Coolink Silentator CPU Cooler Review

First Impressions


On first glance one could easily mistake this cooler for a Noctua NH-U12F, or even a Thermalright Ultima 90. In the case of the Noctua NH-U12F this impression is not fleeting as it really does look like one. This is to be expected as the Noctua NH-U12F is made by Coolink's partner company Kolink and Coolink does not hide the fact that the Silentator is a heavily based on it. It is only upon closer examination that a few differences become obvious.


The largest difference is the fan. Unlike the Noctua that uses one of its own ultra high quality fans with their distinctive colour scheme, the Silentator opted for one of their own SWiF fans. With its blue fan and clear frame colour scheme it is just as unique and distinctive as the Noctua but construction wise the two are different as can be. We will cover these differences later in the review but for now lets just say that Noctua made the better choice and leave it at that.


The second difference is not as glaringly obvious but it is actually the more important of the two. Unlike the NH-U12F that has 4 large heatpipes, the Silentator only has 3. Since it is “missing” the 4th heatpipe it can’t truly be considered a “Noctua OEM” rather it is more like a cut down version. One has to wonder how much of an affect this will have on its cooling capabilities.


As mentioned the Silentator is a fairly standard “double 3” heatpipe tower design cooler with a full frame 120mm fan. Some people would call this a 6 heatpipe system but in reality it is really only 3 large “U” shaped heatpipes that start at the top right side of the heatsink, go down and through the copper & aluminum base and then terminates at the top left side of the heatsink.


As with many similarly designed coolers the radiator fins are made of aluminum to help radiate heat, yet keep overall weight to a manageable level. There are 42 of these fins which gives the Silentator heatsink more than 4000 square centimeters of cooling surface area. This number is actually lower than many similarly designed coolers but it is still a respectable number in and of itself. While the fins are tightly packed, Coolink engineer’s have taken a page from other tower heatsinks and have given the fins a textured multi-faceted “face” with an indented center. This approach has been proven to help reduce back pressure allowing for a fan that does not need a high static pressure or high RPMs to keep the air moving efficiently over the fins.

Overall this makes for a quiet, yet efficient thermal design that has been nicely executed by Coolink.


As you can see, the base is even and free of any major tool marks. However there are many minor tool marks that can’t easily be seen but are deep enough to be felt with your fingernail. It is certainly not the best polished base we have seen but it is not the worst either. Overall, the level of quality at this price point was fairly average.

One thing worth mentioning before we continue is the fact that Coolink placed a very sticky warning label on the bottom of the heatsink. Yes we understand this is to help protect it from being scratched in transit but it does mean that you now have to thoroughly clean off all the gunk before you can use it! If you do not do this, the thermal transfer abilities of both the TIM and Silentator itself will be greatly reduced.