Asus CPU Coolers

Asus CPU Coolers

Sudeep Naik, May 02, 2007 1811 hrs IST

Does your hot processor entice you to make it guzzle down some chilled beers? Please don't do that, consider these coolers as a solution.

Expert Review

The previous two coolers that we showed you were for the average PC. Now, if you are one of those enthusiasts who love nothing more than squeezing every little Hertz of performance from the system, this section is for you. Here, we feature the Silent Square, Silent Square Pro and the Silent Knight series of high-end coolers from the Asus 'Gamer' series.

Asus Silent Square Series

High-end processors need an equally well performing cooler. The Silent Square series from Asus is made for the meanest of processors. It supports AMD K8 and Intel Socket 478/775 processors as well as the newer Core 2 Duo CPUs. It does not support AMD's AM2 CPUs though.

The cooler weighs a hefty 656 grams and has dual-sided wave-shaped aluminum fins with a copper base and 5 U-shaped aluminum heat pipes. The idea behind a wave-shaped fin is to have more surface area for faster dissipation of heat. A 92mm cooling fan is placed in the center of the aluminum fin assembly. It rotates at 1800 rpm and uses Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) control to adjust fan speed according to the CPU demand. A VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) shield inside the cooler directs airflow from the fan to surrounding areas that are important for better processor operation and overall system stability.

A blue light built in to the cooler gives a spaceship like feel to the whole tower setup.

A universal 3-in-1 retention module is also bundled along with the cooler. This makes installation on any motherboard very simple and hassle free.

The standard bundle includes:

Asus Silent Square cooler
Universal mounting frame
Two screws to fix the frame on Socket 754/939/940 CPUs.
Four screws to fix the frame on LGA775, Socket 478 and AM2 CPUs.
Four plastic spacers
Fastening clip
Asus Thermal paste
Installation Manual

Price: Rs. 3375

Asus Silent Square Pro Series

This top of the line thermal solution from Asus looks almost like the Silent Square and uses the same wave shaped fins, heat pipes and a 90mm fan inside the cooling unit. They even share the same core. There are differences though.

Firstly, Silent Square Pro uses a 2500 rpm fan instead of the 1800 rpm unit found on the Silent Square Series. Also, an orange colored cover sits on the Pro (much like a cap) that distinguishes it from the Silent Square. The Silent Square Pro also includes a fan controller that fits in a 3.5-inch bay (in the cabinet) with a blue digital readout of the fan speed.

The standard bundle includes:

Asus Silent Square Pro cooler
Universal mounting frame
Two backplates for varying motherboard configurations
Two screws to fix the frame on Socket 754/939/940 CPUs.
Four screws to fix the frame on LGA775, Socket 478 and AM2 CPUs.
Four plastic spacers
Fastening clip
Asus Thermal paste
Installation Manual

Price: Rs. 3875