Installation:

     Installation of the RVT-12025 is pretty simple.  Since we are going to be installing onto an Intel based system, the picture shows the heatsink with the Intel brackets screwed in. 

     Once the brackets are screwed in, the heatsink installs just like the stock Intel heatsink.  The sheer size of the heatsink may pose some clearance issues; here we were limited due to the tall heatsink on the northbridge. 

     Now here is the big caveat I have with this heatsink.  I hate the stock Intel-style push pins.  I really do.  What makes the push-pins worse is when they are tucked away underneath the large heatsink.  This makes two of them very difficult to access, and thus difficult to get the proper leverage to lock them through the mounting holes. 

The two push pins on the opposite side were not nearly as difficult to access. 

Testing and Performance:

     Now, the true measure of any cooling system is not how easy it is to install, or how pretty it looks, but how well it actually performs, so we have to put some heat on this beast.   To test the kit, I will be using the following setup:

     Performance will be judged against my current favorite air cooler, the Cooler Master GeminII, with two Antec TriCool fans, as well as the stock cooler.  The test consists of 5 minutes of idle time on the Windows Vista desktop, and then 15 minutes of stress testing using Prime 95 version 25.4.  Prime95 loads all cores simultaneously, using the Large FFTs setting.  SpeedFan is used to log temperatures in 3 second increments, logging the temp for Core 0, my hottest core.  All fan speeds are set to 100%.  After we compare with the other coolers, we will see just how far we can push this Q6600 before it either overheats or reaches a wall. 

First, we have the stock cooler at stock speeds:

Here, we can see how Core 0 idles at 46C, and loads 72C.  Yuck.  Lets see how the Revolution fares:

     The Revolution idles at around 31C, and loads at approximately 48C under load, a pretty good gain over the stock cooler.  Next, we bump the speed up to 3.15 GHz:

At 1.325V, we idle at 39C, and load at a peak of around 62C. 

     At this speed, the Revolution is slightly better than to the GeminII, which also idles at 39C and loads at 65C.  Now that we know this cooler is worthy of the quad, let's see how far we can crank it:

     At the same voltage, we can push the Q6600 up to 3.6GHz, and still remain in the "safe zone" for temperatures.  We idle at 39C and load at 65C.  Again, I am very impressed at what a $30 heatsink can do these days!

Conclusion:

     I am happy to report that in this case, bigger does make better.  While it is difficult to say how much performance difference exist between the 92mm version and the new 120mm version without re-doing all the testing, I can say one thing for sure: the new RVT-12025 is quieter.   The larger size does make installation more difficult, however it is nice to know that there are options. 

     All in all, for the overclocker on a budget, you cannot miss with either the 92mm or the 120mm flavor of the Kingwin Revolution!

Pros:

• Quieter than the 92mm Revolution

• Great value

• Easy install on AMD based systems

Cons:

• Inferior Intel push-pin mounting system is a pain

• What is up with the spoiler?

• Potential clearance issues

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	5 out of 5
Innovation:	4 out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	5 out of 5
Aesthetics:	4 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	4 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	2 out of 5