Silenx iXtrema Heatsink IXC-92HA1

Heatsink Test – Joe

SUMMARY: Low noise, OK performance and a compact footprint.

The good guys at Silenx were nice enough to send a sample of the iXtrema IXC-92HA1 heatsink for a test spin. This unit is relatively compact – my first impression, just based on size, is not to expect much on the performance side.

Key Features:

• Aluminum base/fins, three copper heatpipes
• Fan Ratings: 1100-2000 rpm, 9-18 dBA, 24-52 cfm, sleeve bearings, blue LED
• Includes variable speed fan controller
• Size: 92 x 69 x 111 mm; Weight: 445 grams
• Mounting for Intel Socket 754, LGA775, 939, 940, AM2

The base consists of 7 aluminum plates into which the three heatpipes are embedded:

The base is machined flat so that the heatpipes directly contact the CPU’s IHS.

Mounts included with the heatsink, the fan controller and the ubiquitous white goop:

I tested the Silenx on an Asus P5WD2 motherboard P4 Motherboard Test Platform with a modified Pentium D 805 to read CPU case temps (both supplied by Directron), without using the fan controller, with the following results running Prime 95:

¹MBM on-die temperatures.
²50 dBA measured 8″ from the fan intake corresponds to about 30 dBA measured 3 feet from the fan, a very quiet noise level.

Fan noise is low – this is a quiet heatsink, although I can’t verify Silenx’s dBA ratings with the test gear I have. After seeing what it could do without the controller, I did not test it at lower rpms – frankly I did not want to risk it. I did measure fan rpms with an Omega digital tachometer and found the high setting gave 1790 rpm, the lowest 962 rpm.

In addition, I did not feel much airflow coming through the heatsink’s fins – not surprising considering the fin density. At the 1832 rpm I measured, I seriously doubt that this fan was delivering anything close to 52 cfm.

Results place the Silenx’s IXC-92HA1 in the lower rank of heatsinks tested to date (Heatsink Ranking) and not much better than Intel’s stock heatsink.

Easy to mount (requires removing the mobo), relatively quiet but with cooling performance about the same as the stock Intel heatsink. This one is for those who want a really quiet heatsink (when dialed down) at idle – not for aggressive cooling.

Thanks again to Silenx for sending this our way.

Disclosure: Joe Citarella has a financial interest in a company developing cooling products for electronic chip cooling.

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