Installation:

     Installation of the SilverWind is a breeze, as it uses that previously mentioned pushpin mechanism.  All you have to do is line up the heatsink, and push the pins through.  The only concern has to do with the fan controller.  The fan controller mounts into a PCI slot, which means that the fan power connector that you would normally attach to the motherboard will not reach the CPU fan header.  You will have to plug it into a different fan header, or into a Molex power connector. 

     Once it is up and running, the white LEDs beneath the fan give off a brilliant glow.  This one of the best looking heatsinks I have ever seen. 

Testing:

     To test the SilverWind, we will be using the above rig as a testbed.  We will be comparing performance to the stock Intel cooler that has Arctic Silver 5 applied for the TIM.  For each test, there will be five minutes of idle time followed by 15 minutes of full load on the CPU.  Idle is defined as sitting on the Windows Vista desktop, while the load is generated by Prime 95 version 25.4, using Large FFTs.  Temps are captured by SpeedFan 4.34 beta 36 in 3 second increments, looking at the external CPU temp as well as Core 0.  

Stock:

     First off is our stock Intel heatsink results.  If there is one thing that has never changed, it is that the stock Intel heatsinks have always been good at being one thing: funky looking paperweights.  They surely have not been good heatsinks.  In this case, the CPU idles at around 32C and loads around 60C, while the Core 0 temp idles at 46C and loads all the way up to 72C or so.  Ouch.

SilverWind:

     The fan on the AeroCool at full speed isn't too terribly loud, so we let 'er rip for the stress test.  The CPU Idles at 25C, and loads at 50C.  Core 0 idles at 38C, and loads at 63C.  For a 45 bucks, I am not terribly impressed, considering the GeminII gets similar results at 3.2GHz, and both the GlacialTech 5610 and 5710 coolers beat it for cheaper.  It does still handily beat out the stock cooler however. 

Conclusion:

     So there we have it.  The AeroCool has some definite pros, and some definite cons.  On the one hand, we have a stylish heatsink that can bring a lot of splash to a case, and is easy to install to boot.  On the other hand, the performance was lackluster, especially considering the price.  At this price range, we have many quality coolers to choose from, including heatsinks from CoolerMaster, Zalman, and Tuniq. 

     I can only surmise as to the reason for the poor performance.  It could be the mounting system, which I have railed against in the past, or perhaps how the orientation of the fan doesn't really blow through the fins. 

     I think we can safely say that this cooler is geared more for the case modder out there than it is for the extreme performance hound.  The bottom line is, the heatsink looks great, and performs better than stock but worse than some of its competitors.  It will be up to each user to determine which factor is more important.

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	3 out of 5
Innovation:	4 out of 5
Quality:	3 out of 5
Stability:	N/A
Aesthetics:	5 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	2 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5