Any reviews on this HSF yet? looks interesting with the heatpipe direct touch. I just don't like push pins though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835124020
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Any reviews on this HSF yet? looks interesting with the heatpipe direct touch. I just don't like push pins though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835124020
haha, thats a Xigmatek heatsink actually ;-) ill see what i can do about a review
If that block behind the heatpipes is metal, I'd be tempted to solder those heatpipes onto the block, lap the other side of it, and try to mount on a video card... HR-03 style
Yep. Kingwin's HDT Series are Xigmatek OEMs, and so isQuote:
Originally Posted by Spawne32
the OEX Vendetta (with a slight design modification) :D
In fact, there is actually a third, lesser know cooler that
is also a Xigmatek OEM, the first OEM made under Xigmatek's
guidance, but it was a while ago and I can't recall the name
at the moment... (sure I can find it though :D )
EBL
Ehhh... I would be interested in seeing how it performed :up:
I saw a few reviews and it sucked royally! Just do a search for the model number on google...
Is the RVT-12025 exactly the same as Xigmatek HDT-1283?
Because from the picture, the heatpipe looks smaller.
You're correct. Kingwin has models based on previous, smaller XigmatekQuote:
Originally Posted by wa2000
coolers. AFAIK, they haven't yet begun to sell a model equal to the 1283.
EBL
I own the Kingwin Revolution RVT-12025. It is the exact same as the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 down to the 3x 8mm heatpipes. Heck, they hardley even changed the box art. :)
At directron.com it's $30. That's where I got mine. ($4 cheaper than newegg).
It's cooling my Q6600 (B3) at 3.2GHz (24/7 use)
Cooler Master GeminII vs. Kingwin RVT-12025 (Xigmatek HDT-1283)
First, this is a short “subjective” review from my PC setup. Reason being is, like most users, my case and airflow is different than anyone else’s. I wanted to maximize my cooling within the constraints of my case. Bottom line, results may vary between different users and their own setup. The only constants in this test are: Ambient Air Temperature and hardware. The variables that make the setup different are airflow and fan choice.
Originally, I had the GeminII HSF. As far as cooling goes, at IDLE speeds, it’s great. I can go from 2.4GHz @ 38C to 3.2GHz @ 39C (ambient temp @ 21C).
Under load (Prime95), the results tell a different story all together. Scaling load temps skyrocket with the GeminII, as you’ll see in the test results later in this review. What I believe is happening is that as the GeminII becomes so saturated in heat, the removal process is hindered by the actual thinness of the base. Even at full fan rpm, it fails to remove the heat effectively as temps climb.
Now with the RVT-12025, I want to know if this theory I have is correct. Can the RVT do a better job than the GeminII by removing heat effectively under load?
So without further ado, let us begin.
Cooler Master GeminII. Weighing in at an impressive 847g without 2x 120mm fans. It’s HUGE cooler, and can accommodate 2x 120mm fans on top to provide a complete system cooling solution.
Vs.
Kingwin Revolution RVT-12025. This is actually a rebadged Xigmatek HDT-1283. It weighs in at 600g with fan. It utilizes a single 120mm fan. What makes this HSF unique is the “Heatpipe Direct Touch”. The 3x 8mm heatpipes come in direct contact with the CPU.
COOLER MASTER GEMINII:
Cost and first impressions:
I first bought the Cooler Master GeminII because of street price. It cost me $15 free shipping. Not bad for one of the largest heatsinks on the market. Also, once in awhile, it has a mail-in-rebate making this thing FREE! I also had to buy 2x 120mm fans. I spent an additional $8 on fans (2x Kingwin 120mm dual ball-bearing, 2000rpm, 79cfm, 30dBA)
Upon receiving the GeminII, the first thing you notice is size. The thing is HUGE, and it’s heavy. It has 6 individual heatpipes coming from the base and into the fins. On further inspection, the copper base was horrible. I don’t mean dull, that would have been more than acceptable provided it was flat. It was horrible because it had these semi-circle striations across the entire base. By rubbing my fingernail against the base, it sounded like an out of tune xylophone. I truly believe this was a fluke. I don’t think Gemini’s normally ship like this.
I decided at that point to lap the heatsink. Using 300/600/1500 grits of sandpaper, I was able to smooth it out to a fine, flat finish. It took me a LONG time. Mainly because of the awkward shape and uneven weight of the cooler. I had to make sure the base was flat as I lapped it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF1194.jpg
Once I finished lapping the base, I decided to also cut out the cross braces on top of the cooler, which partially covered the fins. They really aren’t needed. The fins themselves are CLOSELY grouped together leaving very little room between them. This is why I opted for high-speed, high flow fans to cool it off.
Looking at the massive GeminII HS closer, I then notice how SMALL the actual base of the heatsink is. The copper base does NOT even incase the 6 heatpipes. They lay on top of the base with the top half of the heatpipes exposed with the fins touching it I wish I took a better picture of it, perhaps later.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF1196.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF0935.jpg
Installation:
Needless to say, installation was a pain in the ass. Attaching the beast of the heatsink was pretty straight forward, attach the correct mounting hardware to the heatsink, remove the motherboard from the case, apply TIM, and screw down the heatsink to motherboard. Simple enough. The part that was a pain was re-installing the motherboard and plugging everything back in.
The heatsink covers most everything, ram, fan headers, power plugs, and mounting holes. It’s not something that can be done fairly quickly. I had to remove the top cover of my Antec 900 case just to screw down the motherboard and plug in the 4pin power.
Once the motherboard and heatsink are back in, you install the 2x 120mm fans with bracket. That was another adventure in persistence and patience. Thankfully the top cover of my case comes off easily or I would have tossed this thing out the window.
For TIM, I used Artic Ceramique. The GeminII does come with a tube of Cooler Master TIM, but I opted to use the ceramique simply because I had some beforehand.
KINGWIN Revolution RVT-12025:
Price and impressions:
Again, this is the same exact cooler as the Xigmatek HDT-1283. It’s been rebadged and is sold here in the USA. It houses a single 120mm fan. It uses 4 rubber prongs that attach to the HS and fan to reduce vibration. It utilizes 3x 8mm heatpipes in a “U” shape fashion that come in direct contact with the CPU. The heatpipes are then separated by aluminum spacers thus making up the base. It weighs in at 600g including the fan making it over 200g lighter than the GeminII. The fan is PWM controlled, 800-1500rpm with a max airflow rating of 72-99cfm. That’s quite impressive for a 1500rpm fan, and a little hard to believe.
It does come with a generic silicon based TIM, but I used ceramique on this as well.
The Kingwin RVT-12025 cost $30.
Installation:
Installation was a breeze. It attaches to the CPU exactly the way the stock Intel HSF does. There’s no need to remove the motherboard. It uses 4 spring clips that are identical to Intel’s. Just apply your own TIM and you’re ready to go. As with this one, I used Artic Ceramique. You do have to attach the HS before you install the fan.
Installing and removing the fan gave me the most trouble. The rubber plugs are actually very stretchy. The RVT-12025 came with the rubber plugs and fan already attached. You have to remove the fan before installing the HS. I was worried about breaking the rubber plugs, but they held together fine. You actually leave the rubber plugs in the fan when installing or removing.
The mosfet VRM deflector was all but useless. I looked at the instruction sheet many times trying to figure this thing out…. Which was simply insert it into the fins. It would not stay at all. It simply flopped around and would fall out. The fins were MUCH wider apart than the thickness of the deflector. I ended up NOT installing it at all.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF1184.jpg
----------------------------------
TESTING:
TEST SETUP:
Here’s where things become a little more complicated, mostly due to fan setup.
In the case of the GeminII, I had a 92mm fan blowing directly into the 2x 120mm fans of the GeminII. This was a mod done by simply cutting a hole on the side panel of my Antec 900 case. I wanted those two 120mm fans to get fresh ambient air.
For the Kingwin RVT-12025, I removed the 92mm fan, and installed a 120mm EXHAUST fan out the back of the case. I wanted the flow as efficient as possible.
Everything else stayed the same.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF0932.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...antec_flow.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...tec_flow02.jpg
TEST BED:
Intel C2D Q6600 B3 (2.4GHz, 3.0GHz, 3.2GHz)
EVGA 650i Ultra motherboard
EVGA 8800GT 512 (600/1500/900)
2GB (2x1GB 800MHz) PC2 6400
Corsair VX550W PSU
Antec 900 case
AMBIENT ROOM TEMPERATURE: 21C (+/- .05C)
Prime95 tested small FFT: 15 minutes
VOLTS & SPEED:
With both tests, I used the exact same voltages:
2.4GHz
Vcore: AUTO
3.0GHz
Vcore: 1.312v
3.2GHz
Vcore: 1.343v
Testing:
I kept an exact ambient room temperature of 21.0C throughout the tests monitoring it with a thermometer sitting above and in front of the case.
During the load tests, I ran Prime95, small FFT for exactly 15 minutes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSCF1198.jpg
RESULTS:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...emps/chart.jpg
Cooler Master GeminII
With a lapped base & 2x 120mm fans at full speed does okay. Idle speeds range from 38C-39C. During Prime95 load, the temps jump from 58C-70C. That’s not exactly impressive considering the size and weight of this HSF.
Kingwin Revolution RVT-12025
Here we see at idle, a -2C difference over the GeminII. This is pretty good considering it’s 200g lighter and only a single 120mm fan. Also, it’s much quieter. Putting a load on it, we see that the RVT-12025 does a MUCH better job at cooling the CPU across the board. At 3.2GHz, the RVT-12025 is a full 7C cooler than the GeminII.
CONCLUSION:
Obviously the Kingwin Revolution RVT-12025 is the clear winner. It’s just so much better on all the fronts. It’s easy to install, it’s easy to work with, and the price is perfect.
The only two thing that I had a little trouble with was the fan installation/removal and the fact that the deflector does not stay installed. The rubber plugs take a little getting used to, but it’s cake compared to dealing with the GeminII.
The GeminII does have 3 things going for it, Looks, Price, and the fact that it does cool your entire system. As a CPU cooler though, the performance is only mediocre for the size of it.
Theory:
Why is the GeminII ineffective at removing heat?
The short and simple answer, size of the base and design.
What I think is happening, under load conditions, the base of the HSF is becoming saturated in heat, and that heat is not being moved to the rest of the HS effectively, nor is the heat being removed efficiently.
Either the heatpipes aren’t doing what they are supposed to do, or the base is not designed well enough to transfer the heat to rest of the cooler, or the air from the fans aren’t blowing through the long fins far enough to cool the base, or maybe it’s a combination of all three.
Basically, the heat becomes “stuck” at the base of the heatsink.
I didn't realize the OP had the "D" version of the cooler... my apologies.
Regardless, very nice comparison you did there :clap:Quote:
Originally Posted by tuksonrider
Your theory as to the GeminII's underperformance under heavy loads
sounds plausible. I pointed out some time back (on this forum) how it
seemed the GeminII had a "split personality" when one compared all
the various reviews. It didn't take long for me to realize all the "good"
reviews of the GeminII were conducted in open-air test benches, while
the "bad" reviews tested inside a typical enclosed chassis.
Bottom line conclusion is the GeminII does indeed suffer from a design
flaw that cripples its ability to dissipate large sums of heat quickly.
Which is a shame, as I got in on a free-after-rebate deal on one
a long while ago, intending to use it for a new build, and it's still
sitting in its retail box (interesting too that you removed the top
cross supports -- I had planned on doing precisely the same -- but
your results show it still isn't enough... further discouraging me from
even bothering to tweak some performance out of it.)
Thanks for the nice write-up, and the obvious effort that went into it.
:up:
EBL
ADDENDUM: Forgot to comment on your alternate airflow set-up for
the Kingwin test. It brings one other (possibly important) issue to mind.
Perhaps the GeminII would do better in a more "negative pressure"
environment? Seems its problem isn't so much that it needs more
intake airflow, but that it needs the most efficient means of exhausting
its heated "run-off." Would be interesting to see if favoring Exhaust over
Intake might help it perform better, or even perhaps ducting the GeminII
and using push/pull fan set up as a forced-air exhaust system...
Thanks for the feedback tuksonrider. :toast:
If you're going to test a cooler, a few things to keep in mind:
*Keep the fan setup constant and try both/all arrangments with the both HSF.
*Ambient temperature should be heatsink ambient (environment).
*GeminII has a problem with high load heat dissipation, we've seen it before. Maybe it just wasn't designed to dissipate the TDP your chip outputs (quad).
*I also think there maybe a difference caused between upright and flat mounted positioning (as done in in-case setups vs open benchtop environments). I've noticed some coolers are more effective in one position than another.