Evercool VC-RHC GPU Cooler

To stress test this video card that I love to hate, I ran a few benchmarks. First, I ran 3D Mark 2001 in a loop of 10 times. Afterwards, I ran a loop of 3D Mark 06 10 times also. The temps were recorded using Lavalys Everest 2.8. That program allows you to log all of your system temps to an html file, which gives you the results in a clean manner.

Test System
• CPU: Pentium D 820 @ 2.8GHz
• Motherboard: ASUS P5WD2-E Premium w/ 401 BIOS
• Memory: Corsair 2GB 6400PRO
• Video: BFG 6800GT OC 256MB PCI-E
• Sound: Realtek HD Audio
• Storage: WD 200GB 7200 8MB
• Odds and Ends: D-Link WiFi PCI Card
• Etcetera: Windows XP Professional SP2, Windows x64 Professional SP1, NVIDIA 81.98 Drivers

Normally, a comparison to a stock cooler would be appropriate, but that has since been destroyed and burned out of spite. So, I will be comparing the VC-RHC to the recently reviewed Arctic Cooling Accelero X1, both using Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Testing was a challenge because it was a very warm day and the room temp hovered between 80°F and 85°F. During testing with the Accelero, the room temp was 80°F and the VC-RHC was tested with a room temp of 81°F.

Compared to the AC Accelero, the VC-RHC kept right up, despite having an extra degree in the rooms temp. The idle temp proved far better, and the averages were very close. The maximum temp was 2°C higher, which could have been helped by the extra room temp.

The VC-RHC proves again to have a much lower idle temp than the Accelero… an entire 8°C lower! All around, the VC-RHC proved better than the Accelero in terms of ambient temp.

When I first received this cooler, I wasn’t expecting much. My opinions on the cooler turned around though, after the testing concluded. It kept up to the Accelero X1, and even surpassed it in the ambient temp tests. The ambient results are likely aided by the ‘cool’ way that the VC-RHC dissipates heat, which proved to be a good one.

One huge bonus of this cooler is that it only costs $19.99US at most e-tailers, which is $10 less on average to the Accelero. I am still not a huge fan of the look of the cooler, but I am quite pleased with it’s performance. One thing I worried about were the lack of the memory heatsinks. I ran a loop of 3D Mark 05 for 6 hours with the VC-RHC and had -no- problems whatsoever. So the design of the cooler makes up for the lack of the memory heatsinks.

I do wish the installation was easier on the nerves though. It took me near an hour to get the cooler installed, and I still wasn’t happy about having to ‘force’ the cooler into place. Hopefully this is not the case with all video cards. After a quick Google search for other reviews, I didn’t notice anyone mention this problem.

Overall, this is a good cooler, but it has many problems that hold back from a great score. I am awarding the VC-RHC a 7 out of 10.

Pros
• Great performance
• Quiet
• Supports many cards

Cons
• Problematic installation
• Messy thermal paste

If you wish to discuss this review, please feel free to jump into our related thread. You do not need to register in order to post in our content threads, but please choose a nickname.