Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer REV .2 Review

Former staff writer - March 5, 2004
Category: VGA Cooling
Provided by: Quiet PC
Price: $22 USD

Introduction
Today we will be looking at the arctic-cooling VGA silencer REV .2. The second revision brings along more compatibility for ATI cards. With a redesigned base the VGA silencer is now compatible with ATI’s AIW series. Today’s modern video cards dissipate a lot of heat, and if you’re a overclocker the stock cooler on some of today’s video cards are lacking in the cooling department. Marketed toward ATI’s line of cards the VGA silencer brings some similar features found on Nvidia’s FX cooling solution. The VGA silencer takes some of its design cues from the outside exhaust systems of the FX 5800, 5950. this is a great feature and the only aftermarket cooler on the market with this option for ATI cards. Let’s take a closer look

Specifications

Dimensions	185 x 84 x 34 mm
Compatibility	ATI 9500, 9700, 9800, nVidia Geforce 3 GTS
Fan Speeds	1200 / 2400 RPM
Material	Aluminum

According to arctic-cooling the VGA silencer is incompatible with the 9600, 9800XT and Geforce 4 and FX cards. They are working on future revisions to support the 9600 and 9800XT.

Closer Look

The VGA silencer Rev.2 comes in a clear retail package shows off the coolers massive size. The back of the package has listed many of the unique features of the VGA silencer. Like the first VGA cooler with selectable cooling for control of the noise level. The DHES (Direct Heat Exhaust System) is great giving ATI owners the ability to exhaust the hot air from the GPU. This keeps the fan of the VGA silencer from recycling warm air to cool the GPU.

Included with the VGA silencer heatsink is replacement PCI bracket, Metal grounding guard, retention clip, instructions, and arctic cooling silicon compound. The silicone compound was labeled 50% silicone, 20% carbon, and 30% metal oxide.

The heatsink itself is a solid piece of aluminum with 26 fins running the length of the cooler. The surface area of the VGA silencer is huge with the fan shroud installed the cooler completely covers my 9800Pro.

The base of the VGA silencer was very smooth, and flat. For the REV.2 Arctic Cooling milled off just enough space around the base to allow for installation on ATI AIW cards.