INTRODUCTION

   As I’m sure we are all aware overclockers, enthusiasts, professionals and even gamers always like to spend as much as possible when building and/or updating their systems to ensure the best possible performance and endurance through time. Some may focus mostly on processing power, others on available memory and others on the graphics but what they all have in common is the extra weight when choosing the right CPU cooling system for the job. However the largest segment of the market is actually taken by casual users who are not really interested in spending lots of money for a system and that makes things a bit harder since price/performance is always an issue. There are of course countless low-cost entry level CPU coolers in the market of every size and type but with a few exceptions performance is not something they excel at. Today we will be taking a look at one such solution and more specifically the Fera 2 HE 1224 by SilentiumPC.

   Established in 2007 in Warsaw, Poland SilentiumPC brand is the business division of Cooling.pl, family owned distribution company specialized in high-end cooling solutions. Since then we bring high-quality silent PC cases, power supplies and cooling solutions that simply get the job done without breaking the bank. And how we do it? Well, we share the old-school belief that good products are the key to success. No aggressive marketing, no flashy banners everywhere, no mighty slogans. Instead we’re putting our efforts in effective design and smart cost-cutting so you get no fancy boxes or stuff you don’t need, just the pure essence of functionality at unbeatable prices. Product development process is focused on user-experience, how the product will function, how you will interact with it. We start from asking the right questions to the right people and choosing the most desired features.

   Much like most manufacturers out there SilentiumPC chose to take the usual path towards building a successful CPU Cooler and so the Fera 2 HE 1224 is yet another tower/u type aluminum heatsink accompanied by a 120mm fan. The Fera 2 HE 1224 also features an direct contact base (some may know it as H.D.T but Silentium PC calls it HE), offers zero clearance issues thanks to its design/size and gives you the option of adding a second fan in push & pull to further improve its cooling efficiency. Design alone however matters very little since we've seen several attempts in the past by new players in the market which ended up producing mediocre performance levels at best. Whether or not Silentium PC can be amongst the very few exceptions with their Fera 2 HE 1224 CPU Cooler is something that we are about to find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Silentium PC uses a white/yellow color theme for the box which has a product picture at the front and their logo.

The specifications and CPU compatibility list are printed on the left side in 3 languages.

On the opposite side we see the product barcode and two pictures showcasing the HE base.

At the rear we see the features of the unit, two 2D barcodes and a picture of the bundle contents.

The bundle is placed in a cardboard box while the heatsink/fan are placed inside a clamshell clear plastic package.

Inside the box you will find the heatsink, 120mm fan, 4 metal fan mounts, thermal paste tube and all the necessary bits and pieces to install the cooler on Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 compatible mainboards.

THE FERA 2 HE 1224

The heatsink of the Fera 2 HE 1224 measures 152mm in height, 125mm in width and 52mm in depth with a weight of 425g.

A total of 47 aluminum fins make the main body of the heatsink spaced roughly 0.2mm from each other.

Part of the fins faces inwards on the sides to capture air coming from the fan between the fins.

The hole placed at the center of the fins may be in place to improve the airflow inside the heatsink to improve its cooling efficiency (can't say for sure).

Silentium PC has chosen four 6mm all-copper heatpipes for the Fera 2 HE 1224.

H.D.T bases (HE in this case) are almost always flat and lack the mirror like finish we all like.

The 120mm hydraulic bearing fan can spin up to 1400RPM (-+10%) to produce up to 55CFM of airflow with just 21dBA of noise.

With the 120mm fan installed the depth of the cooler increases to 75mm and its weight to 555g.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   With the growing number of new CPU Cooler manufacturers (most of which just use rebranded units) we didn't have high expectations neither from the Fera 2 HE 1224 nor from SilentiumPC in general and as you can clearly see in our performance chart we were quite right. Once again however things are not as simple as black and white and so although the Fera 2 HE 1224 is amongst the 3 last models in our databse we need to take into consideration several other factors. For example the noise levels of the included fan are much lower than what other similar solutions offer so for people who pay attention to that the Fera 2 HE 1224 is a clear winner. The zero clearance issues feature is also something that many people will like especially if they happen to own memory modules with tall heatsinks attached.

   And then there's also the price tag of the Fera 2 HE 1224 which is currently set at 24Euros inside the EU (Cooling.pl). There are of course other similar solutions at around the same price range such as the Raijintek Themis but i really see no reason to spend the same amount of money (or more) to get something not as good. Unfortunately the retail network SilentiumPC has currently set is focused just in Poland, Czech Rep and Slovakia but that should actually change quite soon since it's obvious that they are taking steps to expand (although USA availability is not likely to happen anytime soon). Bottom line SilentiumPC may not be ready to take on the "big" guys with their solutions but the Fera 2 HE 1224 CPU Cooler does offer a very good balance between performance, noise levels and price and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Size (No Clearance Issues)
- H.E Base (Direct Heatpipe Contact)
- Noise Levels
- CPU Compatibility
- Price

CONS

- Entry Level Aftermarket Performance
- Current Availability