SilentiumPC Air Cooler Challenge – 6 Way Round-up

1. Introduction2. Testing Methodology3. Spartan 3 LT4. Spartan 3 Pro5. Fera 36. Fortis 37. Fortis 3 Malik Customs Edition8. Grandis9. Big Picture Overview10. Closing Thoughts11. View All Pages

Onto the Fera 3, which has a MSRP of £20.90.

SilentiumPC say the Fera 3 provides ‘the ultimate blend of compact dimensions, high efficiency and price.'

Specifications

• Dimensions (heatsink only): 125mm(L) x 53mm(W) x 155mm(H)
• Dimensions (with fan): 125mm(L) x 78mm(W) x 155mm(H)
• Weight (with fan): 613 g
• Heatsink: 4 x Φ6mm heatpipes
• Supported TDP: up to 180W
• Fan: 120 x 120 x 25mm
• Bearing type: HSB / Hydraulic
• Fan speed: 500 – 1600 RPM +/- 10%
• Rated voltage: 12V
• Rated current: 0.13 A
• Air flow: max. 46,5 CFM
• Noise level: 8 ~ 15 dBA
• MTBF: 50000h
• Connector: 4-pin PWM

My first impression of the Fera was that it looks very similar to the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO – albeit with the black plated section atop the heatsink.

It is an entirely conventional installation, with a backplate, screws, spacers and then two side rails which are locked down using four studs. Rather than using a separate crossbar to screw onto the side rails, a crossbar is already preinstalled on the cooler itself.

The cooler is a straightforward job to install, but my only gripe is that all the screws, nuts and side rails come in a single bag – with no labelling for AMD or Intel motherboards. Everything you need does come clearly labelled on the installation guide, and I used everything in the bag except four AMD-specific screws – so it is not a confusing mess. Still, for a novice, it may be helpful to have marked bags for the different screws.

It is also worth pointing out the Fera 3 steps up to a proper 120mm fan – as opposed to the 100mm fan used by the Spartan coolers. As such, the heatsink is larger in comparison.

Testing

The Fera 3 proved much more capable of handling an overclock – with a 9 degree reduction in CPU temperature compared to the Spartan 3 LT.

In terms of noise, the 120mm helps things as it can spin slower to push the same amount of air when compared to the 100mm fans on the Spartan coolers.

This means, at stock speeds, it is very efficient. Positioned next to me on the test bench, I could actually hear the CX500M PSU fan over the Fera 3 when the CPU was idling. Under load, it was also a solid performer, with just a slight whirr to indicate it was having to work harder.

When overclocked, things do change – and the fan spins up considerably faster. Even then, you would be hard pressed to identify the Fera 3 over other case or GPU fans, for instance, as the noise is a low hum rather than a high-pitched racket. In this respect, I must praise the included Sigma Pro fan as it is very well suited to being attached to a heatsink.

• MSRP: £20.90
• Product code: SPC144
• EAN: 5904730204385

KitGuru says: The Fera 3 wins our Must Have award due to its good cooling, quiet operation and small size.

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