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Introduction
Arctic Cooling are
pretty big, they have made some of the highest
quality coolers for both CPU's and GPU's. Arctic
Cooling have just released their new nVidia
Silencer. But today we are reviewing their new
Rev 2 of their 1st ATi Silencer.
Packaging
Packaged in a
retail plastic packet, it is very easy to open
with a pair of scissors. With all the packaging
it doesn't weigh too much, 500-600 grams.
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Specifications
| Fan |
72 mm |
| Overall Dimensions |
218.5 x 100 x
40.5 mm |
| Rated Fan Speed |
1500 RPM |
| Bearing |
ARCTIC Ceramic
Bearing |
| Noise Level |
0.5 Sone (3
Sones and more: disturbing) |
| Weight |
201 g |
| Warranty |
6 Years |
Compatibility
Arctic Cooling
have made a very useful diagram to find out
wether this cooler will fit on or wont fit on
without modding. In some cases the cooler will
not fit onto a model due to Video
Card manufactures different layout.
Diagram can be
found here (PDF):
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/downloads/compatibility/height_restr_ati1_r2.pdf
The ATi
Silencer 1 (rev 2) supports
- ATi 9500 -
9700 (SE, Pro, XT) [AGP]
- ATi 9800
(SE, Pro) [AGP]
- ATi x800
(R420) - AIW [AGP]
- FireGL T2,
Z1, X1, X3 [AGP]
- ATi x600
(Pro, XT, AIW) [PCI-E]
- ATi x700
(Pro, AIW) [PCI-E]
- ATi x800
(R420) - AIW [PCI-E]
- FireGL
V3100, V3200, V5000 [PCI-E]
What
you get
The box
includes:
- ATi
Silencer 1 (rev 2)
- Arctic
Cooling MX-1 Thermal Paste (1 Serving)
- PCI
Expansion Air Flow Vent Slot
- Manual
- Arctic
Cooling Sticker
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The ATi Silencer
The Silencer is a very nice cooler, it looks
very stylish and beefy. The rear mounted fan
helps pull air into the duct which takes it to
the heat sink for the GPU. The fan is ball
bearing as normal but has the ability of
connecting to a 3 Pin VGA fan plug or a 2 Pin
VGA fan plug.
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The heat sink is not shiny which means it
doesn't have extreme contact but the thermal
paste should make up for that.
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Because I have a compatible card which is not
compatible I was forced to do a slight amount of
modding to mount this cooler. First I start with
a Capacitor in the road, I removed a fin and cut
the side out (featured in the photos). After
this the cooler was mount but to find that a
second problem arose, the exhaust outlet is
unable to fit into a case. This was due to the
video card on which i had, it has the GPU placed
close to the left of the card. I was able to cut
the Pipe back and able to mount it in.
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Installation
The Installation of the Silencer Was simple
after the modification to fit my card was
completed.
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Test Setup
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Testing
Testing was done with the above machine. ATi
Tray Tools Artifact Stress Testing was used to
load the GPU during tests.
Ambient Temperature was kept at 17°C
Temperatures were measured in 40 minute time
periods.
Cooler Comparison:
- Arctic Cooling ATi Silencer 1 (Rev 2)
- Gigabyte Stock Cooler
- Titan Robela Water Cooling Case
Results
Conclusion
The ATi Silencer is a must have cooler for any
card. If it can cool down your GPU its worth it.
Graphics Cards these days are becoming faster
and faster, but with all the speed comes
excessive heat. The Silencer takes most of that
heat away, in a silent fashion.
If you have ether already voided or warranty has
ran out then this after market cooler is exactly
what I have in mind when I want a silent PC or
for that fact a very well cooled computer whilst
still using air cooling.
This VGA Cooler is a MUST have for after market
air cooling. With temperature drops ranging from
4-5°C it
really helps.
When you prefer Silent over high performance,
get a ATi Silencer.
Before you go out an buy one, make sure your
card will mount, check the arctic
cooling website and use the free height
diagram (ATi
Silencer 1 (rev 2) Diagram).
Pro's ( + ):
Con's ( - ):
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