By: Jadon Lee
June 4, 2021
I am going to start off with a public service announcement. Please do not order from online food delivery services right before the store closes. For the sake of the employees who want to go home, just do not do it. The main issue is not how the employees have to make the food; rather, it is the time they have to spend waiting for the driver to come to pick it up. At later hours into the night, it is so hard to find a driver. Sometimes, the employees will have to wait after hours until the driver has arrived. I personally have had an experience where the driver never arrived. It is incredibly annoying when you have to explain to the customer what happened to their food. Not only this, but you have to call back the respective delivery service to either get a new driver or to refund the customer. After coming home from a long day of dealing with online delivery services, it is nice to be able to use a well-built computer with adequate cooling. Today, SilverStone sent over their IceGem 280 for us to try and test out. I am quite excited to try out this cooler as it has a very unique appearance and design. It also has a large water block that covers the entirety of a Ryzen Threadripper processor's integrated heatspreader. Will this cooler's performance stand up to my expectations? Keep reading to find out!
Today’s review unit of the SilverStone IceGem 280 was shipped to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via FedEx International Ground from their office in Chino, California. The shipping box was in decent condition with a few marks. It was packed tightly packed, making the edges a little more rounded compared to most packages. I was not worried about any damages to the products inside. SilverStone also sent us over their ECU06, ECU07, and MS12, which has been reviewed by my colleague Hai. The retail box arrived in very good condition, having only a scratch and a couple of small dents in the box.
Taking a look at the retail box, we see a very standard design to many other SilverStone products, using a white, blue, and gold color scheme. On the front of the box, the SilverStone logo is displayed at the top left. The bottom left displays the name “IceGem 280”. The right side displays an image of the IceGem 280 itself alongside its RGB compatibilities. The back provides the specifications of the cooler itself alongside some additional features. On the top, it talks about some more features of the cooler. SilverStone provides a QR code to get an online manual on the side of the box. I personally really liked how SilverStone has opted to use some sort of QR code to provide more information, likewise to the ARCTIC Freezer A13 X I have previously reviewed. This is a good way to reduce paper waste while having an easy-to-access manual.
Before we continue, here are the specifications for the SilverStone IceGem 280, as posted on the manufacturer’s website:
Water Block Dimensions: 76 (W) x 66mm (H) x 76mm (D), 2.99” (W) x 2.6” (H), 2.99” (D)
Water Block Material: Copper base with plastic body
Radiator Dimensions: 140mm (W) x 28mm (H) x 314mm (D), 5.51" (W) x 1.1" (H) x 12.36" (D)
Radiator Material: Aluminum
Tube Length: 400mm
Tube Material: Rubber
Pump Motor Speed: 3000 ± 30% RPM
Pump Rated Voltage: 12V
Pump Rated Current: 0.42A
Pump Connector: 2510 – 3 pin and 3 pin ARGB (5V LED)
Fan Dimensions: 140mm (W) x 25mm (H) x 140mm (D), 5.51" (W) x 0.98" (H) x 5.51" (D)
Fan Speed: 600~1600 RPM
Fan Max Airflow: 99.2 CFM
Fan Pressure: 3.1mm/H2O
Fan Noise Level: 9.8 ~ 23.4 dBA
Fan Rated Voltage: 12V
Fan Connector: 4 pin PWM and 3 pin ARGB (5V LED)
Upon opening the box, you will find the full cooler, both fans, and all of the mounting supplies necessary for both Intel and AMD, including Ryzen Threadripper. There are three manuals inside the box as well. These contain the warranty information, user manual, and ARGB controller manual. If you do not have an ARGB motherboard, do not worry, because SilverStone also provides an RGB controller. I personally found the cardboard to be good, as it held all of the components with a nice snug fit. The design was nice and compact.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
