ASUS Silent Square Pro: Compact Embedded-Fan Heatpipe Tower
by Wesley Fink on April 16, 2007 2:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Scaling of Cooling Performance
The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme has been the top performer so far in CPU cooling at stock speeds. As overclocks are raised, the Ultra 120 with the Scythe SFLEX fan maintains its cooling advantage. The ASUS Silent Square Pro is below average in cooling efficiency as CPU speeds are increased - even with the modified installation to improve socket 775 cooling performance.
At 2.93GHz the retail HSF is running at 41C, compared to 29C with the Silent Square Pro. This is a delta of 12C and an excellent performance. The delta with the stock fan to Intel retail remains similar at idle as the CPU speed is increased. By 3.73GHz the idle with the retail fan is 56C compared to the Silent Square stock at 43C - a delta of 13C
Cooling efficiency of the ASUS Silent Square Pro was then tested under load conditions, where much poorer cooling performance was observed. Results are compared to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers. The Silent Square Pro generated results very comparable to the Zalman 9500. The 9500 is a cooler which excels in cooling at stock speeds, but which is not nearly as efficient once the CPU is overclocked to higher frequencies - at least when compared to the best coolers tested at AnandTech.
The ASUS Silent Square topped out a stable clock speed of 3.81 GHz - only a little better than the Intel Retail cooler at 3.73GHz and poorer than the 3.90GHz reached with stability with the better heatpipe towers in our cooling performance tests. 3.90 GHz is the highest overclock the Tuniq, Thermalright Ultra 120, OCZ Vindicator, and push-pull Scythe Infinity could reach with stability. At 3.81GHz under load the Silent Square was at 68C compared to the Tuniq Tower 120 at a similar speed at 50C, and the top Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme/Scythe SFLEX at 43C.
Our test methodology uses real gaming at overclocked speeds to test the cooling efficiency of the unit under test. From this perspective the performance of ASUS Silent Square Pro is a disappointment. Even with the modified mount to improve cooling, the overclocked gaming cooling is below average among top heatpipe towers tested at AnandTech.
As stated many times, the overclocking abilities of the CPU will vary at the top, depending on the CPU. This particular CPU does higher FSB speeds than any X6800 we have tested, but the 3.9GHz top speed with the top tier heatpipe towers is pretty average among the X6800 processors we have tested with Tuniq cooling. A few of the other processors tested with the best air coolers reach just over 4 GHz, but the range has been 3.8 to 4.0GHz. Stock cooling generally tops out 200 to 400 MHz lower, depending on the CPU, on the processors tested in our lab.
The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme has been the top performer so far in CPU cooling at stock speeds. As overclocks are raised, the Ultra 120 with the Scythe SFLEX fan maintains its cooling advantage. The ASUS Silent Square Pro is below average in cooling efficiency as CPU speeds are increased - even with the modified installation to improve socket 775 cooling performance.
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| Click to enlarge |
At 2.93GHz the retail HSF is running at 41C, compared to 29C with the Silent Square Pro. This is a delta of 12C and an excellent performance. The delta with the stock fan to Intel retail remains similar at idle as the CPU speed is increased. By 3.73GHz the idle with the retail fan is 56C compared to the Silent Square stock at 43C - a delta of 13C
Cooling efficiency of the ASUS Silent Square Pro was then tested under load conditions, where much poorer cooling performance was observed. Results are compared to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers. The Silent Square Pro generated results very comparable to the Zalman 9500. The 9500 is a cooler which excels in cooling at stock speeds, but which is not nearly as efficient once the CPU is overclocked to higher frequencies - at least when compared to the best coolers tested at AnandTech.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
The ASUS Silent Square topped out a stable clock speed of 3.81 GHz - only a little better than the Intel Retail cooler at 3.73GHz and poorer than the 3.90GHz reached with stability with the better heatpipe towers in our cooling performance tests. 3.90 GHz is the highest overclock the Tuniq, Thermalright Ultra 120, OCZ Vindicator, and push-pull Scythe Infinity could reach with stability. At 3.81GHz under load the Silent Square was at 68C compared to the Tuniq Tower 120 at a similar speed at 50C, and the top Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme/Scythe SFLEX at 43C.
Our test methodology uses real gaming at overclocked speeds to test the cooling efficiency of the unit under test. From this perspective the performance of ASUS Silent Square Pro is a disappointment. Even with the modified mount to improve cooling, the overclocked gaming cooling is below average among top heatpipe towers tested at AnandTech.
As stated many times, the overclocking abilities of the CPU will vary at the top, depending on the CPU. This particular CPU does higher FSB speeds than any X6800 we have tested, but the 3.9GHz top speed with the top tier heatpipe towers is pretty average among the X6800 processors we have tested with Tuniq cooling. A few of the other processors tested with the best air coolers reach just over 4 GHz, but the range has been 3.8 to 4.0GHz. Stock cooling generally tops out 200 to 400 MHz lower, depending on the CPU, on the processors tested in our lab.
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Deusfaux - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
http://www.zerotherm.net/eng/product/BTF95.asp">http://www.zerotherm.net/eng/product/BTF95.aspDO ITTTT
Pirks - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
Wesley, please please please include some tests of motherboard power circuitry temperature with GeminII versus tower coolers. GeminII is notorious for its motherboard cooling but nobody knows for sure whether blowing down on the mobo matters at all. We need some scientific answer to that - is GeminII better than towers just because it is blowing down so much air and cooling mosfets so well, or is this theory a fake?DrMrLordX - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
Coolermaster Gemini II?Deusfaux - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
IFX-14, of course