SilenX iXtrema 120mm Copper CPU Cooler - Reviewed

Wraith · Post by **Wraith** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 10:19 am

Wondering about others' thoughts on this cooler (even though the company doesn't seem very popular around here). Looks like SilenX's clone of the 7700. The review doesn't seem overly-technical, or mention much about noise, but still looks like he got pretty decent temps, even with the fan turned off.

Review: http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/silenx_ix ... ndex.shtml

SilenX SX-120C page (Though they don't seem to call it iXtrema on the SilenX site.)

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 10:32 am

It's actually a little different than the Zalman version.

The fan is probably a little quieter and the added surface area of those fins might have some effect.

"SilenX Corporation" looks evil, like a corporation out of Captain Planet or the recent Manchurian Candidate movie.

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:10 am

That looks like the pccooler knockoff with a Silenx fan attached. It'll probably be crap compared to a real 7700 with a nexus fan.

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:41 am

I hope SilenX's fan is at least a little slower than Zalman's.

SilenX ought to use very quiet fans like the Nexus Yate Loon 12cm.

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:51 am

No, Zalman should use nexus or yate loon fans. If nexus and the like don't want to associate with silenx and pccooler, good for them!

Post by **Rusty075** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:01 pm

I'd be willing to bet that that is a rebadged Socket A version of the 7700. It even comes with a Fanmate. (or at least I think it's a fanmate, hard to tell with the poor photography)

Silenx has a relationship with Zalman, so I doubt even they would go so far as to sell a knockoff and jeopardize their resale agreement. They sell the 7000 now, so they would likely sell the 7700 eventually anyway; importing a knockoff doesn't seem to make sense. More likely this is just an expansion of the relationship, from reselling to rebranding.

Haven't seen any pics of the Zalman version of the Socket A 7700, so it's all guesswork at this point. But the fan looks like a Zalman fan, and the changes in the fins may be to reduce weight...the Silenx Socket A version is 25% lighter. (putting a 918g heatsink on Socket A would be really pushing it)

Of course, if it is a knockoff, them Zalman can get in line with everyone else who's waiting to sue Silenx.

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:11 pm

It might be a rebranded NorthQ cooler. Look at the GPU and CPU NorthQ coolers.

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:17 pm

Looks a lot more like the knockoff to me:

http://www.zalmanusa.com/eng/product/vi ... 5&code=005

http://www.pccooler.cn/product/product_spa1200cu+.htm

From what I've seen, the copycats go so far as to even copy the fan mate.

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:23 pm

I hadn't seen that one yet. That looks the same as the SilenX/NorthQ

I guess the knockoff is just a different enough.

TDK · Post by **TDK** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:28 pm

Its definately a rebanded pccooler product, I can tell from the packaging and the fact that the fan controller included is an almost identical copy of zalmans.

Has anyone noticed that silenx now sell silent led fans that look to be made by adda.

sganimefan · Post by **sganimefan** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 3:49 pm

mathias wrote:That looks like the pccooler knockoff with a Silenx fan attached. It'll probably be crap compared to a real 7700 with a nexus fan.

That's exactly what I was thinking... But you beat me to it.

Rusty075 wrote:I'd be willing to bet that that is a rebadged Socket A version of the 7700. It even comes with a Fanmate. (or at least I think it's a fanmate, hard to tell with the poor photography)

Silenx has a relationship with Zalman, so I doubt even they would go so far as to sell a knockoff and jeopardize their resale agreement. They sell the 7000 now, so they would likely sell the 7700 eventually anyway; importing a knockoff doesn't seem to make sense. More likely this is just an expansion of the relationship, from reselling to rebranding.

Haven't seen any pics of the Zalman version of the Socket A 7700, so it's all guesswork at this point. But the fan looks like a Zalman fan, and the changes in the fins may be to reduce weight...the Silenx Socket A version is 25% lighter. (putting a 918g heatsink on Socket A would be really pushing it)

Of course, if it is a knockoff, them Zalman can get in line with everyone else who's waiting to sue Silenx.

I don't know... But it seems kinda weird for Zalman to suddenly start using curved fins since they haven't produced anything with that before.

Post by **Rusty075** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 4:42 pm

sganimefan wrote:I don't know... But it seems kinda weird for Zalman to suddenly start using curved fins since they haven't produced anything with that before.

Some of the old flower coolers had ribbed "petals"

I don't know either, only time will I suppose. I really wish that review was more thoroughly done, it raises more questions than it answers.

josephclemente · Post by **josephclemente** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 5:03 pm

Did I skip through the review too fast, or is this thing an incredible passive cooler? Those temps with the fan off are impressive. And the reviewer didn't even use any ducting - that's just with the case sidepanel off... Wow...

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 26, 2004 6:36 pm

55'C is impossible for ~89W.

Zalman 7700 might be the new dead silent champ if those temps. are correct.

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Sat Nov 27, 2004 8:02 am

This reminds me of that knock off cooler than was being sold in China which Zalman's lawyers investigating.

I think it only vaguely looks like a *proper* Zalman.

Would if that's the intention - to play on the confusion?

miTchy · Post by **miTchy** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:26 pm

any ideas on availabilty in the UK, i wanted the zalman 7700 but read it was a louder?? than the 7000.

greeef · Post by **greeef** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 4:52 pm

what is the relationship between pc cooler and zalman?

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 4:54 pm

greeef wrote:what is the relationship between pc cooler and zalman?

I'm guessing tense to homicidal.

halcyon · Post by **halcyon** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:15 am

Please don't support Zalman copycats. They are ripping off all Zalmans product development and engineering efforts.

If everybody just buys copycats, pretty soon there's nobody left to invest in development anymore.

pdf27 · Post by **pdf27** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 1:55 pm

TDK wrote:Has anyone noticed that silenx now sell silent led fans that look to be made by adda.

As opposed to all the other SilenX fans, of course

The thing I don't get is why people in otherwise fairly good forums like say this one seem to think SilenX kit is any good... This despite claiming SPCR's testing methodology is rubbish and they could do way better!

TDK · Post by **TDK** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:31 pm

As opposed to all the other SilenX fans, of course

Of course I knew the old fans where made by adda, they are the creator hypro bearing. What I meant was I was surprised that their led fans are made by adda since adda generally don't make led fans.

miTchy · Post by **miTchy** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 4:41 pm

As opposed to all the other SilenX fans, of course
The thing I don't get is why people in otherwise fairly good forums like say this one seem to think SilenX kit is any good... This despite claiming SPCR's testing methodology is rubbish and they could do way better!

my silenx psu is the quietest thing in my pc

miTchy · Post by **miTchy** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:34 am

i now have the silenx 120mm xtrema and a AMD 64 3200 90nm@ 2.5ghz
it cools well at the lowest fan speed setting, (fan is spining about 1100rpm) i get 31 idle and 39c load although it cannot cool with the fan off temps just keep rising

another thing is it is a little louder than the zalman 7000cu and is no way 12dBa on lowest setting unless its 12dBa at 5meters

tay · Post by **tay** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:27 am

halcyon wrote:Please don't support Zalman copycats. They are ripping off all Zalmans product development and engineering efforts.

If everybody just buys copycats, pretty soon there's nobody left to invest in development anymore.

This is a zalman ripoff. Please do not buy such products. In general staying away from anything SilenX is a good idea.

Wraith · Post by **Wraith** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:47 pm

Over at htpcnews.com:

The SilenX IXtrema CPU cooler certainly looks a lot like a Zalman 7000 style heatsink. MPCD was kind enough to let me know that this design was in fact not a rip off as I had stated before. They are in fact buying direct from Zalman. Sorry for any confusion, I will be sure to do research before making statements such as that.

In response to your comment about the SilenX heatsink. SilenX takes the Zalman heatsinks and modifies them with their own fan and possibly additional sound dampening material. SilenX's website says "SilenX features heatsinks from Zalman and Swiftech, each filling a distinct market." I wouldn't call it a "rip off" since they buy their heatsinks from Zalman and make modifications to them. I'm sure if you contacted them the first thing they could tell you is that its a Zalman heatsink. In fact, many of the products purchaseable on SilenX.com say that they're Zalman - they're not trying to hide it. I don't personally see a problem with a company buying heatsink hardware and bundling their own fan system.

I would not trust their dB or airflow numbers as far as I can throw my 21" CRT. Even worse, I do not trust the company. It was proven on the SilentPCReview forums that the guy who runs silenx and or his employees posted hyped up testimonials about how good the silenx products were as a couple of different usernames without identifying themselves as representative of the company. They were caught (by tracking ip addresses) and banned from posting anything but direct responses to questions about their products. They may have good products, but they get -10 trust points.

http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10301

tay · Post by **tay** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:40 pm

It still looks like this PCCOOLER ripoff to me. Silenx is using zalman heatpipe vga and chipset coolers and however.

Doubt this is a real zalman product. Please forward that link to htpcforums if youre a member.

Post by **MikeC** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:38 pm

tay wrote:It still looks like this PCCOOLER ripoff to me. Silenx is using zalman heatpipe vga and chipset coolers and however.

Doubt this is a real zalman product. Please forward that link to htpcforums if youre a member.

Totally agree. This thing is NOT a Zalman. I've handled and examined way too many of them not to know. They don't do "corrugated" fins. Also, the hardware shown in the PCCOOLER site is identical to that shown in the review for the Silenx HSF. This MPCD who said this is modded Zalman (in the htpcnews forum?) is full of it.

Just ask Zalman.

Post by **Rusty075** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:59 pm

What strikes me as odd is the fact that Silenx sells both the knockoff, and actual Zalman 7000's. I know from discussions I had with the Zalman CTO at CES that knockoffs are a huge deal to them, they see them (correctly) as nothing more than outright theft of their R&D dollars. I'm surprised that Zalman allows their products to be resold next to the knockoffs.