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We have previously introduced our readers to SilverStone cooling systems from the most advanced series – Heligon, Nitrogon and Tundra. And now, the turn has come to look at the most budget solutions offered by this manufacturer within the Argon line. As the name suggests, this review will focus on the SilverStone Argon AR06, a medium-sized, low-profile horizontal cooler that can meet the cooling needs of most non-overclockable desktop systems.
Packing and scope of delivery
The cooler is packaged in a small blue box containing beautiful color printing and advertising information on its board. Here is a photo of the device itself and its main advantages. The technical data is scarce, but for the average user it will be more than enough – the dimensions of the cooler, the permissible TDP level and compatible processor sockets are indicated here. Internal protection against damage consists of cardboard inserts and a polyurethane foam damper, laid around the perimeter of the radiator.
The set of fasteners and accessories consists of:
- installation instructions;
- syringe with thermal interface;
- two mounting feet for Intel LGA 775/115x/1366 sockets;
- two mounting feet for AMD sockets;
- four screws for fixing the mounting feet on the base of the cooler;
- four long screws;
- four nuts;
- four screw nuts;
- four rubber pads.
Appearance
Appearance Argon AR06 is quite ordinary – it’s an ordinary horizontal cooler of a standard design. Its color scheme consists of four shades – gray thermal fins, copper heat pipes, a white fan frame and a blue rotor impeller. It is in this perspective that the user will always observe it, if he deigns to open the cover of his system unit.
The fan on the cooler is also low-profile, in order to save space in height, and is attached with four screws to the frame on the radiator. The propeller frame is standard – 92×92 mm, but its thickness is only 15 mm. The impeller consists of 11 aggressively curved blades, offering, judging by the angle of their rotation, the optimal balance between the level of static pressure and the amount of air flow pumped. Bearing type – threaded sleeve. In combination with a good engine and the absence of parasitic noise, you get a pretty decent fan that does not strain your ears either at low speeds or at maximum speed. The latter is regulated in the range from 1200 to 2500 rpm using PWM. The noise threshold is at around 1400 rpm, then the impeller becomes audible, but even at maximum speed it rotates relatively quietly. The length of the four-prong black braided power cord is 300 mm.
The cooler uses four 6mm copper heatpipes that emerge from the base and enter a C-curved heatsink. In the body of the radiator, they are evenly distributed, but shifted away from the dead zone of air movement, located immediately behind the propeller stator. The fan is fixed to the respective frame with screws. There are no vibration dampers at the contact point.
The cooler has 50 aluminum fins spaced with a modest 1.2mm gap between them. The total scattering area reaches 3100 cm2.
The shape of the ribs is unpretentious and does without aerodynamic optimization. They are slightly trimmed on the sides, perhaps for better compatibility with the elements around the processor socket. Soldering at the junction of heat pipes and fins is not observed. The fan mounting frame is screwed to the heatsink with four screws, two on each side.
The total height of the radiator and fan does not exceed 58 mm. This will allow this cooler to easily fit into almost any case, except for the narrowest models.
As a base, direct contact of heat pipes is used, pressed from above by a metal plate. The pros and cons of such a solution have already been repeatedly described in past reviews, so we will not repeat ourselves.
The sole of the cooler has a good finish and, in fact, is quite smooth, as evidenced by the prints of the thermal interface on it. The gap between the tubes at the base is 1.5 mm.
Let’s move on to the installation and practical testing of the cooler in operation.
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