarring 46 dBA. This fan choice is a welcome one.
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pages Copyright © 2000 - 2008 by R. Dean Barker.
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