I've been very intrigued by the new Silver Soul 135 cooler ever since it appeared on Thermalright's website, and picked one up on the weekend from AliExpress. Thought I'd do some simple tests comparing it to the C14S, nothing too scientific but enough to see which cooler I want to use.
It seems like the perfect cooler to use for a windowed Cerberus X without resorting to water (technically doable on air but at what thermal cost?)
Peak temp readings from Tctl/Tdie, at 500ms polling rate:
There might be a few ways to improve its performance, but I can't test them - perhaps someone else can test:
If one doesn't have any RAM cooling needs, I can definitely see a 1-2C improvement at least if mounting push-pull fans. But without very low profile RAM, mounting a 120mm fan would probably run into the same clearance issues in a M1 or Cerb. I still wouldn't expect too much, since it seems like the SS135 might suffer from the same problems as the D9L, which can't be solved simply with moar fans.
Seems like a dual fan NH-U9S might offer similar or better performance with less headache, at the expense of more noise.
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My SS135 sample had some interesting quality control quirks. Not what I expected from an old-timer like Thermalright.
It seems like the perfect cooler to use for a windowed Cerberus X without resorting to water (technically doable on air but at what thermal cost?)
- 5900X: 130/85/120 1x +200MHz, -2/-5/-30/-10/-20/-15/-20/-20/-20/-20/-20/-20
- B550 Unify-X: A.30
- 32GB 3800 14-15-15 @ 1.52V
- RTX 2060 Super FE @ 0.987V
Peak temp readings from Tctl/Tdie, at 500ms polling rate:
Flat 45% fan curve on C14S until 80C, flat 70% fan curve on SS135 until 80C | NH-C14S | SS135 |
---|---|---|
CB R23 MT | 70.1C | 72.5C |
CPU-Z stress 15min | 70.6C | 73.9C |
Genshin Impact 3 x 1hr sessions | 64.9C | 69.8C |
MW2019 custom infected 30min | 78.9C (average ~72C) | 85.5C (average ~79C) |
There might be a few ways to improve its performance, but I can't test them - perhaps someone else can test:
- Reverse airflow: reverse the rear NF-A9 as intake and get air flowing back to front through the SS135. But the NF-A9 starts to howl like an animal when facing that way. Also, there's no way to remove hot air that way - the exhaust air from the heatsink is really warm and would be detrimental to RAM temps, which are already on the brink with the SS135+Vengeance cooler (47C in TM5). Unify-X VRM heatsink ensures there is no space up top for a top bracket-mounted exhaust fan.
- Push-pull (pull-pull): I tried two redux P12s but couldn't fit the left fan because of the I/O shroud. There is no room for push-push because without the C14S, I need direct airflow for 3800CL14. A single P12 redux makes no difference, the stock Thermalright 120-but-not-120 fan is already capable.
- Side-mounted intake: like the M1, the Cerb [X] comes with a side bracket for mounting fans. Unfortunately, it's hard to do with the SFX internal layout and the way I've routed my 24-pin. With the U9S in the M1, side mounted intake only ever helped my RAM temps slightly, so not expecting miracles out of this one.
- Reverse airflow + side-mounted exhaust: everyone's favourite M1 config, but again, it's not possible for me to test.
If one doesn't have any RAM cooling needs, I can definitely see a 1-2C improvement at least if mounting push-pull fans. But without very low profile RAM, mounting a 120mm fan would probably run into the same clearance issues in a M1 or Cerb. I still wouldn't expect too much, since it seems like the SS135 might suffer from the same problems as the D9L, which can't be solved simply with moar fans.
Seems like a dual fan NH-U9S might offer similar or better performance with less headache, at the expense of more noise.
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My SS135 sample had some interesting quality control quirks. Not what I expected from an old-timer like Thermalright.
- The fitment of the top plastic plate for both heatsink banks is amusingly subpar and all over the place.
- One of the heatsink banks is crooked. A closer look will irk OCD sufferers.
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