Gelid Silent Spirit CPU cooler review

Page 3 - Testing methods and test results

Once we mounted the radiator we're ready to continue with the tests, beginning with information about the more important hardware used in the review.

• Processor: Intel C2D E8500 (default 333x9.5)
• Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E WiFi

We'll be using the following coolers for comparison:

• Intel box cooler for E8500
• Evercool Buffalo
• Noctua NH-U12P
• Cooler Master Hyper Z600
• Noctua NH-C12P
• Sunbeam Core-Contact Freezer
• Xigmatek HDT S1284 Enhanced Edition

For the tests of GELID Silent Spirit we checked how will it fare with cooling the processor on default frequency and after hefty overclock.

Testing in IDLE mode, was done by leaving the machine at Windows desktop for about 10 minutes with no other programs running. For tests under load we gathered results from RealTemp 2.70 (the most adequate program for obtaining temperatures of 45nm Intel processor for now), after 30 minutes of running OCCT 2.0. Results you see are degrees centigrade ABOVE ROOM TEMPERATURE, this way the eliminating the influence of ambient conditions and get better results. This way assuming the room temperature to be 20 degrees and the table shows value of 15 degrees, that means the actual temperature was 35 degrees.

Overall expectations here are met. First of all the cooler is heatpipe based (while having only four heatpipes). As we know heatpipe coolers reach their optimal performance at higher temperatures. And second the cooler is rather small and high performance is not its main feature. As whole it performs better than Intel box cooler, but much worse than its bigger brothers.

Things remain the same in this test too. GELID Solutions Silent Spirit still manages to keep up and fares as good as Evercool Buffalo.

Same here. At higher temperatures the difference between GELID Solutions Silent Spirit and its direct competition in the face of Evercool Buffalo becomes very subtle.

ere is the appropriate place to note that the tests were concluded on a stand. I.е. we could not depend on a controlled air flow, and as we already stated this is a basic principle of operation for heatpipe coolers. Basically if you use it in a case with sufficient air flow you should expect better results, while this however is a valid for most coolers too.