Evercool HPL-815 Low Profile CPU Cooler

Today we are going to look at a CPU cooler from Evercool, their latest low profile solution, the HPL-815. The HPL-815 should fit well in the HTPC market. The fan used on this cooler is a mere 15mm thick and spins between 1,000 and 4,000 RPM. When spinning at 2,200 RPM it is rated at less than 20 dBA which should be ideal for a low noise media center build. The HPL-815 body is made up of 46 rows of aluminum fins and 4 direct touch heatpipes designed to deliver optimal performance. We will be testing the HPL-815 today on an AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition which is clocked @ 3.2 GHz. Features: 1.5U low height design cooler for slim type cases 4 heat pipes with direct contact tech maximize heat conductivity PWM smart fan will automatically adjust the fan speed according to the temperature of CPU for a silent operation Specifications: Overall Dimension : 106 x 95 x 45 x mm Noise Level 12~40 dBA Heat Sink Material : 4 Heatpipes + Al Fin + H.D.T.Core Bearing Type : EL long life bearing (Long Life bearing) Rated Speed : 1000 ± 25% ~ 4000 ± 10 % RPM (PWM) Rated Voltage : DC 12 V Weight : 320 g Compatibility: INTEL: Socket LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 AMD: Socket AM2+ / AM2 / AM3 / 940 / 939 / 754 / K8 / Socket FM1 The Evercool HPL-815 is packaged in a molded plastic protective outer shell. The plastic shell allows us to get a look at the 80mm fan that Evercool has chosen for the HPL-815. The opposite side of the package includes a brief product description, specifications, and a list of product features. The hardware package includes a quick install guide, thermal grease, mounting brackets, washers, and screws for the numerous AMD and Intel processors supported by the HPL-815. The HPL-815 is a very low profile cooling solution that would be best suited for a media center and systems that are not going to be overclocked or overvolted. The fan they selected for the HPL-815 is a thin (15mm deep) Evercool EC8015TH12EP 80mm unit. It uses a 4 pin connection which enables the BIOS controlled PWM feature when connected to a supporting header on the motherboard. The fan has 7 red blades that spin between 1,000 and 4,000 RPM depending on the CPU temperature parameters setup in the BIOS. When the PWM feature is disabled the fan runs at full speed and is fairly loud. With the fan removed we can better examine the heatsink. The HPL-815 uses 4 x 6mm Direct Touch heatpipes to draw heat away from the processor. The copper heatpipes extend from the base of the heatsink then bend in a U shape before passing through the multiple aluminum fins and exiting through the last row of fins. The base of the HPL-815 has a layer of plastic protecting the base from scratching. Once we remove the plastic we can see that the base of the HPL-815 is pretty much flat. There are very small gaps between the base and the heatpipes but that should not interfere with performance as the thermal paste will fill in the gaps once pressure is applied by tightening the mounting screws. Installing the HPL-815 is a multiple step procedure. We start by positioning 4 black washers on the four mounting screws and then adhering the 4 white AMD washers on the bottom of the four copper posts. Next thing is to attach the 2 AMD mounting brackets to the base of the HPL-815 using the 4 small screws provided. With the AMD brackets secured in place we can then thread the 4 copper posts into the appropriate holes on the mounting brackets. Next we have to position the cooler into the 4 mounting holes. Turning the motherboard over we then insert the 4 retention screws and screw them into the 4 copper posts which completes the installation. The first image shows how the clips function by sitting in the small grove cut out of the fins. These clips are an area of concern. The metal used to construct the clips will bend easily if not handled carefully. Another thing to consider is the proximity of the RAM slots to the CPU socket. When orientated for an AMD setup the cooler came very close to blocking the first RAM slot as seen above. If we turn the cooler around the heatpipes will easily interfere with the first slot. Today we are going to test the Evercool HPL-815 with the AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition CPU. We like to try and mirror ‘realistic’ conditions when possible, so instead of the open bench concept, we are mounting the build inside the NZXT Tempest 410 Elite. Room ambient temperatures were maintained at a steady 22c throughout testing. AMD System: Processor: AMD PII X2 555 Black Edition @ 3.2 GHz Cooler: Evercool HPL-815 Motherboard: Biostar MCP6P3 Thermal Paste: Evercool Thermal paste Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Plus 850W Chassis: NZXT Tempest 410 Elite Memory: 4GB Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto DDR3 1333mhz Cas 9-9-9-24- 1T Graphics: Integrated NVIDIA graphics There are several different applications available that will load a processor to the limit while running through a series of complicated calculations. For today’s testing we are going to use the latest version of Prime 95. Prime95 is a popular freeware application that can be used to stress test the CPU. For today's testing we are going to run the fan on the CPU at full speed which is rated for 4000 RPM. We are aware that this noise level is not something the average user would want, but in this case we are testing cooling performance and not focusing on the fan noise. With our system running at the stock speed of 3.2 GHz the Evercool HPL-815 offers better performance then we had anticipated by maintaining a very respectable 42c while running Prime95. Once again keep in mind that this is with the fan running at 4000 RPM. After a modest overclock to 3,6 GHz the temperature increased by 9c, reaching 51c. This temperature is not bad at all considering the low profile design of the HPL-815. The Evercool HPL-815 combines 4 direct touch heatpipes that travel through numerous rows of aluminum fins, with an 80mm fan that is a mere 15mm thick. The fan they use has a 4 pin connection to the motherboard, enabling the option to use the PWM feature in the system BIOS. When the PWM feature is enabled the HPL-815 offers a decent level of cooling, with quiet operation. If you choose not to use the PWM feature, the 15mm deep fan runs at 4,000 RPM, so fan noise will quickly become an issue. The installation procedure is not very complicated and the mounting hardware is capable of dealing with the majority of AMD and Intel processors. The HPL-815 from Evercool has proven itself to be a decent low profile cooling solution. If we were going to build a HTPC that didn't need to deal with heavy overclocking, the HPL-815 would be worth considering. Once again one of our concerns is lack of availability worldwide, although the UK have some stock this week. In the UK we were able to find the HPL-815 listed for £23.99. Pros: Decent performance Easy Installation Cons: Loud fan at high RPM Fan clips bend easily AMD orientation can result in blocked RAM slots with some motherboards Kitguru says: A decent cooler for a media center, but it faces stiff competition in a competitive marketplace and does little to stand out.