Introduction
We have recently taken a spin on the PCCOOLER GI-EK6000 Plus cooler and found its performance quite good. This time we are taking a look at its White version named GI-EK6020 Plus White. This is every bit the same cooler with the only thing differentiating is the white color from top to bottom. The GI-EK6020 Plus White packs 6 composite heat pipes going in dense 50 aluminum fins forming a good enough heat sink capable of handling up to 250W TDP [according to the manufacturer]. This cooler is out-of-the-box compatible with the Intel LGA1700 socket which is a plus.
Product: PCCOOLER GI-EK6020 Plus White
Price: US $55.90 [At the time of the review]
If you are wondering about the nomenclature of “Plus”, that indicates the push/pull configuration using two fans.
Specifications
Packaging and Unboxing
We are skipping this section as the cooler has the same packing as the already covered GI-EK6000 Plus White.
Contents
Let’s take a look at what is provided in the box.
There is a white color accessory box with mounting hardware.
The user manual is sufficient to provide proper guidelines for the installation of the cooler.
There is an Intel backplate. The backplate from its design seems universal. The good thing about the backplate is the blue clips are clearly labeled with the corresponding Intel sockets. Yes, this cooler is compatible with the Intel LGA1700 socket.
The above picture shows the side of the backplate which faces the motherboard. Personally, I don’t like to paste backplates on my motherboard but that is me with my preference!
We have a bracket with multiple mounting holes on the arms. The standoff side faces up on the motherboard.
We have:
- 4x Gray/White color spacers for the Intel
- 4x Intel long pillars
- 4x Red color spacers for AMD AM4
- 4x AM4 long pillars
We have a Y-splitter cable provided. The cable is in white color. I appreciate the attention to detail over here.
There are 4x metal clips for the fans.
Closer Look
It is time to take a closer look at the cooler. The PCCOOLER GI-EK6020 Plus White is compatible with Intel 1700/1200/115x and AMD AM4 sockets. The cooler is rated to handle the thermal dissipation of up to 250W. The dimension of the cooler is 105x130x158mm where 158mm is the height of the cooler. The cooler weighs 960g.
This cooler also has 50 aluminum fins which are black color coated and they provide a surface area of 5900 cm². This is a pretty much simple layout. The sides on the boundary are a bit protruded.
The left and right sides of the heat sink are identical. The metal fan clips are inserted on the insets located on the outer sides.
There is a plastic-made stylish cover on the top with the PCCOOLER branding in the center. This cover is also in the white color with the only thing in black is PCCOOLER branding. I like the subtle touch here.
The above picture shows the displacement of the heat pipes in the heat sink of GI-EK6020 Plus White. We have a U shape design with pipes covering the heat sink for effective heat dissipation.
The PCCOOLER GI-EK6020 Plus white has 6x composite heat pipes. Each of these has a thickness of 6mm. The complete assembly is white color coated.
The mounting plate is pre-installed on the base of the cooler and it is removable. The spring-loaded screws are pre-installed on the mounting plate or crossbar.
There is a protective cover on the base of the heat sink. It needs to be removed before installing the cooler. The base of the cooler measures roughly 38x44mm. We have a full copper plate making a contact with the CPU IHS.
PCCOOLER has provided two PF130 PWM White fans with the GI-EK6020 Plus White cooler. The fans are 130mm in size and have 9 black color blades. The rear fan has inversed layout on the blades. The frame is not circular with specially designed mounting corners. The hub has a PCCOOLER branded sticker on it. Each mounting corner has an anti-vibration pad pasted on it. These fans are using Hydraulic Bearings.
The backside of the fans shows the 4-arms assembly on the mainframe with one arm having catchers. The wires are routed through these catchers towards the exterior of the fans. The fans are manufactured in China.
Sorry for the potato picture quality. There are arrow symbols indicating the direction in which the blades will spin and the direction of the airflow. Please make sure that the inversed or front side of the rear fan faces the rear of the motherboard.
The fans have 4-pin PWM fan connectors and are flat in design.
The specifications of the fan are:
| Dimension | 130x130x25mm |
| Type | 4-pin PWM Connector |
| Speed | 800-1600 RPM ± 10% |
| Airflow | 81 CFM |
| Air Pressure | 2.18 mmH₂O |
| Noise | 16.8~28.6 dB(A) |
| Rated Voltage | 12VDC |
| Operating Voltage | 10.8~13.2VDC |
| Starting Voltage | 7VDC |
| Rated Current | 0.29A |
| Power Input | 3.48W |
Here are the pictures of the assembled cooler.
Installation
The height of the sockets on the backplate is reduced as compared to the one on the GI-Paladin 400. Hence we faced more difficulty installing the cooler in the PC Case.
We would suggest laying the case flat on the table and then proceeding with the installation. PCCOOLER could have used long pillars/standoffs on the backplate which would have reduced the hassle. We have to deal with 10 components in total to mount the installation kit. Please refer to the user manual for installation steps.
Clearance
The height of the cooler is 158mm. Keep this in mind while planning your build with respect to the PC Chassis as the chassis should have support for CPU cooler’s height of a minimum of 160mm or so.
The cooler has no RAM clearance issue.
The cooler does not block the first 16x PCIe slot on the MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK.
The rear fan was a perfect fit as well.
The cooler has a good enough clearance for the top side of the motherboard as well.
Testing
The following configuration has been used: –
- Intel i7 10700k
- MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK
- T-Force NightHawk RGB 16GB @ 3200MHz
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
- addlink S70 256GB NVMe SSD
- bequiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU
- Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in open-frame layout
Here is the settings table for testing:
| Clock (MHz) | 3800 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.030 |
| Clock (MHz) | 4700 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.248 |
| Clock (MHz) | 5000 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.324 |
| Turbo Boost | Disabled |
| C-States | Disabled |
| Speed Step | Disabled |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Thermal Paste Application | Dot Method in the center. |
| Test Run Time | 30 minutes |
| Idling Time | 10 minutes |
| Fan Speed | 100% PWM Duty Cycle |
| Pump Speed [Where applicable] | Connected to the AIO Pump header to run at 100% speed |
| Header | CPU_Fan header for the fans and Pump_Header for the pump |
| Software | AIDA64 6.3 Extreme [FPU] |
We are using Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste for coolers testing. Using the same thermal paste for all coolers would ensure standardization. Delta temperatures are reported on the graphs. The testing is done on an open-air bench system. Once inside the chassis, the temperatures are expected to rise and would largely depend upon the optimal airflow inside the chassis.
Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application, varying ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of the chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics.
Let’s take a look at the results.
3.8GHz All Cores
4.7GHz All Cores
5.0GHz All Cores
The PCCOOLER GI-EK6020 Plus White has a fantastic performance which is at par with the GI-EK6000 Plus.
Noise
The Noise level was approximately 53~54 dBA at an ambient of 32 dBA. This is a bit of a high noise level at fans’ full speed.
Conclusion
We have tested the PCCOOLER’s new cooler named GI-EK6000 Plus in the last content. This time we have tested its white version named GI-EK6020 Plus White. The only difference between both is the color; black and white. This is a single tower configuration in push/pull configuration. The GI-EK6020 Plus White is compatible with Intel Sockets LGA: 115x, 1200, 1700, and AMD AM4 sockets. It comprises 50 aluminum fins forming a 5900 cm² thermal surface area. The dimension of the cooler is 105x130x158mm where 158mm is the height of the cooler.
The cooler comprises 6x composite heat pipes having a thickness of 6mm each. The heat pipes are soldered to the copper base and the complete assembly is in the white color coating. They are in a U shape design making contact with the fin stack. There is a plastic-made top cover with the PCCOOLER branding which is a nice touch. The base measures 38x44mm. The cooler has a pre-installed base plate which is a wise move. There are two spring-loaded screws on the base plate or crossbar.
This cooler comes with two white editions of PF130 PWM black fans. These fans have a dimension of 130x130x25 and have a 120mm fan mounting spacing. These fans are rated for up to 1600 RPM ±10% speed with a maximum airflow rating of 81 CFM at the air pressure rating of 2.18 mmH₂O. The fan features 9 blades to ensure high pressure with low noise operations. The installation of the cooler is somewhat convenient and involves only 10 mounting hardware items. The height of the sockets on the backplate is short and it would be difficult installing the cooler inside the PC Case with the case standing on the table. I would suggest laying the case on the table, flat. Also, the Intel backplate is required to be pasted on the backside of the motherboard which is something I personally don’t prefer. Our sample did not come with the thermal paste but PCCOOLER has mentioned that the cooler comes with GT-3 thermal paste with a thermal conductivity rating of 12.8W/mK.
The PCCOOLER GI-EK6020 Plus White has an MSRP of US$55.90. The PCCOOLER is offering a 3-years warranty on this cooler. The thermal performance of this cooler is fantastic. The thermal performance of GI-EK6020 Plus white and GI-EK6000 Plus is at par and both have an advantage over the DeepCool AS500 Plus white. The white edition of the cooler with its friendly pricing, good performance, aesthetics, and no-frill comes recommended by us. Though keep in mind a tad bit higher noise output at fans’ full speed.
We are thankful to the PCCOOLER for the provision of the GI-EK6020 Plus White cooler for review.
