Page 3 - Test Results
Our test configuration is as follows:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB Pro DDR4-3600 4x8GB
Graphics: MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER VENTUS 8GB OC
Chassis: Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 Mesh
Power: FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W
Storage: Patriot Viper VPN100 512GB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro x64
Compared hardware:
- SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM
- SilverStone IceGem 280
All tests were run in my custom-built computer to best reflect real-life performance. The computer remained in the same place and room for all tests. The ambient temperature of the room was roughly 18 degrees Celsius. The thermal paste applied to each cooler was stock respective to their manufacturers to rate its performance. Sufficient time between testing was ensured for the paste to settle. The fans on all heatsinks were connected to the same motherboard's 4-pin connector. The test computer was turned on and idling for at least one hour for the idling tests. High CPU load results were obtained using the Prime95 in-place large FFTs test with sixteen worker threads for a minimum of 30 minutes and recorded when the temperature was deemed stable. The SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM was tested using the stock fans sent from the factory in a push configuration installed at the top of the case. The performance was compared with the SilverStone IceGem 280. The purpose of this comparison is to find the relative performance between products, but do keep in mind there are different types and performance classes of coolers here. The temperature results for each cooler were measured with Core Temp, which records the CPU’s integrated thermal sensor for maximum accuracy. Each temperature result was calculated by taking the maximum value of the cores inside of the CPU.
In the idle test, the SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM came out behind against the IceGem 280, but not by far. The VIDA 240 SLIM was only 1 degrees Celsius hotter than the IceGem 280, which is impressive given that the IceGem 280 was designed to cool Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. The difference in performance was smaller than anticipated as the VIDA 240 SLIM is an all-in-one cooler designed to be compact, while the IceGem 280 is an all-out cooler. The cooler’s performance was more than satisfactory, but the idle test aside, let us look at the test that really matters.
After enough time of stressing the CPU, I was able to push these two coolers to their limits to see what they could do. After running Prime95 for about 45 minutes, the SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM was able to stabilize the CPU's temperature at 68 degrees Celsius. The difference in temperature was only slightly larger than the idle test. The difference between the VIDA 240 SLIM was 4 degrees Celsius higher than the IceGem 280. The VIDA 240 SLIM’s performance was absolutely wonderful in keeping the CPU cool under heavy workloads. SilverStone is really telling the truth with their claim of being “slimmer in size with no performance sacrificed". Of course, the gap will widen with hotter CPUs, but these results are still great
Taking noise into consideration, the sound produced from the cooler is very important for many users. In my setup, I was running the cooler and its two fans with an additional three fans as intake in the chassis. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is absolute silence and 10 is an explosion, I would rate the SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM at 1.0 when idle and 3.5 when under heavy loads. The fan was close to silent when idle. During heavier loads when the fan was spinning at a higher RPM, the difference in noise was apparent, but this is understandable given the fan’s rated airflow. In my day-to-day use, my computer usually never undergoes workloads heavy enough to push these fans at their maximum RPM. The SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM delivered excellent cooling performance while remaining mostly silent under menial tasks.
Taking all of this into account, the SilverStone VIDA 240 SLIM is an excellent cooler, having great cooling performance that produces a minuscule amount of noise under smaller loads and remaining reasonable under heavy loads.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
