INTRODUCTION

   Judging by the number of Facebook messages and emails we receive by many of you it seems that there's a small argument out there between people who choose to build low-cost mini systems piece by piece and the people who prefer either one of the tiny micro PCs manufactured by Gigabyte, ASRock, Zotac and others or a NAS server. Well each system has its pros and cons and in the end it all comes down to what usage you want one for but if you're looking for superior processing power between all three and you care not about electrical requirements/costs and size then building your own mini PC is really your best bet. On the other hand however if you do care quite a bit about the other two then a micro PC or even a NAS server would be far more suitable for the task (especially if you're just looking for a download server). Now although two out of these three solutions come pretty much ready out of the box so you don't have to concern yourself with anything that's not the case when building your own mini PC and one of the first things one has to look for is a low-profile CPU Cooler capable of keeping the temperatures of the CPU in check. One such CPU cooler is the Argon AR05 by SilverStone which we have here with us today.

   Founded in 2003, SilverStone is an established leader in its field, with an elite team of engineers; we started our quest of providing products that create inspirations. We have since expanded the lines of products as well as types of products we produce, giving our customers a wide selection of choices. With distribution centers in different areas of the globe, SilverStone products can be seen all over the world, not just for computer users but also for home entertainment use. Providing leisure with integration of advanced technologies that is functional and making them enjoyable to use. Here at SilverStone Technology, we continue to pride ourselves in providing the highest level of standards in designing and manufacturing computer enclosures, power supplies, and accessories. Our pursuit for the first class aesthetic appeal is relentless; our teams of devoted engineers are constantly searching for the best technologies that suit end-users with different needs and will make our products as technologically sound as they are beautiful.

   Just like most other low-profile CPU coolers we've tested to date the Argon AR05 model by SilverStone is a top-down (C design) aluminum based solution aimed almost solely towards people with very small PC cases where space is perhaps the most important issue. Of course since such solutions are not known for their excellent cooling capabilities the Argon AR05 is probably not suitable for overclockers and serious gamers (besides it has a thermal design power of just 65W) but thanks to its high-rpm 92mm PWM rifle-bearing fan and heatpipe-direct contact base it should produce interesting results.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Argon AR05 comes inside a very small blue box with two product images at the front (one small and one big), the company logo, 2D barcode and the features list.

SilverStone has placed the specifications list on the left side and a few words about the product on the right.

At the bottom of the box we see the features list printed in 9 languages.

The contents of the box are all protected by a piece of black foam and a formed piece of cardboard.

Along with the Argon AR05 SilverStone also bundles a thermal paste tube, 3M double side tape piece, mounting instructions and mounting brackets for Intel LGA 1150/1155/1156 and AMD AM2/AM3/FM1/FM2 mainboards.

THE ARGON AR05

The Argon AR05 may not be much smaller compared to other low-profile CPU coolers like let’s say the AXP-200 by Thermalright but it is smaller and measures just 92mm in width, 104mm in depth and 36.7mm in height with a weight of just 204g.

The 92mm PWM fan used can reach speeds of up to 2500RPM to produce up to 40.2CFM of airflow with just 28.3dBA of noise.

SilverStone has placed their logo at the front of the heatsink and i have to say that it looks nice.

A total of 52 aluminum fins (0.4mm thick each) are present on the body of the Argon AR05.

Two 6mm all-copper heatpipes pass through both the base and the fins of the heatsink.

Typically for Heatpipe-Direct Contact models the base has visible machine marks present and of course lacks the mirror like finish we see with other models.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As we have stated in the past the Intel I7-3770k system is not placed in our lab and so it's obviously not our primary choice when testing CPU Coolers. Still since HTPC oriented models shouldn’t be used with our overclocked Core I7-3930k we have decided to take this path whenever one such model lands at our doorstep. As always our first concern is ambient temperatures so once again we keep the room temperature to around 21-23 degrees (not really hard but unfortunately not 100% accurate as in our lab) and as always to successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application (for around 6-10 minutes) to push the processor to its limits so we can record its temperatures. After that is done 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 was then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results were off. As many of you have pointed out time and again this procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures are 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.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   With the Argon AR05 it's clear that SilverStone didn't aim to create the best low-profile CPU cooler in the market as we speak but rather a very small model which could offer good cooling efficiency with extremely low noise levels and i think they have succeeded in that. As a matter of fact i couldn't believe how inaudible the 92mm PWM fan was even at its full speed of 2500RPM. Granted in the end it lands right next to the Thermalright AXP-200/muscle models but since it's smaller than both I’d say that it did pretty well. Compatibility could be a small issue with the Argon AR05 since it supports less socket types compared to some other low-profile CPU coolers but at least for the majority out there these will do just fine.

   As i type these lines the Argon AR05 by SilverStone retails for USD34.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 37.20Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so pricing is also quite competitive. Of course there’s a large number of choices at around the same price point but if we take into account the size, cooling efficiency and noise levels of the Argon AR05 i think you will have a hard time finding a better alternative. Long story short SilverStone has released yet another product which has everything it needs to become a best seller and although the Argon AR05 may indeed not be the best of its class still it's very good and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size
- Good Cooling Performance
- Almost Inaudible
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Socket Compatibility (For Some)