Nexus VCT-9000 Review

Performance Analysis

It’s rare that a cooler we test performs worse than the reference cooler, but the VCT-9000 recorded a delta T of 75˚C, which is 6˚C warmer than the reference Intel cooler on our LGA1155 test system. This is a terrible result, but it wasn’t that surprising. The fan was barely pushing any air through the fins thanks to the bizarre angle at which it was mounted.

The VCT-9000 cooled a little better in our Socket AM3 system, recording a delta T of 37˚C, which did at least put it ahead of the Gelid Tranquillo and the Thermolab Bada 2010. This result also meant that the VCT-9000 cooled our test CPU to 28˚C below the temperature it hit with the AMD stock cooler attached to it.

Fortunately for Nexus, the VCT-9000 was quiet throughout our testing, producing a barely audible hum in operation. This is a very thin silver lining to a rather dark cloud though.

Conclusion

The only redeeming quality of the VCT-9000 is its quiet operation, but this is no excuse for its poor cooling ability, as the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced was even quieter, cheaper and cooled far better. The VCT-9000 certainly isn’t worth its asking price. It’s difficult to install, poorly designed on several fronts and its cooling ability was woeful in our LGA1155 system. You have been warned.

AMD Socket AM3 Scores

• Cooling
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

• Design
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 5/10

Intel LGA1155 Scores

• Cooling
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

• Design
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 3/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

Score Guide