360° View - Arctic Cooling
Silencer 64 Ultra TC Heatsink
Information on Frostytech's test
methodology is available
here. | |
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The Heatsink Fan:
The fan is probably the most important
aspect of the Silencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink. It is suspended upside
down by four posts which connect to the motor body. The
7-bladed impeller spins freely, and utilizes Arctic's Ceramic Bearings. Fan speed ranges from 1000RPM
to 2500RPM, and so airflow from 18CFM to 46 CFM. The fan draws
power from a standard 3-pin motherboard connector that supports RPM monitoring. There is no manual
control for the thermistor controlling fan speed. |
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Heatsink Top:
There are no cross cuts in the body of the
Silencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink, and the fins have a smooth finish. Note
the thermistor wedged in between the aluminum fins at the lower left side. The heatsink
retention clips are screwed directly into the body of the cooler, which is a
good change from how these mechanisms are usually configured. The fan attaches directly to
the extrusion with a couple of spring clips, so there are no
screws required. |
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Heatsink Side A:
The two wires leading into the space between
the bent aluminum fins are where the thermistor is located. The thermistor
controls the fan speed (1000-2500RPM), and consequently the amount of
noise generated by the Silencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink. The unique fan
design suspends the impeller blades a few millimeters above the
tips of the heatsink. The fins are 1mm thick, and spaced 1.8mm
apart. The height of the heatsink fins averages 27mm, with the base thickness
between 8-11mm. |
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Heatsink Side B:
There are two separate clips on the
Silencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink. Both latch onto all three prongs of
the K8 retention frame, but are not mechanically joined together. This
allows the central space of the heatsinks to remain usable for the business
of cooling, and is a simple but very nice design choice. The
outside surfaces of the aluminum extrusion are scalloped, the inner fins are
not. |
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Heatsink Base:
The 68x78mm aluminum base has a face-milled finish which is quite
flat in the central space, but with a surface roughness of ~63 microinches.
The heatsink comes with a small tube of silicon thermal
compound. |
