![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Tuesday , July 08, 2008
- Author:
- Marc Adams
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Kingwin Heat-pipe Direct Touch CPU Cooler
Heatpipes have been all the rage for years now. And lapping your mating surface has been all the rage for the last decade. What happens when you take a round heatpipe and make it your actual mating surface? Kingwin answers that question for us.
Kingwin RVT-9225
The RVT-9225 is the first of the three coolers from Kingwin we will be looking at today. It also happens to be the smallest one, sporting a 92mm PWM fan. Using the tried and true design of the tower cooler the RVT-9225 comes packed with three copper heat pipes and a high density array of aluminum fins. For those of you who may have smaller cases or even a HTPC, Kingwin wants to show you some love.
Package & Specs
Kingwin packages the RVT-9225 in a colorful box that is thankfully empty of marketing hype. The rear of the box is filled with a much more useful list of specs for the heat sink and fan. Just in case you spot one of these in your local shop you can quickly determine if it will fit your needs.
Dimensions: 92 (L) x 50 (W) x 134 (H) mm
Weight: 410g (w/ Fan)
Material: Aluminum fins and base with three 6mm copper heat pipes
Heat Pipes: 3 full length
Compatibility:
- Intel LGA 775
- AMD AM2
- AMD 754
- AMD 939
- AMD 940
- AMD AM2
Fan:
- Dimensions: 92 x 92 x 25 mm
- Speed: 1200 - 2800 RPM
- Noise: 23 - 35dBA
- Connector: 4-pin with PWM control
Contents & Flatness
Kingwin includes everything needed to mount your cooler along with a piece never before seen with a heat sink, an air foil. While every extra bit of down draft to cool off your motherboard components is welcomed, I would argue that it would be better if Kingwin had incorporated the idea into the design of the cooler. Having an extra piece certainly gives you options but it is also an extra piece that can get lost.
Typically, I have an image here of the base of the heat sink reflecting a pattern. From this pattern we discern if the base is flat, wavy, warped or otherwise. But I wanted to show you the path I took when I first looked at the flatness of these coolers. Since these are not your typical coolers, I didn’t take our typical route.
The base of the RVT-9225 has some empty pockets in between the heat pipes and the aluminum plate that are too large to be dealt with by thermal paste. This is highlighted both by the amount of light shining through and the imprint left behind by the pipes and base on the protective sticker.
Looking at the base itself we see a flat contact area even though it is not traditionally “flat” being that this one does have some gaps.
Photos
Here’s a few shots from various angles showing off the RVT-9225.
Installation & Contact
Installing the RVT-9225 is a breeze since it uses the push-pin mounting system. One screw holds each side of the mounting kit in place (2 sides) and from there you able to install the heat sink. If you do not need to remove your motherboard to uninstall your previous cooler you won’t need to remove it to install this one.
As we can see from the above photos, the RVT-9225 provides plenty of clearance for those who may have board with large heat sinks on their chipset. Lastly we see how the base of the cooler contacts the CPU. The only thing that concerns me is the contact the base plate makes with the CPU.
This means that the heat from the aluminum plate must travel to the heat pipe before turning the liquid into vapor for cooling. I am certainly no expert on thermodynamics but it just seems like it would have been a better choice to have the heat pipe all touching each other without the need for a plate. There is certainly room for it and you may be able to squeeze a fourth pipe into the cooler by doing so. Regardless, we’ll see how well the current design performs.