SilentiumPC Spartan 5: This much power is often all you need

Conclusion

Buying powerful coolers for CPUs with power draw below 100 W is throwing money out the window. This is proved by the test results of the inexpensive new SilentiumPC cooler – Spartan 5. Considering the price, this cooler is sovereignly the best choice for most AMD Ryzen and Intel Alder Lake processors without an open multiplier. That it will be better to pay more for the Fera 5? Incorrect theory, and even here, less is sometimes more.

Conclusion

After the Spartan 5 tests, we have to pay tribute to the Poles again. This has really been a success. If you are bothered by the higher noise level of a the box cooler and at the same time you want the cheapest possible replacement, you will hardly find a full-fledged alternative to the Spartan 5 for 15.50 EUR. We can state this also on the basis of the results of competing coolers, whose tests we are yet to publish.

On processors with power limits capped at TDP/65W, the Spartan 5 is at the level of the Fera 5, when set to the same noise level, which is perfect. Around a hundred watts Spartan 5 loses only up to 3 °C, which is a negligible difference. It has sufficient cooling performance for processors with this kind of power draw even at very low speeds, which you won’t hear even at night.

Cooling performance will be sufficient even on Ryzen 9s, although the difference in cooling compared to more powerful coolers will be more pronounced on these CPUs. The Spartan 5 will already be out of its most efficient band and will thus be noisier. However, we don’t recommend it for the 5800X model, which heats up the most of the Ryzen 5000 processors. You don’t have to worry about using Spartan 5 on the new Ryzen 7 5700X and all the models below it.

In terms of price/cooling performance ratio, we can’t complain about the Spartan 5 at all. And for the money, it would probably be unfair to criticize even the more subtle mounting via push-pins. Just think about the way it attaches to the motherboard when transporting the PC. One thing could have had a more practical implementation, though, and that’s the fan mounting. The tax for the low price is also the absence of a tube with thermal paste. However, a layer (of paste) for one mounting, which in many cases will be the last one, is pre-applied on the base.

Apparently, SilentiumPC didn’t find a way to combine the unified format with the clip to the socket, and the result is the use of a non-standardized frame. Therefore, you can’t just replace the fan with another one if necessary, typically in case of a malfunction. But enough of the ingratitude, and we are glad that in this price range there is such an efficient cooler, within which everything fits together nicely. Whether it’s a super-efficient fan or even a more sophisticated heatsink (certainly for this class) with a more articulated surface to increase the total surface area of the fins. The efficient design of the heatsink is also evidenced by the relatively small difference in cooling between maximum and very low fan speed.

Based on its outstanding features, the Spartan 5 should be a clear bestseller in the mid-range PC lineup. It just depends on how quickly computer build manufacturers update their review. But you know exactly what cooler (and why the Spartan 5) to recommend for cooling CPUs with 50-100 W power draw. Naturally, the SilentiumPC cooler earns the “Smart Buy!” award from us. For fans of illuminated PCs, an ARGB fan variant is also available for a 3-euro premium.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• The SilentiumPC Spartan 5 cooler in detail
• Results: Maximum performance
• Results: Higher performance (45 dBA)
• Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
• Results: Lower noise level (39 dBA)
• Results: Low noise level (36 dBA)
• Results: Very low noise level (33 dBA)
• Results: Audibility threshold (31 dBA)
• Conclusion