Here are four new SilentiumPC coolers from the Spartan series
SilentiumPC timed the new generation of Spartan coolers well, just before the release of the entire line of AMD Ryzen processors with TDP up to 65 W, and you can also use them now to cool similarly low-power Alder Lakes from Intel. And that’s probably with some headroom for lower speeds. The 120-millimeter fan is already used by the base model Spartan 5, which starts at a price of less than 16 EUR, which is less than 400 CZK.
The Spartan coolers represent the lowest class in the SilentiumPC range. It is a cheaper alternative to the popular Fera 5 cooler, while the cooling performance should be higher than that of the cooling solutions bundled with processors. The latest Spartan 5 and Spartan 5 Max coolers will probably be quite far from them in terms of performance. At least the “Max” variant, which makes more efficient use of the available finning. In total, SilentiumPC has Spartan 5 coolers in four versions. Spartan 5 with and without ARGB LED, and optional lighting (at extra cost) is also available for the Spartan 5 Max.
The difference between the Spartan 5 (ARGB) and Spartan 5 Max (ARGB) coolers is not in the dimensions (they are the same), as they were with the Spartan 4/Max, but in the number of heatpipes that run through the fins. While there are two within the Spartan 5 design, the Spartan 5 Max works with four heatpipes. This cooler is therefore able to absorb a greater amount of heat and consequently distribute it more evenly within the radiating area of the aluminium fins.
The cooling capacity is therefore slightly higher with the Spartan 5 Max variant. SilentiumPC lists up to 180 W, which is an improvement of 30 W compared to the Spartan 4 Max. The official TDP of the simpler Spartan 5 is 160 W. Compared to the Spartan 4, it’s a plus of 35 W, and the Spartan 5 is supposed to outperform the Spartan 4 Max, which already used a 120-millimeter fan, by a little bit according to the paper specs. However, the new Spartan 5 coolers are likely to be more efficient. Cooling performance is supposed to be higher at a lower weight. At 435g, the Spartan 5 is more than 12 % lighter compared to the Spartan 4 Max.
The toothed rotor you know from our tests will also contribute to greater efficiency. Although it’s not quite the Fluctus 120 PWM (ARGB), the fan on the Spartan 5 (Max) coolers is assembled from the same blades. The top speed is lower though (1500 rpm), so the cooler shouldn’t be downright noisy, even with the oversized PWM curve. Compared to the Fluctus 120 PWM (ARGB), the frame is also different, tailored exclusively to work with these coolers.
Unlike conventional fans, this Spartan cooler has no standard mounting holes and the fan is attached to the heatsink via a unique bracket. On the one hand this simplifies mounting, on the other hand you lose the convenience of replacing the fan with another one, typically in case of failure.
The atypical frame is also there to avoid collision with the clip for attachment to CPU sockets. This would be avoided if the cooler used a backplate. Only in this case, mounting it on both AMD and Intel platforms avoids it, and Spartan 5 (Max) coolers always anchor the front by retention bezels. On AMD platforms, the one that comes pre-installed on the motherboards and for Intel platforms, the bezel is supplied in the cooler accessories. It’s a compromise, but it’s justified by the lower purchase price.
The cheaper variant of Spartan 5 without illumination should cost about 15.50 EUR/383 CZK, for ARGB LED you will pay about 3.50 EUR/86 CZK. The Spartan 5 Max is then priced at 21 EUR/519 CZK or 24 EUR/593 CZK (with ARGB LED). All SilentiumPC Spartan 5 (ARGB) and Spartan 5 Max (ARGB) coolers are compatible with AMD AM4, AM3(+), AM2(+), FMx and Intel LGA 1700, 1200, 115x platforms.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš