The SilentiumPC Fera 5 CPU Cooler Review: Quiet Cooling on a Budget
by E. Fylladitakis on May 17, 2022 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Cooler
- SilentiumPC
- CPU cooler
Testing Results, Maximum Fan Speed
To begin with, we are having a look at the Fera 5 with the Fluctus 120 mm fan running at its maximum speed.
Despite its compact proportions, the SilentiumPC Fera 5 performs surprisingly well when it has to dissipate low to medium thermal loads. The average thermal resistance of 0.1640 °C/W is about what we'd expect for a mainstream cooler, with the direct heatpipe design giving the Fera 5 an edge when having to cope with low loads. This, in turn, also allows it to rival the performance of much larger and more expensive products at those low loads. However, if the thermal load is high, the cooler is betrayed by its low mass and falls far behind most tower coolers.
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Max Fan Speed) |
SilentiumPC is strongly focused on delivering good acoustics and the Fera 5 performs exceptionally well in that aspect. Although the Fluctus 120 mm fan is clearly audible when running at its maximum speed, the noise pressure figures are relatively low and should not bother the vast majority of users.
Testing Results, Low Fan Speed
Switching things up a bit, let's next take a look at cooler performance with the Fluctus 120 mm fan taken down to half speed.
Reducing the speed of the fan to about 900 RPM, the Fera 5 performs equally well regardless of the thermal load, suggesting that the low mass of the cooler strongly benefits from the high airflow of the fan when possible. When the speed of the fan is reduced, the thermal performance of the Fera 5 is mediocre but does not fall much behind other similarly sized coolers.
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Low Fan Speed) |
According to the specifications of the Fluctus fan, its speed can be reduced far below 900 RPM – down to 300 RPM, if needed. Regardless, this feels redundant, as the Fera 5 is practically inaudible with the fan running even at 900 RPM. Reducing its speed further would only harm the thermal performance of the cooler without much, if any, acoustic performance gain.
Thermal Resistance VS Sound Pressure Level
During our thermal resistance vs. sound pressure level test, we maintain a steady 100W thermal load and assess the overall performance of the coolers by taking multiple temperature and sound pressure level readings within the operating range of the stock cooling fans. The result is a graph that depicts the absolute thermal resistance of the cooler in comparison to the noise generated. For both the sound pressure level and absolute thermal resistance readings, lower figures are better.
The above chart reveals the actual strength of the SilentiumPC Fera 5. Even though its thermal performance figures are not impressive on their own, the cooler produces very low noise to achieve them. Ultimately, the Fera 5 outperforms other popular mainstream coolers, such as the Cooler Master 212. Other similarly priced coolers, such as the SilverStone AR07, can outperform it but, for the most part, the noise figures are higher. Only premium and/or significantly larger CPU coolers can outclass the Fera 5 across the board.
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Daeros - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
You should be careful with your explanation of SPL: while +3db is double the energy, it’s a relatively small change from a human perspective. While it is subjective, a human-hearing-based doubling in perceived loudness is around +10db(a). In your example of +30db, it’s more like 8-10 times as loud *to a human listener*.There’s a pretty good breakdown of all this over at http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-levelchang...
abufrejoval - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
A pulse!I have a pulse!
Well it's only a fan and not one of the stories Ian was supposed to have left in the pipeine, but well, seems the fan isn't all bad.
Could someone please send AT some mainboards, CPUs, GPUs and SSDs to review?
Please?
DanNeely - Thursday, May 19, 2022 - link
The power and cooling editor is writing articles about cooling devices. Shocking there.I don't know if any more Ian articles are stuck in the pipeline somewhere; at this point I doubt it though.
The mobo editor, Gavin's been ill (covid) recently.
With Ian's departure though, I think Ryan's the last full time person on staff with everyone else moonlighting after their day jobs.
The corporate overlords appear uninterested in anything other than siphoning as much money out as they can; the number of authors has been going down for years with people who leave generally not being replaced and the site slowly dying as a result.
usiname - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
Wont be bad to add low end box collers from AMD and Intel. After all this type of coolers target exactly the owners of the box coolersSttm - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
The Noctua U12S is $50. How much are you really saving going for one of these? $20? $10? For a machine you are going to use for at least a year right?Invest the $20!
firewrath9 - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
Thats a slippery slope, why not pay another $25 on top of that for a U12A?, and U12S is 70 euro on amazon de and $70 on amazon US, also it looks butt ugly and you gotta pay $10 more for the chromax. Noctua is a good company, but their coolers are generally overpriced and dated.at_clucks - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
If the performance (cooling, noise, reliability) is right up there what does "dated" even mean? You buy coolers for their novelty value? Draw the price/performance plot and pick the best cooler in the segment you care about.blackmetaversa - Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - link
What is Metaverse?The Metaverse is well known around the world, with numerous definitions addressing assorted sentiments. https://www.blackmetaverse.io/ To rapidly characterize the significance of Metaverse, we should consider a three-layered web fueled by computer generated reality (VR) and expanded reality (AR). The Metaverse is tenacious, self-maintaining, endless, interoperable, and continuously, and these highlights are its key attributes.
Sttm - Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - link
The gray one is $50 on Amazon.necroperversor - Thursday, May 19, 2022 - link
SPC released Fortis 5 dual (tier more, than Fera 5 daul) for like 205zł = 47$ = 44 €, I will post graph with comparison of NH-U12S, Fera 5, Fortis 5 and few more. Fera and Fortis are better than U12S, with price 26€ less, but it is price in Poland, I don't now why on amazon.pl/amazon.de the Fortis 5 dual cost 73€, yes it's still quiter. https://youtu.be/f7IBV8LEeOc?t=203 (3:48 for noise test)