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EVGA Superclock CPU Cooler Review

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Sound Level Testing

Sound Level Testing


While everyone "hears" noise differently there is one easy way to remove all subjectivness and easily compare different fans: use a sound level meter. This way you can easily compare the various fans noise envelopes without us colouring the results and see what fans fit within your personal comfort level. Of course, we will endeavor to try and explain the various results (which are taken at a 30 inch distance) to help you our readers get an even better understanding of how loud a cooler's stock fan is, but even if you discount our personal opinions, the fact remains numbers don't lie. All fans are tested with both voltage regulation / PWM turned off.

noise.jpg

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For such a fast fan, its noise profile is actually not all that bad considering the screamers that come with some air coolers. While it may not be the loudest fan we've ever heard, we're still confident the Superclock will be the loudest single component in your case and you will be able to hear it even with a well insulated enclosure.
 
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Conclusion

Conclusion


The EVGA Superclock does have a lot going for it. With an anodized black finish and red LED fan this is easily one of the best looking heatsinks we’ve seen in a while and the out of box performance results it achieved were certainly good. EVGA has also included an excellent step by step setup guide which will come as a relief once you realize the sheer number of components involved for installation.

It is quite obvious that the Superclock either lives or dies by its high speed fan. With this 2500 RPM blower installed, EVGA’s heatsink is able to play with some of the best air coolers on the market but when paired up with anything slower, its thermal performance gets cut off at the knees. Unfortunately this limitation can’t be easily overcome by adding a second lower RPM fan since there’s just no way to securely mount one. The result is a cooler that performs well in its stock form but only if you can live with a somewhat aggressive acoustical profile.

Alongside a narrow thermal performance window that hinges upon fan speeds, the Superclock almost falls into the same rut as other heatsinks which sport a Heatpipe Direct Touch design. Instead of offering linear results across all heat loads, its ability to cool off the CPU drops when higher overclocks are achieved. The falloff isn’t as drastic as with some of its competitors but there is a clear downwards trend in thermal dissipation as clock speeds (and heat) increase. Based on our results with a 125W TDP i7 920, the Superclock could be a great solution for lower TDP chips like the 2500K and maybe even a moderately overclocked 2600K. However, if you’re going for higher clock speeds on Sandy Bridge or trying to get that Bloomfield above 3.5GHz there are better options out there.

On the pricing front EVGA’s heatsink is exactly where many people hoped it would be: below the $60 mark. When taken at face value this makes the Superclock look like a good deal but the competition at this price point is ferocious. Thermaltake’s Frio and the Cooler Master V6GT can be found for around $55, offer better performance at higher thermal loads and come equipped with two fans. Granted, in their stock forms they are quite loud but these two coolers compete very well with EVGA’s first entry step into the CPU heatsink market.

Hopefully an upcoming revision of this cooler will allow for a second fan since this small tweak could take the Superclock to the next level. With that being said, the this is a solid performer at lower thermal loads and a middle of the pack heatsink when the heat is turned up. With a price of under $60 and EVGA’s legendary brand recognition, we’re sure this will be a very, very popular product.



Pros:

- Gorgeous looks
- Very good performance at stock and moderate heat loads
- Great, 6 point mounting setup
- Backed by EVGA’s legendary customer service
- One of the best HDT coolers we have seen
- Small footprint for such a large cooler


Cons:

- Can only mount a single fan
- Installation is overly tedious compared to many competitors
- Decreased thermal performance at higher heat loads
- Loud fan



 
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