Kingwin RVT-9225: Budget priced cooling results in budget performance
by Matt Campbell on July 16, 2008 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Overclocking
Some users buy aftermarket coolers to quiet down their system, but many are seeking performance gains in the area of overclocking. In the days of shoddy Intel HSFs, a quality aftermarket cooler could equal double-digit percentage gains. As we've mentioned previously, Intel's current incarnation is quite good, but gains can still be significant. Let's see how the RVT-9225 stacks up. Again, the same processor and settings are used for all cooling tests for consistency.
The Kingwin RVT-9225 just barely scrapes a lead over the Intel unit with a maximum stable speed of 3.78GHz. This is disappointing, particularly as the noise level is so much higher than the competing units.
Performance Scaling
Performance scaling is shown below - keep in mind that lower is better in this case. As mentioned the maximum overclocks top out at 3.78GHz, but we file this under "3.83GHz" (rounding up).
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Again, we see what seems to be a theme: the RVT-9225 tracks the Intel unit almost exactly. It only ekes out a slight win at 3.33GHz.
Load conditions are a good indicator of cooling performance, and as we've said in the past, a flatter line here is better versus a steep slope (indicating that the cooler cannot effectively handle the load it's being presented with).
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There's no real news here. We see almost a mirror image of the Intel retail HSF, with a slight win at 3.33GHz only.
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Bieszczad - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
This cooler is identical to Xigmatek HDT-S963 that I have, even the typo on the base label is the same. I have mounted the Xigmatek using the Crossbow kit they sell and Arctic Cooling 5 and my temperatures dropped about 7 degrees C when compared to Intel stock cooler. I am running E8400 at rated speed in a cramped case.The pushpins are not enough for that cooler, it is actually 70 grams heavier than Intel specifications for the pushpins. The Xigmatek Crossbow will fit on the Kingwin, get the Crossbow and retest, please.
Tekkie
strikeback03 - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
There are plenty of heavier coolers that use the push pins and get better results than this. If the stated 410g is correct, the stock Intel HSF is heavier than this cooler.I'd guess either this cooler is defective or they fill the heatpipes with an insufficient medium.
Bieszczad - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleI...">http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleI...They review the identical heatsink sold by Xigmatek. The fans on Kingwin and Xigmatek also have identical specifications. So either Anandtech got a defective unit or the cooler was not mounted properly.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
I'd agree it is probably a defective unit, but it is possible the Kingwin component choices for the design are different. Regardless, Newegg has the Xigmatek unit for $25-$10MIR, so not much point to looking at the Kingwin anyway.Bieszczad - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
"Component choices for the design are different"I beg do disagree, those heatsinks are identical not only cosmetically, it is the EXACTLY the same cooler, it is just being sold under different brands. No material differences between them.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
And you know this how? Has the actual maker of the unit stated that both are absolutely identical?Bieszczad - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
I cannot remember where but I did read somewhere that Kingwin is the actual original maker of these (Xigmatek designed and engineered the cooler), it would not make any sense for them to use better materials for other brands and shoot themselves in the foot by offering an inferior solution.mikemcc - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
Hmmm... Granted, this has only a 92mm fan, but I would have expected better results than this. This looks a lot like the top-rated Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and OCZ Vendetta 2. How was the thermal paste applied? Application of thermal paste on these exposed heatpipe coolers does not follow the same bb-sized, rice-sized, or pea-sized glob in the center of the IHS recommendation that you would use for a normal cooler. As another poster mentioned, the bottom of the heatsink looks pretty rough, and a good lapping might be in order, but I don't think that will make up for these horrible results. I use the Xigmatek mentioned earlier with a 120mm fan and like many others, get superb cooling. (Check out the "Cases and Cooling" forum to see what others say.) Does the 92mm fan make *this* much difference? Or does Kingwin implement the cooler design (or use different materials) in a different way than the Xigmatek or Vendetta?Matt Campbell - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
Thermal paste was applied over the entire surface of the CPU, spread to a thin layer. It shouldn't be an application problem, but I will verify when I remove the cooler and take pictures of the surfaces with an article update if I note any problems.As I mentioned in the article, I was also surprised at the performance, and checked the mounting pins, airflow, etc. several times during testing. It may simply be that we received a bad sample. If I discover any issues, I'll update in the next couple of days.
Max G - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
I just bought a Cooler Master Hyper Z600 cooler with 12 heatpipes and it's awesome! I have a feeling it's gonna outperform the ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme and maybe even the Noctua NH-U12P as it is HUGE!! I hope it will be reviewed here soon.