Kingwin Revolution H.D.T. Cooler

Here is what exposed heatpipes look like.  In a normal heatpipe cooler the heatpipes are sandwiched in between an aluminum or copper billet.  The thinking with the standard design is a more flush contact area so more heat can be pulled off the processor and then be transferred to the heatpipes for dissipation.  With the HDT (Heatpipe Direct Touch) as the name implies, the middle man is cut out so to say.  Thermal energy is pulled off the processor directly by the heatpipes so in theory you have a more efficient cooler.  I'm as anxious as you to test this to rule out if HDT is a marketing "gimmick".  

Before we move on to testing, check out the fan's mounting to the cooler body.  Four rubber pins provide a vibration free mount that is secure and promises to help in the quest for quiet.

Installation

Mounting the Kingwin Revolution is a quick and easy affair.  No motherboard removal is necessary as the Revolution makes use of LGA775's standard push pins and AMD's lug mounts.  We ran into no size or access issues with installation time being less than that of installing a CD-ROM.

Performance

For comparison today, we are going to use our venerable Tt MaxOrb with its fan speed set to low.  By our using the same comparison cooler in our heatsink reviews you can more easily extrapolate one cooler review to another here at the OC Cafe'.  Both coolers will be installed and run five times by placing our Core 2 Duo processor cores at 100% load by way of SiSoft Sandra's XI Burn In Module for 30 minutes with a final temperature reading taken at the end.  The highest and lowest results will be thrown out and the remaining three will be averaged and graphed.  ThermalRight Chill Factor Thermal Paste will be used in all tests.   Ambient room temperature at time of testing remained within one half a degree of 23.2 degrees C. 

NOTE: Testing in this review is done with our system mounted in a case instead of the open rack set up we usually use.

Results

 

Jeez Louise!  HDT is no joke.  I honestly expected performance along the lines of the Sunbeam Silent Whisper just from the looks of the Kingwin Revolution but I could not have been more wrong.  The Kingwin Revolution just knocked off our favorite cooler in the house by a full two degrees Celsius.  Talk about a sleeper.  This is some cooler!

Conclusion

The no nonsense design of the Kingwin Revolution lulls you into thinking that there is nothing special here.  Don't be fooled as we were.  After our first round of tests we removed and rechecked everything on both coolers to be sure there wasn't something wrong.  A $30 cooler just knocked off one of the best performing sinks ever to come in the shop.  We just couldn't believe it.  We believe it now though.  The Heatpipe Direct Touch design is here to stay.  The performance boost was flat incredible.  What's more is that it's a performance boost that is less expensive to produce than the standard design.  More powerful and lower priced cooling is what HDT brings to the table.  I fully expect this design to be what all cooling manufacturers to migrate to. 

Kingwin adds to the performance with the $30 price tag and the silent operation of its fan and fan mounting.  Rubber fan mounts mean major vibration dampening and the 92mm fan even when at its max speed (2700RPM here) it was only faintly audible.  What more can you ask for with a cooler?  If your next upgrade is air cooling, HDT is what you want and Kingwin brings it to the table at a very reasonable price.

Pros

• Revolutionary performance

• Near silent operation

• Rubber mounted fan

• $30 price tag

• Air foil allows some mainboard cooling

• Intel and AMD application

• Installation without mainboard removal

• Exhaust can be directed toward rear case fan or PSU fan

Cons

• None

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