How many people reading this article are running a stock system? Odds are the vast majority would say no. Be it performance parts, add-ons or overclocking to get the most out of your system, most computers have a little something extra going on inside the case.
Now, let’s get scientific for a second. When you turn on your computer, you begin to generate heat. How much heat you generate depends on a number of factors: Do you overclock? Is your system running for extended periods of time under a heavy load, etc? We all know that but what we don’t always think about is where the heat goes when we turn the system and thus the fans off. Thankfully, the people at Evercool have been thinking about just this sort of thing.
Enter the Extended Cooling system (ECS). This tiny little gadget will keep your CPU fan running for 5 minutes after you shut your system down. Now, the theory behind the ECS is that by running the fan after your system has been shut down, the heat should dissipate more quickly, thereby leaving you with a CPU that is room temperature much more quickly. This is meant to prevent your CPU from potential heat damage.
The ECS is made up of the main cooling unit (which is tiny), 2 extensions for your fan wires with three pin connectors on each end and a short ATX cable that runs between the power supply and the motherboard.
Installation of the ECS is simple, thanks to the instructions found on the back of the box. Even better, the ECS itself is labeled clearly so no confusion should take place. Simply put, all you have to do is pull out your motherboard power cord, attach the ATX adapter and plug the new and improved cord back in. I say new and improved because now you suddenly have a 5v plug. This plug goes right into the ECS so that it can “see” if your computer is on or not.
After that, simply unplug your HSF’s power cable from the motherboard and plug it into the ECS. Use one of your fan connectors to plug your ECS back into the spot where your heatsink was connected to the motherboard and use the other fan cable to connect a second fan of your choosing.
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