At its highest fan speed setting, the EKL fan motor cooled our Athlon 64 X2 4800+ to 53°C (nearly 128°F). This is a very nice reading, but the flipside is a noticeable noise level of 42 dB(A). At a mid-range setting, the temperature was 64°C (just over 147°F), and at the lowest speed it went up to 69°C (just over 156°F). By comparison, the AMD box cooler delivers substantially better performance. At a weight of nearly 26 ounces (732 g) this cooler is by far the heaviest we tested.

Contact surface on the cooling block

All in all, these results are pretty disappointing. Making a good-looking cooler for casemodders is all well and good, but the unit loses much of its appeal if it doesn't provide cooling performance as appealing as the design.

Attractive: Cooler designation on the topside

Retail packaging for the EKL cooler