Introduction
Today we are reviewing another VGA cooler: Turbo2 from Evercool, a value cooler with two copper heatpipes and an 80 mm fan. Check out its performance!
In Figure 1, you can see Turbo2 box, actually a plastic blister package that shows part of the cooler.
click to enlarge
Figure 1: Box.
In Figure 2, you can see the box contents: the cooler, thermal compound and installation hardware. The installation manual is printed inside the package.
click to enlarge
Figure 2: Cooler and accessories.
In Figure 3 you can check the cooler itself. It consists in a heatsink with aluminum fins, a red 80 mm fan and a big plastic cover.
click to enlarge
Figure 3: Evercool Turbo2.
The Evercool Turbo2
From its side you can notice that the cooler has a small base where the heatpipes are connected to and a big heatsink that does not touch this base.
click to enlarge
Figure 4: Side view.
In Figure 5 you can check the size of the base and the heatsink, as well as the shape of the fins.
click to enlarge
Figure 5: Top view.
Behind the cooler you can see the copper base and the heatpipes connected to it. Note the installation supports, with lot of holes where you can install the screws that hold the cooler in place. With so many choices it can be installed on virtually any video card.
click to enlarge
Figure 6: Bottom view.
Installation on a GeForce 9600 GT
In order to test Turbo2 we installed it on our PNY Verto GeForce 9600 GT, which you can check in Figures 7 and 8.
click to enlarge
Figure 7: Geforce 9600 GT with stock cooler.
click to enlarge
Figure 8: GeForce 9600 GT without its cooler.
In Figure 9, you can see the base of Turbo2 with the screws installed in the holes that are compatible with our VGA. Unfortunately because of the location of these holes we could use only two screws, which is not the best way to secure such a big cooler. The screws have rubber washers in order to not damage the video card.
click to enlarge
Figure 9: Screws installed.
Installation on a GeForce 9600GT (Cont'd)
In Figure 10, you can see Turbo2 installed on our VGA. Installation was easy and quick, and the cooler did not interfere with any component.
click to enlarge
Figure 10: Installed on GeForce 9600 GT.
In Figures 11, 12 and 13 you can have a general view of Turbo2 installed on our GeForce 9600 GT.
click to enlarge
Figure 11: Top view.
click to enlarge
Figure 12: Down view.
click to enlarge
Figure 13: Side view.
Our Tests
We ran some simple tests to check the performance of Evercool Turbo2, measuring the GPU core temperature with the aid of the SpeedFan software, and sound pressure level (SPL) with a digital noise meter set 4" (10 cm) from the video card, with the GPU at full load running folding@Home GPU client. For this measurement, we turned off the CPU cooler, so its noise wouldn't interfere. Please keep in mind that sound pressure level measurement is just for comparative purposes, because a precise measurement would have to be done in an acoustically insulated enviroment, which we don't have.
We compared the results from Evercool Turbo2 with the VGA stock cooler, with an Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 VGA cooler and with a Zalman VF900-Cu LED cooler at minimum and maximum speeds, all installed on our GeForce 9600 GT. You can check the results in the table below.
| Product | Noise | Room Temp. | Core Temp. | Temp. Diff. | Speed |
| Stock Cooler | 56 dBA | 21 °C | 53 °C | 32 | - |
| NV Silencer 5 | 52 dBA | 21 °C | 48 °C | 27 | - |
| VF900-Cu LED (min.) | 43 dBA | 21 °C | 46 °C | 25 | 1300 rpm |
| VF900-Cu LED (max.) | 49 dBA | 21 °C | 40 °C | 19 | 2400 rpm |
| Evercool Turbo 2 | 41 dBA | 18 °C | 50 °C | 32 | - |
On the graph below you can compare the temperature difference between the GPU core and the room. Remember that, the lower the value, the better performance is.
As you can see, Evercool Turbo2 performed similarly to the VGA stock cooler, but with a far lower noise level.
Like Zalman VF900-Cu LED - which achieved a better performance when installed on our GeForce 9600 GT - Evercool Turbo2 was not powerful enough to cool down our GeForce GTS 250.
Main features
Evercool Turbo2 main features are:
- Fan: One 80 mm fan with nominal speed of 2000 rpm.
- Base: Copper.
- Heatpipes: Two copper heatpipes.
- Heatsink: Aluminum fins connected to the heatpipes.
- Dimensions: 1 3/4" x 6 3/8" x 4 3/8" (4,4 cm x 16,2 cm x 11,2 cm) (H x W x D).
- Weight: 9.64 oz (300 g).
- Extra features: None.
- More information: http://www.evercool.com.tw
- Average price in the US*: USD 17.00.
* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.
Conclusions
Evercool Turbo2 is an inexpensive VGA cooler and thus must be analysed with its target audience in mind.
It achieved the same performance level of our GeForce 9600 GT stock cooler, which is a medium-consumption (and dissipation) video card. The good point is that it did it with a way lower noise level.
Regarding its looks, it is a matter of personal taste. It impresses by its size, but its huge plastic cover seems a little clumsy. In our opinion, the cooler would look a lot nicer if it was black.
An important drawback of Turbo2 is that it occupies two extra slots (i.e., two slots plus the slot used by the VGA). If you have some expansion cards (or are short of free slots) this can be a serious issue.
In summary, Evercool Turbo2 is a good option if you have a video card with a relatively low TDP and wish to replace the stock cooler with another one with better performance and/or lower noise, but it is not a viable option if you have a high-consuption video card.
Originally at http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Evercool-Turbo2-VGA-Cooler-Review/991
© 2004-13, Hardware Secrets, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Total or partial reproduction of the contents of this site, as well as that of the texts available for downloading, be this in the electronic media, in print, or any other form of distribution, is expressly forbidden. Those who do not comply with these copyright laws will be indicted and punished according to the International Copyrights Law.
We do not take responsibility for material damage of any kind caused by the use of information contained in Hardware Secrets.
