Kingwin Revolution RVT-9225

It’s hard to find much innovation in the exciting world of air cooling. At some point, cooling potential is defined by a simple equation of heat pipes, fan speeds, and block materials—increase the efficiency of any of the above, and you’ll see lower temperatures.

At least, that’s the theory. Kingwin’s Revolution RVT-9225 cooler isn’t exactly the Eva Peron of CPU devices, but it does a respectable job of bringing our test bed CPU back from the inferno. If only this device were easy to install. Its locking mechanism is better than some we’ve seen, but only if we’re comparing it to the very bottom of the barrel. You insert the AMD retention system into a notched groove on the flip side of the CPU block, which is awesome for guidance, but it means the cooler can face only one of two directions, limiting your ability to modify your case’s overall airflow.

The challenging locking clasp on the RVT-9225 provides our biggest complaint. When applying pressure to the clip to secure the cooler to the CPU, you’ll think you’re breaking the device—we sure did—as it takes a Herculean effort to mount this cooler.
We were happy with the performance of this mildly loud device. It doesn’t top the ear-splitting cooling of our champ, Zalman’s CNPS9700, but it certainly comes close. The three-heat-pipe design dropped our CPU by six and 12 degrees on our idle and burn-in tests, respectively. While it’s not the kind of bone-chilling performance we expected from a cooler that runs its heat pipes directly alongside the base of the CPU block, it’s nice to see that the device can hold its own against the best—and loudest—we’ve seen.

The RVT-9225 has proven itself as one of the better devices in the midrange cooler market, especially considering it’s cheaper than dirt. Just try not to break your fingers during the installation.