The testing will be done at default speed and voltage and also overclocked to the max with the Vcore cranked at 2.0v's. The CPU that will be used is a AGOIA core 1700+ XP. Overclocked speed is 11x167 @ 2.0v's for 1.83 GHz. Motherboard is a Epox 8K3A+ Running the 2719 beta bios. Now I'll warn you, the 8K3A was one of the first motherboards that supported the internal thermistor on the XP's. The temps are that of the core so they are a lot more accurate than the older method of having the thermistor behind the chip.

As a comparison I'll be testing this along side a Coolermaster Heatpipe to give you a general idea of how well it cools. With this said lets fire it up and put it to its tests. Load temps will be established by running Folding@Home for 30 min. Idle temps will be taken after 15 min of a cold boot. A Compunurse probe was placed on the back right next to the core to give you an idea of what the temp on the the heatsinks are. Motherboard Monitor 5.1.9.1 was used to read the temps and the RPM speed of the fan.

As you can see the temperatures appear to be very high because of the readings coming from the internal thermistor on the XP cpu. But with having it next to the Heatpipe it gives you a general idea of how well it cools.  We've all seen reviews of the Heatpipe on motherboards that only have the external thermistor in the socket and we know its a very good cooler when overclocking.  The PCH610T appears to be doing its job very well. I included the RPM speed of it to show how the fan spins up more when the CPU is put to the test.  At 1.83 Gig and 2.0v's its turning 5500 rpm's vs. the 4275 it turns at default speed idling.  About the only point this HSF is close to the Heatpipe is its overclocked load temp.  There is only 2 degree's difference between the 2.  This has to do with the thermal controlled fan.  The Heatpipe's fan spins the same ole RPM all of the time giving it better cooling at a lower clock speed.  Since this fan changes speed with change of temperature it means its quiet!  Even when the CPU was overclocked the fan's sound was not very noticeable, a light hum was all that could be heard from it.  They say it kicks out 49db's at top speed and I was never able to test but I really don't see how it could be that loud.

Overall I felt that the Powercooler PCH610T did a decent job of cooling. The thermal controlled fan is a big plus, providing very low noise and overall decent cooling.  Its unique design and stylish looks would make it a sweet HSF to put behind a side panel with a window.  Its very easy to install and pull back out in the matter of seconds. On the down side, because of the design it seems to be on the top heavy side.  Now normally this might not be that big of a deal but given the design of the bottom being round, the 4 pads on the chip are worthless unless you use a shim, so it seems to put more pressure on the downside of the chip.  When installing this the first time I did manage to chip a corner on my CPU.  I actually heard the crunch and felt my heart come to a stop thinking I just killed one sweet overclocking chip.  But after I cleaned it all up and put it back on I found out that the good ole XP hadn't been affected in the slightest of ways!

Also I found the 3 prong clip on one end at the single on the other very odd.  It seemed to work but I feel it would be a lot more sturdy if it had a 3 prong clip on the other end as well.  Seems that after time it might put uneven tention across the core possibly causing damage.  So because of this I can only recommend this cooler to a highly experienced PC Abuser or if you use a shim, preferaby one non-conductive like this one.

Thanks goes out to our friends at CrazyPC.com for giving us the chance to review this cooler!!! Direct link to the PowerCooler.