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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BenSkywalker - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
I don't look at the names of posters, I look at the message they posted. You chose to post in the comments thread on an article about an add in water cooler to spread misinformation and FUD. People who use water only do so once? I haven't met a single person, ever, who falls into that category.Water runs cooler and it is quieter while being more expensive. That is a factual statement.
You take exception to the facts and imply some level of emotion to be at play.... bizarre.
Water cooling is a frivolity, as is the process of building a computer in the first place. This article is about a component used in building a computer, a certain level of frivolity should be self evident.
PeachNCream - Saturday, June 20, 2020 - link
What misinformation and FUD are you talking about? You're still trying to demonize the person behind a message you dislike by making accusations that aren't supported in the very text you are responding to because you feel threatened over something you bought for your personal enjoyment. That's rather - I guess the best way to express it is to simply say that's young and lacking in life experience.BenSkywalker - Saturday, June 20, 2020 - link
Would air coolers paint these in a poor light...Two seconds to prove that implication absolutely wrong.
Most people only go water once
This isn't quite so fast, but any time spent on enthusiast forums will show you that certainly isn't true.
Air cooling is more that enough ...
10900K would line to have a word.
We don't have a large enough sample size to know how common leaks are.....
Again, go to any enthusiast forum and ask around. There is a reason water cooling went from a tiny niche to the norm for the high end enthusiast market.
I haven't attacked *you* at all, I don't know you and have nothing against you. I have an issue with FUD and with people who troll discussions about products they have something against. I don't like SFF PCs, they aren't for me. I do not spend my time trolling articles about products used to make them.
Also, you continue to claim that there is an emotional reason to go water when hard data points say you are flat out wrong. Water is cooler, water is quieter. This is measured data, this isn't some feeling.
PeachNCream - Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - link
I'm not debating that liquid cooling results in lower temps. Noise is a different critter as that varies based on what specific cooler you happen to be using so claiming something is universally quieter is incorrect.Back to the point of cooler. Sure a CPU will run at a lower temp, but if something is cool enough on some sort non-liquid HSF, then using a liquid setup will give you an on-paper advantage that won't matter. That's a point you're avoiding acknowledging as a result of personal bias.
Your two primary points are moot. Your argument that liquid cooling is the norm is not supported by any statistical data from a credible source. What sample of sales data do you have at your disposal to support an assertion of popularity? Is it purely personal experience or do you have information you can supply that can support that?
You didn't even read the entire post I made about leaks before quoting it as support for a perception of bias. If you had, you wouldn't have included it because you would have figured out I was advising against judging liquid cooling based on leak potential since we don't have good sample data available to cite it as an inherent problem. You're seeing what you want to see and making me into a threat to support an uninformed notion I have something against liquid cooling that warrants your spending so much effort to defend it. That's very emotional of you.
BenSkywalker - Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - link
Do you not follow the high end CPU market? Legit question. Boost clock speeds vary based on voltage and temperature of the die, cooler running chips require less voltage so on both fronts there is a tangible and measurable edge to using water, in most cases it is mild, but in instances like the 10900k it can be a rather sizable margin.For noise water is quieter than air. American citizens are taller than Chinese citizens, that is both a true statement and obviously not universal.Yao Ming is taller than anyone I know IRL, but that doesn't make the overwhelming data less true.
The leaks issue, we have a rather huge sample size between all of the various forums combined with most of the enthusiast tech outlets. Given that a water cooler leak is likely the second most catastrophic failure behind a PSU 'explosion' it is a rather safe bet it isn't common. I could say ants bring dynamite into a close and blow it up, can you link a study proving that's wrong?
Air is "good enough"- and a ten year old dual core CPU is "good enough" for most things too. It isn't a emotional statement to say an Oct core is better.
MamiyaOtaru - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
far more cluttered? wtf? Yeah a tower cooler is larger than an AIO block, but you act like the radiator doesn't exist. It's bigger than most towers, and requires tubes running between the block and the radiator. You're still running fans through the radiator, plus pump noise. You sound like you spent some money on water and need to justify the expenseMamiyaOtaru - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
PStell me how cluttered this is http://chattypics.com/files/new2_vwdn60vl4h.jpg
BenSkywalker - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
That looks like an OEM system. If that's what you want, all the power to you.sonny73n - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
Mamiya, I wouldn’t waste my time replying to that... (how do you call a stupid person stupid without being crucified for it?).Anyway, his radiator fans don’t make noise but the fans on everyone’s air coolers do. And his water pump is completely silent. Oh, whoever uses air cooler don’t have that cool pump he has.
BenSkywalker - Friday, June 19, 2020 - link
There is a measurement for noise that people have figured out, they use the term decibels. Using measuring devices they can tell how loud certain things are in relation to one another. All of the things we have discussed have been measured for the amount of noise they generate.Air cooler fans are the loudest out of the three(factoring for thermal dissipation).
Water cooler fans are the middle tier(mainly due to being capable of operating at lower RPMs)
Water pumps generate the least amount of noise out of these three devices.
These are documented measurements, not feel feels of trolls that are trying to trash a type of technology in the comments of an article about said technology.