The Gelid Silent Spirit and Scythe Samurai ZZ are a pair of modestly sized top-down CPU coolers with 92 mm fans. While neither will win any performance awards, their size is an asset in cases too small for large heatsinks with 120/140 mm fans.
May 31, 2010 by Lawrence Lee
Product
|
Gelid Silent Spirit CPU Cooler |
Scythe Samurai ZZ SCSMZ-2000 CPU Cooler |
Manufacturer
|
Gelid Solutions |
Scythe Co., Ltd. |
Street Price
|
US$30 | US$30~$35 |
The Gelid Silent Spirit and Scythe Samurai ZZ are a pair of modestly sized
top-down CPU coolers with 92 mm fans. Such heatsinks are an appropriate choice
for the more common middle of the road processors found in most desktop PCs.
They are typically far superior than stock cooling solutions, but do not perform
nearly as well as large tower coolers. However, their size is an asset, particularly
in cases that are not wide enough to accommodate the plethora of big heatsinks
with 120/140 mm fans.
|
Gelid Silent Spirit
Though Gelid is a relatively new name in the business, it was founded by former
employees of Arctic Cooling, giving it instant credibility. Given the company’s
provenance, it’s no surprise to see the Silent Spirit’s fan has the same style
construction as some found on Arctic Cooling Alpine series of heatsinks. As
It lacks a tradition box casing, its impeller lays naked, visible from all sides.
The four struts bend at the edges forming feet that stand on a ring which is
attached to a clip-on frame using soft fan isolators. Great lengths have been
taken to prevent the fan from directly touching the heatsink and to dampen vibration.
Perhaps most interesting of all, the bulk of the heatsink does not lay flat
— it is uplifted a bit to one side so the fan blows slightly off to the side.
|
The Silent Spirit comes with nothing inside the box aside from the heatsink,
a pair of plastic place-holders, and a set of AMD mounting clips. LGA775 clips
are pre-installed, and a square of thermal compound is pre-applied to the base.
LGA1366 clips are available but must be purchased separately.
Gelid Silent Spirit: Key Features
(from the product web page) |
|
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
Quad Sintered Heatpipes | Nothing special. |
Unique Fin Architecture | Of course. |
Special Heatsink Angle Design | The heatsink’s ’tilt’ is designed to exhaust air a bit more efficiently than blowing it straight down. |
Optimized Air Flow Concept | We’re still waiting for a heatsink manufacturer to claim their product isn’t optimized. |
Intelligent PWM Fan Control Curve | They claim typical PWM fans speed up linearly with CPU temperature while their fan has a more exponential curve. |
Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts | Soft-mounted Arctic Cooling style fan. |
Gelid Silent Spirit: Specifications
(from the product web page) |
|
*INCLUDED | Pre-applied high performance thermal compound |
Air Flow (CFM) | 45.8 max |
Bearing | Hydro Dynamic Bearing |
Cable Length (mm) | 250 |
Cooling Performance (C/W) | 0.17 |
Current (A) | 0.23 |
Dimensions of Cooler (mm) | 108 (l) x 100.5 (w) x 125 (h) |
Dimensions of Fan (mm) | 100.5 (l) x 100.5 (w) x 45 (h) |
Dimensions of Heatsink (mm) | 108 (l) x 97 (w) x 88.5 (h) |
Fan Speed (RPM) | 900 – 2400 |
Life time MTTF at 40C (h) | 50’000 |
Noise Level (dBA) | 10 – 25.8 |
Voltage (V) | 12 |
Warranty (years) | 5 |
Weight (g) | 370 |
Scythe Samurai ZZ
|
The Scythe Samurai ZZ takes a more straight forward approach. It’s a 3-heatpipe
cooler with a straight up-and-down design featuring a 92 mm Slip Stream fan.
The fan is mounted in a polar opposite method to the Silent Spirit, with a pair
of wire clips that clamp on very tightly — they’re actually difficult to
take off without pliers. If the two fans are similar noise-wise in free-air,
the Scythe would likely be louder given how it’s mounted. The Samurai ZZ has
an inherent performance advantage though since the fan housing helps generate
pressure by directing airflow downward and the fan is closer to the CPU and
motherboard PCB since the heatsink isn’t angled upward.
|
The Samurai ZZ also boasts better compatibility. Its set of three mounting
clips allows it to be installed on all current AMD and Intel desktop platforms
and even socket 478.
Scythe Samurai ZZ: Key Features
(from the product web page) |
|
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
F.P.S. (Fast-Phase Structure) Larger heatsink base and direct airflow towards lower heatsink block structure to provide a high cooling efficiency with compact heatsink dimensions. |
This refers to the smaller heatsink above the base. |
Top Mount Fan By pointing the airflow of the fan towards the motherboard, Chip sets and MOS-FETs on VR modules can be cooled simultaneously. |
A simple downblowing cooler. |
V.T.M.S. (Versatile Tool-free Multi platform System) Improved version of Versatile Tool-free Multi platform System allows multi platform installation without any tools on the latest Intel and AMD sockets. |
Looks more or less the same as the same system used on the original Samurai Z 4 years ago. |
Scythe Samurai ZZ: Specifications
(from the product web page) |
|
Model Name | SCSMZ-2000 |
Manufacturer | Scythe Co., Ltd. Japan |
Attachment | VTMS Mounting Clips Thermal Grease |
Compatibility | Intel® LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA775, S478 AMD Socket AM3, AM2+, AM2, 940, 939, 754 |
Heatsink
|
|
Dimensions | 94 x 122 x 94 mm 3.7 x 4.8 x 3.7 in |
Weight | 472 g 16.6 oz. |
Material: | x3 Heat Pipes Aluminum and Copper |
Material of Base Plate | Nickel-plated copper |
Fan
|
|
Dimensions: | 92 x 92 x 25 mm 3.62 x 3.62 x 0.98 in |
Speed | 300 – 2,500 rpm (regulated via PWM) |
Noise Level | 7.2 – 31.07 dBA |
Air Flow | 6.7 – 55.55 CFM |
Bearing Type | Sleeve Bearing |
Gelid Silent Spirit: PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Silent Spirit features 4 copper heatpipes and 43 aluminum
fins. It measures 111 mm high on the short side, 127 mm on the tall side, and
weighs approximately 350 grams, 280 grams without the fan.
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Scythe Samurai ZZ: PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Samurai ZZ features 3 copper heatpipes and 47 aluminum fins.
It stands 94 mm high, and weighs about 480 grams, 390 grams without the fan.
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INSTALLATION
The most critical aspect of installation is for the heatsink to
be securely mounted. The more firmly it is installed, the better the contact
between the heatsink’s base and the CPU itself. It’s also less likely to fall
off. Ease of installation is also important — a simple mounting scheme
means less time spent installing, and reduced likelihood of user error.
Gelid Silent Spirit:
|
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Scythe Samurai ZZ:
|
|
TESTING
Before thermal testing, we took some basic physical measurements.
Approximate Physical Measurements
|
||
Heatsink | Gelid Silent Spirit | Scythe Samurai ZZ |
Weight
|
280 g 350 g with fan |
390 g 480 g with fan |
Fin count | 43 | 47 |
Fin thickness
|
0.36 mm | 0.33 mm |
Fin spacing
|
1.77 mm | 1.74 mm |
Vertical Clearance*
|
53 mm | 35 mm |
Horizontal Overhang**
|
-23 mm +4 mm (AMD mounting clips) |
-21 mm |
* measured from the motherboard PCB to the bottom fin of the heatsink. ** measured from the far edge of the heatsink to the top edge of the motherboard PCB. |
Comparison: Approximate Fin Thickness & Spacing
|
||
Heatsink
|
Fin Thickness
|
Fin Spacing
|
Scythe Big Shuriken
|
0.33 mm
|
1.19 mm
|
Scythe Samurai ZZ
|
0.33 mm
|
1.74 mm
|
Gelid Silent Spirit
|
0.36 mm
|
1.77 mm
|
Xigmatek HDT-SD964
|
0.38 mm
|
1.86 mm
|
Scythe Ninja Mini
|
0.42 mm
|
3.46 mm
|
Testing was done on our new
AM3 heatsink testing platform for small and low-profile heatsinks. A
summary of the test system and procedure follows.
Key Components in Heatsink Test Platform:
- AMD Athlon II X4 630 AM3,
2.8GHz, 45nm, 95W TDP. - Asus M4A785TD-V EVO ATX motherboard.
785G chipset. - Kingston
SSDNow V 30GB 2.5″ solid-state drive. Chosen for silence. - 2GB
Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory. 2 x 1GB DDR3-1800 in dual channel. - FSP Zen 300W
ATX power supply. Fanless. - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Nexus 92 fan (part of our standard testing methodology; used when
possible with heatsinks that fit 92x25mm fans)
With a fanless power supply and a solid state drive, the test system is silent
under the test conditions, except for the CPU cooling fan(s). At full load,
the total system power draw is 132~140W AC, with the CPU and VRMs drawing 85~91W
DC (measured at the AUX12V connector), depending on their respective temperatures.
Smaller Heatsink Test Platform:
Full Load Power Details |
|
System
|
132-140W AC
|
CPU+VRM
|
85~91W DC
|
Normally, our reference fan is used whenever possible, the measured details
of which are shown below.
Reference Nexus 92 mm fan
Anechoic chamber measurements |
||
Voltage
|
SPL@1m
|
Speed
|
12V
|
16 dBA
|
1470 RPM
|
9V
|
12 dBA
|
1150 RPM
|
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Extech 380803 AC power analyzer / data logger for measuring AC system
power. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the fan speed during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital
audio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology. - SpeedFan,
used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensors. The sensors are not calibrated,
so results are not universally applicable. - CPUBurn,
used to stress the CPU heavily, generating more heat than most real applications. - CPU-Z,
used to monitor the CPU speed to determine when overheating occurs. - Thermometers to measure the air temperature around the test platform
and near the intake of the heatsink fan.
Noise measurements are made with the fans powered from the lab’s variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements.
Load testing was accomplished using CPUBurn to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to ensure that the load temperature is stable
for at least ten minutes. The stock fan was tested at various voltages to represent
a good cross-section of airflow and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 10~11 dBA and 21~23°C.
TEST RESULTS
Stock Fan Measurements: Gelid Silent Spirit
|
Stock Fan Specifications
|
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Manufacturer
|
Power Rating
|
2.76 W | |
Model Number
|
G12922524(M)-P
|
Airflow Rating
|
48.5 CFM |
Bearing Type
|
Hydro Dynamic |
Speed Rating
|
900~2400 RPM |
Corners
|
N/A |
Noise Rating
|
10~25.8 dBA |
Frame Size
|
101 x 101 x 40 mm |
Header Type
|
4-pin PWM |
Fan Blade Diameter
|
87 mm |
Starting Voltage
|
3.4 V |
Hub Size
|
36 mm |
Weight
|
70 g |
Data in green cells provided by the manufacturer
or observed; data in the blue cells were measured. |
The Silent Spirit’s stock fan is a clone of those used by Arctic Cooling, a
7-blade model with fluid bearings, minimal housing, soft-mounted to a plastic
frame that clips onto the heatsink. The fan can start with as little as 3.4V,
which is atypical for a PWM model.
Stock Fan Measurements
|
||
Voltage
|
Speed
|
SPL @1m
|
12V
|
2470 RPM
|
32 dBA
|
9V
|
2030 RPM
|
26 dBA
|
7V
|
1750 RPM
|
20 dBA
|
6V
|
1470 RPM
|
15~16 dBA
|
5V
|
1060 RPM
|
12 dBA
|
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from
the intake side of the fan. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. |
Acoustically speaking, the stock fan is fairly good. It is turbulent, buzzy,
and generates a hum at 9V~12V. The hum disappears at 7V, and the character becomes
mostly smooth. It is quiet at 6V with a slight rattle audible up-close. At 5V,
it is practically inaudible.
Stock Fan Measurements: Scythe Samurai ZZ
|
Stock Fan Specifications
|
|||
Manufacturer
|
Power Rating
|
2.04 W | |
Model Number
|
SY9225SL12M-P
|
Airflow Rating
|
6.7~55.55 CFM |
Bearing Type
|
Sleeve |
RPM Rating
|
300~2500 RPM |
Corners
|
Open |
Noise Rating
|
10~25.8 dBA |
Frame Size
|
92 x 92 x 25 mm |
Header Type
|
4-pin PWM |
Fan Blade Diameter
|
86 mm |
Starting Voltage
|
6.8 V |
Hub Size
|
33 mm |
Weight
|
90 g |
Data in green cells provided by the manufacturer
or observed; data in the blue cells were measured. |
The Scythe fan is a Slip Stream, though their 92 mm variants have fewer blades
and less curvature.
Stock Fan Measurements
|
|||
Voltage
|
Speed
|
SPL@1m
|
|
Free Air
|
Mounted
|
||
12V
|
2440 RPM
|
26~27 dBA
|
34~35 dBA
|
10V
|
2080 RPM
|
22 dBA
|
29~30 dBA
|
9V
|
1810 RPM
|
17~18 dBA
|
25 dBA
|
8V
|
1460 RPM
|
13~14 dBA
|
18 dBA
|
7.7V
|
1300 RPM
|
13 dBA
|
15 dBA
|
7.5V
|
940 RPM
|
<11 dBA
|
<11 dBA
|
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from
the intake side of the fan. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. |
Like other Slip Streams, this 92 mm variant is very smooth, but buzzy at 9V
and higher. Oddly, the fan is significantly louder when mounted on the heatsink
than in free air, measuring about 7 dBA higher when the fan is set to 9V or
higher. Thankfully the difference is much less at lower fan speeds, 3~4 dBA
at 8V, and only 2 dBA at 7.7V. At 7.5V and below, the fan is inaudible in both
scenarios.
The Scythe Katana 3, a
slanted but mostly upright cooler, is equipped with the same fan model and fan
clips but the noise difference was much smaller when we tested it. The increase
in noise on the Samurai ZZ is mostly turbulent, and likely caused by the air
bouncing off the motherboard. Taller downblowing coolers don’t seem to be affected
by this phenomenon.
COOLING RESULTS
Note that these heatsinks were tested on our new AM3 test platform. An Athlon
II X4 630 with 95W TDP is the processor. The CPU/VRMs on our new platform draw
between 85W and 91W DC (depending on temperature) at the AUX12V connector, slightly
more than the problematic LGA775/Pentium D950 set up we had been using in the
past. For full details, please see Postscript 2 of SPCR’s 2010 CPU
Heatsink Test Platform on the new
AM3 heatsink testing platform for small and low-profile heatsinks
Gelid Silent Spirit w/ stock fan
|
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---|---|---|---|
Fan Voltage
|
SPL@1m
|
Temp
|
°C Rise
|
12V
|
32 dBA
|
44°C
|
21
|
9V
|
26 dBA
|
45°C
|
22
|
7V
|
20 dBA
|
48°C
|
25
|
6V
|
15~16 dBA
|
58°C
|
35
|
5V
|
12 dBA
|
76°C
|
53
|
Gelid Silent Spirit w/ ref. 92 mm fan
|
|||
12V
|
16 dBA
|
53°C
|
30
|
9V
|
12 dBA
|
59°C
|
36
|
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (23°C) at load. |
The Silent Spirit with its padded and frameless stock fan delivered very good
performance at 9V and 12V with a thermal rise over ambient of just above 20°C.
The CPU heated up by 3°C at 7V and at 6V there was an additional 10°C
jump. It’s effectiveness weakened dramatically as the fan speed was reduced
to quiet levels. At 5V, the temperature climbed 18°C higher than at 6V.
Our reference Nexus fan performed 5°C better at 12V/16 dBA compared to
the stock fan at 6V/15~16 dBA. At the 12 dBA level, the Nexus crushed the stock
fan by an unbelievable 17°C. Note that the Nexus was placed flat on the
heatsink without any support. Swapping the fan in this manner in a real-life
scenario would require an alternate method to secure the fan, such as twist-ties.
Scythe Samurai ZZ w/ stock 92 mm fan
|
|||
---|---|---|---|
Fan Voltage
|
SPL@1m
|
Temp
|
°C Rise
|
12V
|
34-35 dBA
|
44°C
|
21
|
10V
|
29~30 dBA
|
46°C
|
23
|
9V
|
25 dBA
|
48°C
|
25
|
8V
|
18 dBA
|
52°C
|
29
|
7.7V
|
15 dBA
|
53°C
|
30
|
7.5V
|
<11 dBA
|
55°C
|
32
|
Scythe Samurai ZZ w/ ref. 92 mm fan
|
|||
12V
|
16 dBA
|
48°C
|
25
|
9V
|
12 dBA
|
54°C
|
31
|
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (23°C) at load. |
At higher fan speeds, the Samurai ZZ was comparable in performance to the Silent
Spirit, but generated a lot more noise, but at lower fan speeds, the Samurai
ZZ was far superior. At 8V/18 dBA, the thermal rise above ambient was 25°C.
This barely increased at 7.7V/15 dBA, and there was only a 3°C rise at 7.5V
even though the fan had become inaudible. The Samurai ZZ performs superbly with
very limited airflow.
Our reference Nexus fan attained the same thermal rise at 12V/16 dBA as the
stock fan at 9V/25 dBA. At 9V it was slightly louder than the stock fan at 7.5V,
but 1°C better, making it wash at that level.
Comparison Tables
°C rise Comparison (stock fan)
|
|||||
SPL@1m
|
HDT-SD964
|
Samurai ZZ
|
Big Shuriken
|
Arctic Alpine 64
|
Silent Spirit
|
18 dBA
|
–
|
29
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
17 dBA
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
34
|
–
|
16 dBA
|
–
|
–
|
30
|
–
|
35
|
15 dBA
|
22
|
30
|
–
|
43
|
|
14 dBA
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
13 dBA
|
27
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
12 dBA
|
34
|
–
|
–
|
46
|
53
|
11 dBA
|
–
|
37
|
–
|
–
|
|
<11 dBA
|
–
|
32
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Paired with its stock fan, the Samurai ZZ’s greatest asset is its amazing performance
at lower fan speeds. When operating at fan speeds that generate 18 dBA@1m or
less, its cooling proficiency barely changed. So while it may be a poorer heatsink
than a 92 mm tower cooler like the Xigmatek
HDT-SD964 at higher fan speeds, for ultra quiet operation, the Samurai
ZZ is the better choice.
The Silent Spirit is a few degrees behind the Samurai ZZ and Big
Shuriken at the 15~16 dBA level, but at 12 dBA, its performance drops
to the point where it is beaten handily by the Arctic Alpine 64, which incidentally,
can be purchased online for as little as US$10.
°C rise Comparison (reference fan)
|
||
Heatsink
|
Nexus 92 mm fan voltage / SPL@1m
|
|
12V
|
9V
|
|
16 dBA
|
12 dBA
|
|
Scythe Ninja Mini
|
23
|
27
|
Xigmatek HDT-SD964
|
24
|
30
|
Scythe Samurai ZZ
|
25
|
31
|
Scythe Big Shuriken
(Nexus 120 mm fan) |
24
(12V) |
33
(7V) |
Gelid Silent Spirit
|
30
|
36
|
Using our reference Nexus fan seems to make things a little more even, but
the Samurai ZZ still holds a substantial lead over the Silent Spirit, and is
only 1°C off the performance of the HDT-SD964.
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high
resolution, lab quality, digital recording system inside SPCR’s
own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps
encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation
from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of
what we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn’t hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn’t record it either!
The recording starts with 5~10 second segments of room ambiance, then the fan
at various levels. For the most realistic results, set the volume so that
the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then don’t change the volume
setting again.
- Gelid
Silent Spirit stock fan at 1m (mounted)
— 5V (12 dBA@1m)
— 6V (15~16 dBA@1m)
— 7V (20 dBA@1m)
— 9V (26 dBA@1m)
— 12V (32 dBA@1m)
- Scythe
Samurai ZZ stock fan at 1m (mounted)
— 7.7V (15 dBA@1m)
— 8V (18 dBA@1m)
— 9V (25 dBA@1m)
— 10V (29~30 dBA@1m)
— 12V (34~35 dBA@1m)
- Scythe
Samurai ZZ stock fan at 1m (free air)
— 8V (13~14 dBA@1m)
— 9V (17~18 dBA@1m)
— 10V (22 dBA@1m)
— 12V (26~27 dBA@1m)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Gelid Silent Spirit
The Gelid Silent Spirit is certainly a quiet CPU cooler thanks to a smooth-sounding,
frameless fluid bearing fan, the mechancally decoupled isolation from the heatsink,
and the fact that it sits more than 1 cm away from the surface of the heatsink.
The fan blades’ distance from the fins and the relatively small fin area limits
its cooling capabilities, though, particularly when the fan speed is slowed
down. At the 15~16 dBA level, our reference Nexus 92 mm fan beat the stock fan
by 5°C, but at 12 dBA (close to inaudible) it was absolutely destroyed to
the tune of 17°C. It seems to us that all the effort invested into limiting
the amount of noise generated by the stock fan would have been better spent
in simply finding a good fan with a standard box housing. Still, even with the
reference fan, the Silent Spirit ran about 5°C hotter than the Samurai ZZ.
Both coolers can be found for as low as US$30, but the Silent Spirit appears
to be inferior in every way.
Gelid Silent Spirit
|
|
PROS
* Good medium to high airflow performance |
CONS
* Poor low airflow performance with stock fan |
Scythe Samurai ZZ
Though the design of the Scythe Samurai ZZ makes its excellent fan noisier
than in free air, its performance was still superb. It cooled our Athlon II
X4 CPU well when the fan was set to produce 18@1m dBA, but its resiliency as
the fan speed was reduced was far more impressive. The CPU temperature increased
by only 3°C when the fan was slowed to an inaudible level. When paired with
our reference fan, it became even stronger, making it competitive with smaller
tower coolers like the Xigmatek
HDT-SD964. If you’re in the market for a modestly-sized downblowing
CPU cooler, the Samurai ZZ should definitely be on your short-list.
Scythe Samurai ZZ
|
|
PROS
* Good high airflow performance |
CONS
?? |
Our thanks to Gelid
Solutions and Scythe
Co., Ltd. for the Silent Spirit and Samurai ZZ heatsink
samples.
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
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Cooler
Titan Fenrir & Coolermaster Hyper
212 Plus: Direct Touch Revisited
Corsair Hydro H50 CPU Water Cooler
Prolimatech Armageddon & Coolermaster
V8 CPU Coolers
Cogage TRUE Spirit
& Zalman CNPS10X Quiet CPU Coolers
SPCR’s 2010 CPU Heatsink
Test Platform
* * *