SilentiumPC Navis F240 ARGB: A small AIO with a big potential

Results – 39 dBA

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Key features of the cooler

The design of the F240 ARGB AIO cooler does not differ much from previous models in the Navis series. It is a standard all-in-one liquid cooler with an aluminum radiator. The fundamental element of the cooler is a CPU cooling block with a copper base. Inside this block is a pump that circulates heated liquid from the block through a pair of tubes to the radiator and back.

In the radiator, the liquid is cooled by a pair of Fluctus 120 PWM fans. The tubes are fitted with a protective braid and have a total length of 390 millimetres. So you shouldn’t have much trouble installing the cooler in the vast majority of standard cases, and even in more compact cases there shouldn’t be much trouble fitting the extra length of tubing. In addition, the tubes are attached to the cooling block with swivel fittings for easier handling.

   

As is the custom with most AIO coolers on the market, the Navis F240 ARGB is also completely maintenance-free. Moreover, out of the box, it is ready to be installed into your build, including the fans mounted on the radiator and the neatly routed cabling from the fans. Just prepare the appropriate parts from the mounting kit according to the socket of your processor, do not forget to remove the protective film on the pump block before applying the thermal paste to the processor and install the cooler on the processor. After that, you just need to think about where it will be best to install the radiator according to the kind and type of your computer case.

In addition, the cables are neatly arranged in this cooler. They allow serial connection (both PWM and ARGB cables). So you can connect all fans in series to a single PWM and/or ARGB connector on the motherboard. Finally, compared to previous Navis coolers, the pump is also equipped with a PWM cable for speed control. And if you don’t have a suitable ARGB connector on your motherboard, you can use the Nano-Reset controller included in the package. Just plug the cable from the Reset button on your case into this controller, turning the function of this button into a switch between the many backlight modes. The power supply of the controller is handled by a SATA cable.

   

The contact surface of the cooling block is made of copper and impresses with relatively large dimensions for AIO coolers. Theoretically, this cooler could cover most of the area of the heat spreader (IHS) of AMD Threadripper processors. Unfortunately, Navis F240 does not support TR4/sTRX4 socket. However, other types of processors will be covered by this block with a large margin, so you do not have to worry about uneven heat dissipation from the IHS to the base of the cooler.

The Navis F240 ARGB cooler is thoroughly protected inside the cardboard box by a polymer foam monoblock. So you can be sure that the cooler will survive the rough handling of shipping companies unscathed.

   

In the accessories you will find everything you might need to mount the cooler. All you need to do is to prepare the appropriate screws around the CPU socket, apply the Pactum PT-3 paste from the supplied tube and fix the cooler to the CPU. And as I also mentioned earlier in the previous text, as a little bonus you will also find a Nano-Reset controller in the package, with which you can control the backlighting of the cooler base and fans, even if your motherboard is not equipped with an ARGB connector. A set of short screws for attaching the radiator to the case and a brief user manual complete the accessories.

Pump, radiator and fan parameters

For now, I can’t compare this cooler to others in the same category, but that will change soon. However, the parameters are pretty standard and the height of the cooling block with the pump is pleasantly low. Navis F240 ARGB is compatible with all current CPU sockets except TR4/sTRX4, which is not a big surprise for a cooler in this class, although its contact area is pleasantly large (52.5 mm x 58.5 mm). The warranty is only three years, which is a bit of a shame in this day and age of five or six-year warranties, but the price is all the more pleasing, and the Navis F240 ARGB competes hard with higher-end air coolers. And if you skip the RGB backlighting, the Navis F240 will even cost you 11 EUR less, which already makes for a very attractive price tag for an AIO cooler.

The cooler comes with two Fluctus 120 PWM ARGB fans, which are the same fans found on the Fera 5 ARGB cooler, for example. I’ve had positive experiences with the Fluctus series fans recently, so it will certainly be no different here.

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Measurement methodology

As a test processor and heat generator, I am now using an Intel Core i7-11700K on the Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi motherboard. The entire build is mounted on a Streacom BC1 frame with no fans to provide airflow. Acoustic shielding (acoustic foam on OSB boards) is installed around the test setup to eliminate ambient noise.

   

The Voltcraft SL-100 calibrated noise meter is placed perpendicular to the cooler in a fixed position relative to the motherboard at a distance of approximately 35 cm from the processor socket. Stress tests are performed using Prime95 with a duration of 30–35 minutes. The coolers are tested at three standardized noise levels (36, 39 and 42 dBA) and finally at maximum speed. The tests are run in two sets according to the heat output of the processor.

The first set of tests is at 125 W, the PL1 processor’s enforced limit. The second set of power draw is then about 205–210 W (4500 MHz at 1.285 V). However, this second level represents a very high concentration of heat per mm² due to the small size of the chip itself. Thus, not all coolers can be expected to pass this set of tests at all noise levels. At the end of the test, the highest temperature achieved is always recorded.

All data regarding CPU temperatures and heat output are obtained from the HWiNFO64 application. The measured values are then corrected against the room temperature as the resulting Delta T value. Any higher value means a processor temperature over 95–100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass the load with a Delta T value below 75 °C, such a test is marked as a failure.

All data regarding CPU temperatures and heat output are obtained from the HWiNFO64 application. The measured values are then corrected against the room temperature as the resulting Delta T value. Any higher value means a processor temperature over 95–100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass the load with a Delta T value below 75 °C, such a test is marked as a failure.

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Results – 36 dBA

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Results – 39 dBA

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Results – 42 dBA

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Results – maximum speed

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At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class.

Conclusion and evaluation

SilentiumPC Navis F240 ARGB has the potential to become a mainstream bestseller in the field of AIO coolers. Its efficiency rivals even larger and more expensive coolers. At the same time, it is not excessively noisy and its build quality is high. Especially the cooling block is pleasantly heavy and dense, nothing bends or deforms anywhere. The cables are neatly arranged thanks to the serial connection of all cables, which greatly simplifies their unbundling. Finally, the pump speed can also be controlled using a PWM signal from the motherboard.

ARGB fan backlighting is a visually interesting feature, but this is practically standard nowadays. Alternatively, you can save a fifth of the price for the non-ARGB version and achieve a very attractive price/performance ratio. The only real drawback is the three-year warranty. But all in all, the Navis F240 ARGB fully deserves our Approved editorial award.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Key Features
• Measurement methodology
• Results – 36 dBA
• Results – 39 dBA
• Results – 42 dBA
• Results – maximum speed
• Conclusion and evaluation