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CPU Heatsink Roundup Fall 2007

Cooling/CPU Cooling by jmke @ 2007-11-06

In this large group test we compare over 30 CPU heatsinks with different fan speeds, giving you the data on both thermal and decibel performance. Want to upgrade your stock cooler? This roundup will help you out.

Coolink Silentator

Provided by: Coolink

Platform support: Intel S775 OR AMD S939/S754 OR AMD AM2
Type of heatsink: Tower
Installation Type: Back Plate
Materials: Aluminum, Copper, Heat Pipes
Fan Support: 2x120mm (one included)
Extra’s: Fan Controller
Average Selling Price: ~€40

We have tested Coolink products in the past, their first entrees were low noise fans which proved popular in Europe. We also saw the Coolink fans included with some of the Noctua heatsinks, so it was not much of a surprise to see the design of the first Coolink CPU heatsink to resemble that of the Noctua NH-U 12.

Dubbed the “Silentator” the name is in line with Hollywood’s “Terminator”, but can it eliminate the competition?

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These are the specifications given by Coolink:

Heatsink Dimension: 153mm (H) x 60mm (D) x 126mm (W)

Weight (with fan): 640g

Fan size: 120 Coolink SWiF-1202

Bearing: Double Ball

Speed: 900-1600RPM

Airflow: 54-90m³/h

Noise: 14-24dBA

In the platform support section we bolded the OR part since the Silentator is not sold with all mounting material, only with the kit you selected. This does limit compatibility if you intend to upgrade to another platform, as you’ll have to spend a little extra afterwards to obtain the correct mounting gear.

Inside the box of the Silentator you’ll find the mounting kit of your choice (S775 in our case), a fan controller (low setting: 8v, high setting: 12v), a fancy case badge, thermal paste, 4 fan clips and installation manual.

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The other platform kits include this mounting gear:

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The Silentator is quite large seen from the front, the aluminum fins cover the size of a 120mm fan and their design at the edges is grilled to increase surface area. You can also see 2 rubber strips which help reduce fan vibration when the 120mm fan is in place:

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Lying on its side you can see that the unit is less deep, there are 3 copper heat pipes (the Noctua NH-U 12 has four)

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The copper base has an excellent finishing, lapped but not polished:

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Coolink included 4 fan mounting clips, so you can installed 2 fans on the Silentator, however these clips can only be used with open bridge fans, our GlobalWin NCB reference fan could not be installed with these clips; so we used elastic bands to secure our other fans.

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Installed and ready to cool down the hot Intel CPU:

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Comment from Rutar @ 2007/11/06

impressive

A new sheriff in town from Coolink (former Noiseblocker), it is VERY interesting that it seems to be geared towards silent computing (hence performing best there while not outperforming with a high speed fan. I can't seem to get it here tough

Comment from thorgal @ 2007/11/06

John, in your chart the "coolIT freezone" : where is that review ?

Edit : found it :$ But it's watercooling :s : why did you include it in the charts ? Shouldn't there be an explanation added ?

Comment from jmke @ 2007/11/06

it's water cooling and it's not water cooling at the same time imho; this all in one kit doesn't install different from many other heatsinks, there is zero maintenance, zero risk. It gives you an idea of TEC performance combined with water cooling. Plus, if you state that I should not include it, why include the GTO-990 ? It has a radiator, pump and water block, mounted on a small surface; should I not include that one either?

While the CoolIT does use water to cool down the CPU, it's such a compact and one in all device that I never stopped to think of it as a water cooling setup, similar to the Swiftech and Dangerden offerings. It can be installed by any PC illiterate without risk of damage, most water cooling kits sold do require a bit more knowledge and include some risk.

Comment from thorgal @ 2007/11/07

My feeling is you're walking a thin line here. I do not disagree with your previous post, but to my feeling : air is air, and water is water

Hassle is not a criterea I think, or you could just as well include a resorator from Zalman for example : all in one solution with only one waterblock to install to the cpu, almost the same as the CoolIT in my book. Zalman uses a clamp system not unlike CoolIT to attach the tubing to the cpu block, external connections with Zalman are clampless. Just to say there's no hassle there as well (I'm not a real resorator fan myself

)

And then there's the price : air coolers of around $40 compared to a watercooling system from over a $100... in that respect the CoolIT is definately in the watercooling league.

Anyway : the chart is not necessarily wrong, and provides an interesting comparison between the two technologies, but isn't this comparing apples to oranges ?

All imho of course

Comment from jmke @ 2007/11/07

The Ultra ChillTEC is $120+, all air cooled. THe reserator is not all in one kit, you need to handle the tubes = more risk

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