The Asus Silent Square EVO heatsink looks like a big
square block of cooling... and that description isn't too far off. The heatsink
consists of two arrays of nickel plated aluminum fins which are wrapped around a
92 mm PWM fan buried within the body of the heatsink. The fan, a Sunon Maglev
with Vapo bearings no less, draws air through intake cooling fins and expels it
slightly warmer out through exhaust cooling fins on the opposite side. Rotating
away at 2300RPM within the heatsink, audible noise is diminished to the low 40
dBA's. Four blue LEDs give the entire Silent Square EVO heatsink a healthy glow.
To further minimize noise production, the fan is PWM compatible.
No heatsink worth its salt would leave the factory
without heatpipes of some kind, and true to form the Asus Silent Square EVO cooler puts
five nickel-plated copper heatpipes to work. The heatpipes conduct heat
from the copper base to each aluminum fin array. The Silent Square EVO
heatsink weighs in at 745 grams, and stands 142 mm tall, so measure first if you
have a compact PC case.
Mounting brackets are supplied to firmly hold the
0.75 kg heatsink in its place on any AMD K8 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+ or
Intel socket 775 processor. The Asus Silent Square EVO retails for about $65
through sites like Newegg.com; a bit expensive for the
performance it delivers, as you'll shortly see.
Asus Silent Square EVO Heatsink
|
 | |
 |
| HEATSINK SPECSHEET |
| Manufacturer: Asus |
| Model No.: Silent Square
EVO |
| Materials: Aluminum, nickel
plated copper base and heatpipes |
| Fan Mfg: Sunon Maglev
KDE1209PTVX |
|
Fan Spec: 2300RPM, 12V, 0.36A, PWM |
| Fan Dim: 25x92x92mm |
| Heatsink & Fan Dim:
142x105x119mm |
| Weight: 745 grams |
| Includes: multi-socket
mounting hardware, instructions, thermal compound |
Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940/AM2+ and 775 |
| Est. Pricing: $65USD
($65CDN) | |
Mounting the Asus Silent Square EVO heatsink onto the
CPU requires the use of special metal mounting frame, regardless of processor
type. The system looks a little complex, but basically the same floating metal
frame is used with all CPU types (AMD and Intel). Long screws pass through this
metal bracket, into plastic standoffs and attach to a rear motherboard support
plate. This keeps the custom Asus heatsink mounting frame elevated above the CPU
socket.
The Silent Square EVO is held firmly in place
by what looks like a standard K8 mounting clip. Given its weight is 745 grams,
we're happy to see a sturdy frame, we just wish the whole process
was a little more simplified.
Asus' Silent Square EVO heatsink
installs logically once you have the orientation of the upper metal socket
and support stands all figured out, the only tool required is a screwdriver. The
spring clip runs over the base of the heatsink to apply pressure onto the
CPU. Both AMD and Intel users will have to remove the motherboard from the case
to install a rear support plate first. That is always a bit of a drag to do.
FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course its performance in the thermal tests!
79%
