The SilverStone Argon AR07 Cooler Review: Tower Cooling on a Budget
by E. Fylladitakis on June 9, 2017 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- SilverStone
- Cooler
Testing Results, Maximum Fan Speed
Starting things off, let's take a look at the AR07's performance with the fan at its full, 12 V fan speed.
The SilverStone Argon AR07 performs just as expected for a direct heatpipe contact design, with excellent thermal performance under low thermal loads that actually rivals that of much larger and more expensive CPU coolers. However, its performance degrades quickly as the load increases, intensifying the performance gap between the Argon AR07 and its more expensive counterparts.
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Max Fan Speed) |
Still, the overall performance of the SilverStone Argon AR07 seems to be considerably superior than the slightly less expensive Cooler Master EVO 212, delivering substantially better thermal performance at slightly lower noise levels.
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Outlander_04 - Saturday, June 10, 2017 - link
I hope they have other colorsjardows2 - Monday, June 12, 2017 - link
This is a nice review, and a nice product. Without overclocking, there is a limited level of heat dissipation that is needed before diminishing returns sets in. Spending $75-$100 that will provide no better practical results is a waste. The noise levels are starting to get close on these "budget" products compared to the premium products.To see a product like this that performs competitively with premium products, at a price level competitive with what is considered the "budget" champion, is exciting to me!
mschira - Tuesday, June 13, 2017 - link
Shouldn't a cooler with a 120mm fan be plenty efficient?I guess if a 140 fan fit's in why not, the bigger the merrier, but 120 fan is pretty big already.
I remember the days when CPU coolers had 80mm fans, and they did the job pretty fine.
And they did so with CPUs that consumed quite a lot of power.
Coolers were a little noise at times back in those days, so I get you want a bigger fan.
M.
Outlander_04 - Tuesday, June 13, 2017 - link
All else being equal a 140 mm fan can move more air at lower speed with less noisemschira - Wednesday, June 14, 2017 - link
No doubt that is true. If a 140 cooler fits, that is good. But it often won't.M.
alchemist83 - Sunday, June 18, 2017 - link
140mm, that extra 20mm makes all the differrence in terms of noise output.vext - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
Great article, the Argon 7 looks like a good inexpensive alternative. But I have to point out that the best cooler in the article is the Thermalright 140 True Spirit Direct by almost all of the criteria. Just look at the performance graphs. I wish there was just a little discussion about the top performing cooler and what you lose to save $15. The Thermalright is $46 at Newegg right now. That nominal difference gets you a much better fan, full nickel finish, better thermals, and just a better overall , more attractive design. If you think about it, CPU coolers are perhaps the one thing that you can keep using over many computer builds. IMHO it's worth paying just a little more for the best. Thermalright is effectively the Rolls Royce of air cooling. They are also far more reasonably priced than Nexus.Leyawiin - Saturday, June 17, 2017 - link
The other Argon coolers have neat little silicon barrel type fan mounts that easily slide into the cooler and isolate vibration at the same time. Shame to see Silverstone backtrack and start using those damned wire fan mounts again.alchemist83 - Sunday, June 18, 2017 - link
Totally agree, my AR01 had silicone mounts, very easy to use and helps to eliminate vibration.alchemist83 - Sunday, June 18, 2017 - link
Had me an AR01 - was pretty good, lasted a few years till i got bored and upgraded to a Thermalright Macho Rev.B. Way better cooling perf & its totally silent at times. Has full cleareance for high DDR. QUite cheap at 35 pounds, I cant fault it.