Closer look
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The heat sink is made of a machined copper base that interfaces with the CPU and a set of fins connected by 4 embedded large (8mm) heat-pipes. What’s interesting to me is that the heat pipes are directly in contact with the base of the heatsink, which means optimal heat transfer. From the looks of things the Silenx designers did their homework when designing the cooler.
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However, I’m not sure you can say the same thing about the fan speed controller. The unit almost looks like an afterthought; it is small, not labeled, and doesn’t install in the back of the computer like most controllers but rather just sticks somewhere inside the case.
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Installation of the Silenx CPU cooler was extremely straightforward, and it uses the stock AMD retention bracket, which means you don’t have to remove the motherboard if you’re using it. To install the cooler, simply apply thermal compound to the CPU, then attach the cooler using the two mounting clips. I’m not a big fan of clip-mounts since you typically have to press really hard, but these clips require minimal force yet hold the cooler in place nicely.
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Finally, install the fans using the provided spring clips and plug in the fan power cables. It is here we find another limitation of the fan speed controller; you can only hook up one fan to the controller. Another disappointment for this part in my opinion.
Overall, the installation process went very smooth, and there were no clearance issues between the cooler and other motherboard components such as the RAM and other capacitors at all. Turning the computer on, I was impressed by the cooler’s fairly silent operation with the fan speed (on the single fan) turned to low, and the amount of air flowing through the system is impressive. At full speed for both fans, you can definitely hear them, but the noise level is still respectable.
Testing:
Test System:
AMD 64+ X2 3800+ AM2
ECS GeForce 6100SM-M
Noctua CPU Cooler
Super Talent 2GB DDR2-1000 RAM
GeForce 7600GS video card
Hauppauge TV tuner card
Maxtor 200GB 7200 rpm harddrive
Maxtor 250GB 7200 rpm hard drive
Sony DVD writer
Idle temperatures were taken running Windows and full loads were taken while running SiSandra’s Burn-in Module. Temperatures (in degrees Celsius) were recorded at two fan speeds, with the results compared with two recently reviewed air coolers: the Thermalright HR-01 CPU Cooler and the Noctua NH-U12B. Ambient temp was about 20C.
Stock speed:
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