The SilverStone Permafrost PF120, PF240, and PF360 ARGB AIO Coolers Review
by E. Fylladitakis on June 17, 2020 10:00 AM ESTConclusion
SilverStone released the Permafrost series as competitively priced, quality AIO coolers that also feature RGB lighting. It is apparent that the company’s engineers did not try to make the coolers extravagant in any given way, but to design products that mix solid aesthetics, reliability, and performance, all while remaining reasonably priced.
Overall, the thermal performance of the new Permafrost series is good, although unsurprising for coolers of their size. This was to be expected, as they are using virtually the same tried-and-true radiators that many other manufacturers have been using for many years now, with the design team focusing their efforts on the main block. There is little to be gained by fiddling with the mini pump when limited by the small available power, but SilverStone’s engineers managed to maintain good flow performance while considerably reducing the pump’s noise output.
Each of the three Permafrost coolers seems to have a different performance profile and, thus, targets a different group of users. The PF240 seems to be the most balanced of the three coolers, being reasonably sized and capable of closing near the performance of the PF360 if it has to. The larger PF360 does not really stand out in terms of raw thermal performance but is capable of maintaining that performance even if the airflow drops greatly. Finally, the small PF120 offers acceptable thermal performance and relatively low noise levels in a small, easily handleable package that should fit inside even the smallest of PC cases.
While SilverStone could not make substantial improvements regarding the thermal performance of their AIO coolers, they did manage to get ahead in terms of acoustics. Most of that improvement seems to be coming from the better pump engine and the high quality fan engines. No matter the reason, the Permafrost PF240 and PF360 tend to offer better thermal performance at lower noise levels than many similarly sized, older AIO coolers, which will definitely entice users who enjoy low noise levels.
As for the RGB lighting, its application on the Permafrost coolers is simplistic but effective. The LED lighting is bright enough and the fans glow brilliantly into a dark environment. It is compatible with nearly all current RGB motherboards and can be controlled via the motherboard’s software. For users that do not have a compatible motherboard, the RGB lighting can be effectively programmed via the included controller that includes several fancy and static lighting effects, but the user will have to access the inside of the system for each program/brightness change.
In conclusion, with the release of the Permafrost series, SilverStone brought three very well balanced AIO coolers with RGB support into the market. The three coolers are sensibly priced, with the 240mm model running for $99 and even the largest 360mm model and can be frequently found for $129 – and they're often on sale for less, making them a serious threat to the competition.
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close - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
On topic: I'd still go with air on any system I plan to keep for a while. I have plenty of machines still operating just fine after close to a decade, I don't want to tempt fate with a liquid loop.Off topic, Germans don't seem to believe in A/Cs mounted on the outside of every building and the A/C noise that all neighbors have to live with. And I remember years ago my neighbor's A/C unit (not in Germany) keeping me awake at night because that hum and vibration would be heard and felt best in my bedroom. Also Germany wasn't the hottest, most humid of countries when they came up with the policies.
PeachNCream - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
Seattle has that same sort of problem. It only gets hot enough to really warrant AC a few weeks out of the summer during a typical year so most residential construction and some business structures lack air conditioning. The only time its a problem is for those few weeks of summer and when there is an unusual heat wave, but while living there, the point of keeping a PC that doesn't generate a lot of heat or require extensive cooling was sort of reinforced. My desktop made my bedroom feel warmer but my netbook was insignificant. It should be no surprise that I figured out how to stay connected, amused, and busy on just an Atom n270 at that point. :)khanikun - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
I normally just go air for my non-main rig. One is a file server and just sits there, while the other is a backup gaming rig. That one usually just sits there too and I play videos on it, while gaming on my other machine.I think AIOs are fine, so long as you aren't constantly tinkering around in your machine. The more you mess with it, the more likely something on it might fail and cause leaking. Why I have them in my computers that I don't mess with much and have a custom on my main rig. The custom is a much more robust setup.
As for Germans and A/C, ya. They didn't bother with it, since it really wasn't all that hot and didn't last long. A fan would suffice, but with everywhere being hotter nowadays, people are definitely rethinking it. The last 3 years I was there, every summer the portable A/C units were sold out for the whole season. Peak heat only lasted like 2 weeks, then over time that changed. Went from 2 weeks to a month. Then a 1 1/2 months. Was also getting close to 100F.
Slash3 - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
I love how the top two best results in every graph on that page are air coolers.Slash3 - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
Haha, hoist by my own petard. They're all air coolers in those graphs.Flunk - Monday, June 22, 2020 - link
Not really, it's just dependant on the size of the radiator. AIOs can be made with later radiators than tower coolers, but it doesn't make AIOs magically better. It's just a matter of how much heat dissipation surface you have. If you get the heat there with heat pipes or pumped liquid is largely irrelevant.hansmuff - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Repeat after me: there are other benefits and they are worth it to some.eek2121 - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Baseless argument. I have been using AIOs for a long time and have never had a leak. One of my units is 6 years old and is used daily.WaWaThreeFIVbroS - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
That doesn't mean others never had their AIOs leaked, my AIO leaked and broke the GTX 980 beloe it, never againPeachNCream - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
A single digit sample size does not make for reliable data on a statistical level so claims either for or against leak risks would really need a broader collection of data than we have the ability to gather here. That's why I don't really comment much on leaks aside from pointing out we haven't the right information. As far as I'm concerned, other more obvious factors are worth consideration beyond leaking or not leaking (though I do feel for someone losing expensive hardware due to a leak - kinda sucks).