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

The Fortis 3 Malik Customs Edition has a MSRP of £38.90, £10 more than the original model.

The Malik Customs edition is essentially the same cooler but with revamped aesthetics – which looks very good. SilentiumPC say ‘it offers unparalleled thermal capabilities coupled with new level of customizability and aesthetics.'

Specifications

• Dimensions (heatsink only): 125mm(L) x 125mm(W) x 158mm(H)
• Dimensions (with fan): 125mm(L) x 140mm(W) x 158mm(H)
• Weight (with fan): 820 g
• Gross weight: 1466 g
• Heatsink: 5 x Φ6mm heatpipes, 38 x aluminum fins
• Fan: 140 x 140 x 25mm (with 120 x 120mm mounting holes)
• Bearing type: HSB / Hydraulic
• Fan speed: 500 – 1400 RPM +/- 10%
• Rated voltage: 12V
• Rated current: 0.15 A
• Air flow: 78,6 CFM @ 1400 RPM
• Noise level: 8 ~ 22 dBA
• MTBF: 50000h
• Connector: 4-pin PWM

Well, what can we say about the Malik Customs edition other than ‘wow.' It does remind me a bit of the BeQuiet! Dark Rock 3 as it is a large slab of black metal, but it is certainly its own cooler.

The nickel-plated heatsink and nickel heatpipes look especially good, while there is even the bonus of having swappable plates for the top of the cooler.

Installation is the same as with the original Fortis – all the included accessories are identical. However, it is worth pointing out just one thing. Given the cooler has its crossbar preinstalled, users simply need to insert two screws through the crossbar to lock it into place with the side rails. The only problem is that most of the heatsink covers one of the screw holes, making it tricky to get the screw into place. After a bit of fiddling it fits in nicely, but due to the heatsink's size it is not the easiest of jobs.

Testing

I was surprised to see the Malik Customs edition cool better than the original Fortis 3. It is certainly a good thing, but surprising as they are effectively the same cooler – perhaps the nickel-plated heatsink dissipates heat better.

However, the 140mm Sigma Pro fan is the same as with the original Fortis 3, and noise output is essentially the same between the two.

At stock speeds it is very easy to forget you have a fan spinning at all, while the noise does increase when the CPU is overclocked. Even then, however, the noise is far from intrusive as it simply blends into the background.

• MSRP: £38.90
• Product code: SPC138
• EAN: 5904730204378

KitGuru says: The Fortis 3 Malik Customs edition wins our Worth Buying award for its sheer sexiness and great cooling ability.

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