SilverStone Argon Series AR01 CPU Cooler Review

Cooler Comparison Testing

Cooler Testing Methods

To best gage the quality of the system coolers under review, system CPU temperature and cooling system audio measurements were taken with the CPU idle and under load. To replicate CPU idle conditions, the system was rebooted and allowed to sit idle for 10 minutes. To replicate a stress system load on the Z77-based system, a combination of LinX and FurMark were run over a 30 minute period with LinX running for 500 loops with Memory set to All and FurMark running at 1280×1024 resolution and 2x MSAA in stress test mode. For the Z87-based system testing, Aida64 System Stability Test was used in conjunction with FurMark for 30 minutes per run. After each run, the system was shut down and allowed to rest for 10 minutes to cool down. Then the CPU cooler was removed, cleaned, and remounted to the CPU with fresh thermal paste applied. This procedure was repeated a total of 12 times for each cooler – three times each for the stock speed and overclocking runs on the Z77 and Z87-based systems.

Temperature measurements were taken directly from the CPU thermistors using RealTemp (the newer Tech|Inferno edition). For the Z77-based systems, the highest recorded value for idle and load temperature were used for the run. Because of the volatile nature of the Haswell thermistor readings, the Z87-based system temperatures were measured in a different manner. For idle temperatures, the highest recorded value was used for the run. For load temperatures, a series of three values were notated: the average (high and low) across all cores, the average (high and low) across the single highest core, and the high temperature.

To adequately measure the SilverStone Argon Series AR01 CPU cooler performance, performance testing was done for all scenarios under two operational conditions – single fan and dual fan. In both modes, fans were directly connected to the PSU and run at full speed. In single fan mode, the fan included with the unit was used for testing. In dual-fan mode, two SilverStone fans rated for 2500RPM fan speed and at 0.30 amps of power draw under a 12V load were used for testing.

Note that the temperature values are reported as deltas rather than absolute temperatures with the delta value reported calculated as CPU temperature – ambient temperature. For all tests, room ambient temperature was maintained between 23-27C. Sound measurements of the system cooler where taken with the sound meter placed 3 feet away from the system with all other devices in the room silenced. The Sound Meter Pro applet on a Samsung Galaxy S3 mobile phone was used to measure decibel level.

Intel Z77-based Ivy Bridge System Testing

CPU Stock Speed Testing

The CPU stock speed testing was conducted with the BIOS defaults set (including enabling of the CPU-integrated graphics processor) with Turbo Mode disabled, equating to a 3.4GHz CPU speed, 1600MHz memory speed, and 100MHz base clock. The Intel Speedstep functionality remained enabled for the duration of the testing to get realistic CPU idle performance conditions.

Used with an Ivy Bridge CPU running a stock settings, the SilverStone AR01 cooler manages to keep the CPU temperature under control. Not quite as cool as the Thermalright air cooler, but within respectable limits. Adding a second fan to the cooler had no impact on the AR01's cooling performance.

CPU Overclocked Speed Testing

The CPU overclocked speed testing was conducted with known stable settings from a previous board review with Turbo Mode disabled, equating to a 4.4GHz CPU speed, 1960MHz memory speed, and 105MHz base clock. Also, the CPU-integrated graphics processor was disabled to reduce the processor heat generation. The Intel Speedstep functionality remained enabled for the duration of the testing to get realistic CPU idle performance conditions.

Board voltage settings were configured as follows:

• CPU Core Voltage – 1.2750
• CPU I/O Voltage – 1.150
• DRAM Voltage – 1.6255
• System Agent Voltage(SA) – 1.0850
• CPU PLL Voltage – 1.7500
• PCH 1.05 – 1.0995

The SilverStone AR01's cooling performance with an overclocked Ivy Bridge CPU falls a bit behind the other coolers. However, it does manage to keep the system stable and running. The difference between single and dual fan configuration is a mere 3C at load, indicating that the increased airflow and pressure with the dual fan configuration does little for the performance of the unit.

Intel Z87-based Haswell System Testing

CPU Stock Speed Testing

The CPU stock speed testing was conducted with the BIOS defaults set for the CPU (including enabling of the CPU-integrated graphics processor) and Turbo Mode disabled, equating to a 3.4GHz CPU speed, 1600MHz memory speed, and 100MHz base clock. The Intel Speedstep functionality remained enabled for the duration of the testing to get realistic CPU idle performance conditions.

The AR01 remains at the back of the pack with the Haswell CPU at stock settings with a performance spread between it and the leading cooler of 6C. The performance difference between the stock and dual fan configuration with the unit is negligible.

CPU Overclocked Speed Testing

The CPU overclocked speed testing was conducted with known stable settings from a previous board review with Turbo Mode disabled, equating to a 4.68GHz CPU speed, 1780MHz memory speed, 4.0GHZ ring bus speed, and 167MHz base clock. Also, the CPU-integrated graphics processor was disabled to reduce the processor heat generation. The Intel Speedstep functionality remained enabled for the duration of the testing to get realistic CPU idle performance conditions.

Board voltage settings were configured as follows:

• CPU Core Voltage – 1.25 + 0.005
• VCCIN Voltage – 1.90
• DRAM Voltage – 1.55
• CPU Ring Voltage – 1.125 + 0.005
• CPU SA Voltage Offset – +0.100
• CPU IO Analogue Voltage Offset – +0.100
• CPU IO Digital Voltage Offset – +0.100
• PCH 1.05 Voltage – 1.120

Again, the AR01 cooler just can't seem to keep up with the other higher performance coolers with paired with an overclocked Haswell CPU. It still managed to keep the temps under control, but remained at the edge of stability during both runs. According to the Aida64 CPU throttling graphs, the CPU was forced to throttle its speed during both runs.

Sound Testing

The sound performance of the AR01 cooler was impressive in single fan configuration with the unit barely audible above the case fans. However, the unit noise increased significantly with the addition of the second fan. Given the minimal performance difference between single and dual-fan mode, the sound trade-off when using duals fans is probably not worth it.