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NV Silencer 1 Review
by
Zynon Putney (Ludic)

Sponsored

Arctic-Cooling

Review Date 11/17/04

The 64MB GeForce 4 Ti4200 by MSI was my first serious video card for any type of gaming. I remember thinking that 64MB was a huge amount of video RAM at the time, even though 128MB versions were available. I had never overclocked the card, because I did not have sufficient cooling for any type of a decent overclock. Enter Arctic Cooling, who provided us with an NV Silencer 1.

My first impression of the retail package when I received it was the quality of the packaging. The NV Silencer was prominently displayed and secured in case the package needed to be shipped. Included in the package were the following:

Specs:

Application:
NVIDIA Geforce 4TI
(Please see the restrictions under compatibility)
NVIDIA FX 5700

Fan: 72 mm

Overall Dimensions: 218.5 x 100 x 34.5 mm

Rated Fan Speed: 1500 RPM

Bearing: ARCTIC Ceramic Bearing

Noise Level: 0.5 Sone

Weight: 214 g

Product Page

Price:

Newegg.com Price $21.99 USD Purchase link Newegg.com

Recommended Retail Price (excl. VAT):29 USD / 24 EUR

Installation:

-NV Silencer 1
-Arctic Cooling Silicone Paste
-PCI Slot Cover
-Arctic Cooling Case Badge
-Instructions for installation

A requirement for using this aftermarket cooler is that you have the immediate PCI slot underneath the AGP slot free. Although this may prove an issue for small form factor PC's, the mid-tower case we use had plenty of room for the NV Silencer. A good rule of thumb for anyone building a PC is to leave the first PCI slot empty, as it helps airflow, and aids the VGA cooler in doing it's job. Another consideration is that by installing this part, you probably will be voiding the manufacturer's warranty on the video card. This only becomes a major concern if you attempt to overclock the video card to the stratosphere and permanently damage the card. If installed according to the directions, and carefully, you won't have any issues.

The instructions included with the NV Silencer were concise, and accurate. The pictures included would dispel any uncertainty of what is to be done next. The only issue I had with the instructions was that the removal of the stock heat sink seemed a little too generic. The instructions provided would not have worked for my particular card. However, I believe that most people who would be attempting this would know how to remove the stock VGA cooler, or be able to figure it out without much of an issue.

Application of the Arctic Cooling Silicone Paste was simple, and with the included instructional picture, there's no guessing as to how the GPU should be covered. The NV Silencer lined up perfectly with the pre-drilled holes of the GeForce 4 Ti4200, and after securing the rubber washers and nuts, installation was complete.

Placing the NV Silencer equipped GeForce Ti4200 back into the PC, I noticed that fan of the NV Silencer impedes access to the AGP slot holding clip, which you have to press in order to release the card from the slot. By using a slotted screwdriver, I was able to access this clip. Just be careful not to puncture the motherboard with the screwdriver.

Performance/Quality:

After I had installed the video card and closed up the case, I booted the PC up and immediately checked the system temperatures. I noticed an immediate drop of 5 degrees Celsius in the system temperature. Unfortunately, the GeForce 4 Ti4200 does not have an onboard temperature sensor, so I am going to demonstrate the NV Silencer by max overclock. The stock frequencies of the GeForce 4 Ti4200 in my system was 250 MHz Core, and 513 MHz Memory. I was able to push the video card incrementally to 300 MHz Core and 600 MHz Memory stably! I used Quake III Arena and FarCry over a period of a few hours and experienced not a single artifact. I was astounded by the results I was able to achieve with this aftermarket cooler.

The NV Silencer makes hardly any noise whatsoever. The Silencer part of the name really applies here. Compared to the stock cooler I was using, I don't hear any noticable fan noise from the NV Silencer. And the NV Silencer is warranted for six years from the manufacturer. That's a very long time for a PC part. It shows how much Arctic Cooling is willing to stand behind its product.

Pros:

-Easy Installation, even for inexperienced modders

-Extremely Silent

-Low Cost

-Excellent Performance

-Extremely Long Warranty

Cons:

-Impedes access to AGP slot holding clip when installed -Requires free PCI slot under the AGP slot -Removal instructions of stock heatsink a little generic

Conclusion:

With a very easy installation, immediate results, and well above average performance, I give the NV Silencer 1 from Arctic-Cooling 6 stars out of 6. I highly recommend this product to anyone who has a GeForce 4 Ti series or FX 5700. You will not be disappointed with the results.

Rating 6 out of 6 Stars Perfect score!!!!!!

Review date 11/17/04

Reviewer Ludic (Zynon)

Company Info

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End Customers

Before contacting us please consult all the relevant information found under the corresponding product.

For questions regarding our products please contact us per email at:
in English: help.english@arctic-cooling.com
in German: help.deutsch@arctic-cooling.com

Technical questions sent to
info@arctic-cooling.com
will not be answered!

Dealers

For questions regarding our products or feedback please contact us per email at:
dealer@arctic-cooling.com

Distributors & Assemblers /System Builders

ARCTIC COOLING Switzerland AG
Huobstrasse 4
8808 Pfäffikon, Switzerland
Fax: +41 55 420 42 88
eMail: info@arctic-cooling.com

ARCTIC COOLING HK Ltd.
Unit 712-713, Cyberport 1
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 29896077
Fax: +852 29896055

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Ludic

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