SilenX EFZ-120HA5 Heatsink Review

Today we are reviewing the new EFZ-120HA5 heatsink from SilenX Corporation. The EFZ-120HA5 is a tower style heatsink that utilizes three 6mm heatpipes that contact directly with the processor for maximum thermal dissipation. A universal mounting bracket supports the widest range of current AMD and Intel sockets, including the latest multicore Phenom and i3/i5/i7 processors. SilenX use their own Effizio fan with the EFZ-120HA5 which is rated between 8-24 dba depending on the operating speed of the fan. The new design provides a larger, more dramatic fan blade sweep area to maximize airflow. The blades of the fan are red and will quickly catch your eye when inspecting the cooler. The remainder of the fan is the typical solid black plastic design used on the majority of fans we see on a daily basis. SilenX have priced the EFZ-120HA5 very aggressively with a price point just below $30. This price point is sure to please many people considering the depressed state of the global economy. Let's move on and find out if the EFZ-120HA5 can provide good cooling and a silent experience. Specifications: Sku EFZ-120HA5 Rated dBA 8-24 Dimensions 125x85x153mm Materials copper heatpipes, anodized aluminum fins Weight 648g RPM <1600 CFM 32-86 Operating voltage 5-12v Current draw <0.16A Power consumption <1.92w Bearings 3rd generation fluid dynamic bearings Intel cpu compatibility lga775, lga1155/1156, lga1366, lga2011 AMD cpu compatibility socket 754, 939, 940, AM2, AM2+, AM3, FM1 The EFZ-120HA5 ships in a full retail package that is predominately red with black stripes. The front side of the box includes a plastic window that provides potential buyers with a clear view of the heatsink. The packaging indicates that the EFZ-120HA5 is compatible with the most recent processors from both AMD and Intel and that the fan included is rated <18dBA which is very quiet indeed. The opposite side of the package includes key information such as product specifications and CPU compatibility as well as some performance characteristics and a few key features offered with the EFZ-120HA5. The EFZ-120HA5 is a tower design that employs three direct touch heat pipes to draw the heat away from the processor. The heat pipes travel through each row of aluminum fins before extending slightly beyond the top row to dissipate the heat. The EFZ-120HA5 has an aluminum base with numerous small fins that the heat pipes pass through in order to make direct contact with the processor. When we examine the base of the cooler the three heat pipes have small gaps between them that are filled with aluminum from the base of the cooler. The surface is relatively flat which should ensure good contact with the processor. The top of the tower has been painted black and features the PC Cooler insignia on the surface. As we mentioned earlier the heat pipes all extend slightly beyond the black cover that sits on the top row of fins. The fan chosen for the EFZ-120HA5 is one of their own Effizio fans. The fan attaches to a three pin fan header on the motherboard and has seven curved red blades that are responsible for generating the airflow. Before we can install the EFZ-120HA5 there is some assembly required. The retention bracket is made of of three separate pieces of steel that require the use of 4 small screws to complete the assembly. Once the bracket is assembled we use another 2 screws to secure the bracket to the base of the heatsink. These images show the cooler with the retention bracket attached. This gets us one step closer to the actual installation of the EFZ-120HA5. The EFZ-120HA5 uses a universal back plate for all processor types. There are holes cut in the back plate for each different CPU socket type. We then use the four threaded posts, four steel nuts and four washers to complete the final step of our preparation. Now that preparation is completed we place the back plate in position with the four threaded posts inserted through the appropriate mounting holes on the motherboard. Next we carefully position the heatsink on our processor making sure the holes line up with four threaded posts. Once correctly orientated we place a small steel washer over each of the four posts before completing the installation with the four spring loaded nuts. AMD users are going to have to hold the heat sink in place with enough force that they can successfully tighten the spring loaded nuts. In theory this sounds simple but the placement of these nuts is directly below the tower, which does not leave much room for fingers, especially with the pressure required to secure the spring loaded nuts. Intel users would not have to deal with this inconvenience because the mounting holes are further apart. Today we are going to test the SilenX EFZ-120HA5 with the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition CPU. We will compare it with the Arctic Freezer 13 Pro which is just slightly more expensive. We like to try and mirror ‘realistic’ conditions when possible, so instead of the ‘open bench concept’, we are mounting our test system inside the NZXT Phantom chassis. Room ambient temperatures were maintained at a steady 18c throughout testing. AMD System: Processor: AMD PII X6 1090T Black Edition Coolers: SilenX EFZ-120HA5, Arctic Freezer 13 Pro Motherboard: Asus M5A97 Thermal Paste: Arctic MX-4 Power Supply: Corsair CX 500 Chassis: NZXT Phantom Memory: 8GB Mushkin DDR3 1333 Graphics Card: Sapphire HD 6670 There are several different applications available that will load a processor to the limit while running through a series of complicated calculations. For today’s testing we are going to use the latest version of Prime 95. Prime95 is a popular freeware application that can be used to stress test the CPU. Validation Link The SilenX EFZ-120HA5 performs quite well for a budget cooler. Our Phenom II X6 1090T hit a maximum of 47 degrees Celsius which is quite impressive. The SilenX EFZ-120HA5 would serve as a good upgrade from a reference cooler, at a decent price. Once we overclock our CPU to 4.0 GHz we saw a jump of 10 degrees Celsius, peaking at 57c. Personally I don't like to exceed 55c on a daily basis with this AMD processor. By hitting 57 degrees Celsius after a 15 minute Prime 95 session we would hesitate to select this cooler for long term usage, at this clock speed. To test the noise levels generated by the SilenX EFZ-120HA5 we use a Type 2 Digital Sound Level Meter. We place the unit about 1 meter away from our chassis on a 4 foot high tripod to simulate a real world situation. KitGuru noise guide 10dBA - Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves 20-25dBA – Whisper 30dBA - High Quality Computer fan 40dBA - A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator 50dBA - Normal Conversation 60dBA - Laughter 70dBA - Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer 80dBA - City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal 90dBA - Motorcycle or Lawnmower 100dBA - MP3 player at maximum output 110dBA - Orchestra 120dBA - Front row rock concert/Jet Engine 130dBA - Threshold of Pain 140dBA - Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range) 160dBA - Instant Perforation of eardrum Our Type 2 Digital Noise level meter does not record audio that registers below 30 dBA. This means we could not measure the exact noise level of this particular fan. It also means that SilenX have provided a very quiet fan with this EFZ-120HA5 cooler. SilenX have created a great product for those of you who may want to upgrade from a reference cooling solution, it also wont cost you an arm and a leg. The EFZ-120HA5 sells for around £20 which makes it a very interesting, low cost option. The cooler features solid construction and is designed to fit all the recent socket types from AMD and Intel. It uses three direct touch heat pipes and one quality 'Effizio fan' which provides a near silent experience. At stock speeds the EFZ-120HA5 manages to keep the AMD 1090T temperatures in check but when we cranked up the clock speed to 4.0 GHz with extra voltage the ultra quiet fan struggled to maintain acceptable temperatures. Pros: Great price. Compatible with all current processors. Very quiet. Cons: awkward installation for AMD processors. not a great performer when CPU is overclocked. UK available is poor, but it can be ordered from stores across Europe, around the £20 mark. This search term highlights some of the possible options. Kitguru says: The SilenX EFZ-120HA5 qualifies as a product we consider to be "Worth Considering", especially if you are looking to upgrade from a stock cooling solution at low cost.

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SilenX EFZ-120HA5 Heatsink Review

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