Introduction and Technical Specifications

We take a detailed look at one of SilverStone’s Argon series CPU air cooling solutions, the AR01…

Introduction

Courtesy of SilverStone

SilverStone Technology is a well known brand in the computer component space, offering high quality solutions for everything from cases to case-mounted fan controllers and displays. Their CPU air-coolers are some of the best in the industry with the latest incarnation being part of the Argon Series. The Argon Series AR01 CPU cooler is made for optimal cooling of your Intel socket 115X or AMD-based systems, comprised of a single aluminum radiator tied to a copper base-plate via a set of copper heat pipes with a 120mm fan for heat dissipation. To prove out the performance of the AR01 unit, we tested put it up against other high-performance liquid and air-based coolers. At a retail MSRP of $34.99, the AR01 cooler has a great performance to price ratio for its cooling potential.

Courtesy of SilverStone

Courtesy of SilverStone

Courtesy of SilverStone

Courtesy of SilverStone

SilverStone designed the AR01 to optimally transfer the heat from the processor, integrating the heat pipes directly into the base so that the copper heat pipes come in direct contact with the CPU surface. They chose to use larger 8mm-based heat pipes for transferring heat to the aluminum radiator with a disruption airflow design internally to optimize heat transfer to the air medium. In a genius move, SilverStone used rubber based fan holders to fix the unit's fans to the radiator, which also act to absorb fan vibration and noise. The base plate is polished to a mirror-like finish, ensuring optimal mating between the integrated heat pipes and CPU surface.

Courtesy of SilverStone

SilverStone includes mounting hardware for all current AMD and Intel sockets with a universal under-board mount to fit them all. They also include a single SilverStone-branded 2200RPM 120mm fan, thermal paste, and eight fan mounts for use with up to two fans with the unit.

Technical Specifications (taken from the SilverStone website)

Model No.

SST-AR01

Material

Copper heat pipes with aluminum fins

Application

Intel Socket LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011
AMD Socket AM2/AM3/FM1/FM2

Heat Pipe Type

08mm heat-pipe x 3

Cooling System

120mm x 120mm x 25mm fan

Noise

16.4-33.5 dBA

Bearing

Sleeve Bearing

Net Weight

420g (without fan)

Voltage Rating (V)

12V

Start Voltage (V)

≤7V

Air Flow (CFM)

37.2~81.4CFM

Speed (R.P.M.)

1000~2200RPM

Life Expectance (hrs)

40,000 hours

Dimension

120mm (W) x 50mm (D) x 159mm (H) (without Fan)
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