SilentiumPC Spartan 4 Air CPU Cooler Review

Installation

As we noted earlier in the review regarding the ‘accessories’, the Spartan 4 is provided with a surprisingly minimal number of parts. As such, while the instructions are limited to diagrams, it’s very easy on the eye and immediately apparent as to what goes where.

Mounting

The mounting system for the SilentiumPC is fairly standard in regard to the cooler itself. For the bracket attached to the motherboard, however, it is a little unusual, to say the least.

So, what’s so strange about it? Well, one of the most frustrating aspects of the design is that it attaches directly from the top with one screw attachment (to each corner). Although difficult to succinctly express in words, the screws to each corner go through the mounting clip, through a spacer, then screw directly to the backplate. While this would be all well and good presuming that the motherboard wasn’t installed in a case, if this is something you are fitting to an existing build it’s bloody tricky work.

It’s not impossible, because if I managed it practically anyone should be able to, but it’s the kind of work that certainly benefits from three pairs of hands and more than a little patience.

Returning to an earlier point we briefly touched on, it would be remiss of us not the mention the radiator. If you recall, we noted that the fins have a ‘spiky’ edge that certainly adds a new dimension to the aesthetics. In terms of installation, however, these are every bit as sharp and pointy as they look!

Although not sharp enough to cut you, they’re sharp enough to poke you and cause as we call it in the industry, ‘air coolers rash’.

Overall Thoughts

From out of the box and onto our test bench, the SilentiumPC Spartan 4 took us roughly 15 minutes to install. While this is a little longer than average for an air cooler, the majority of the extra time was largely taken with that motherboard mounting bracket. We should note that it isn’t difficult to understand what you have to do, it’s just more than a bit awkward!

Once fitted, however, we think the Spartan 4, while not offering any glitz and glamour such as RGB lighting, still manages to pull of a sleek and stylish aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place within any PC system!