The SilverStone Heligon HE02 has all the design elements of a superb fanless CPU cooler. It’s huge, has wide fin spacing, and its odd asymmetrical design takes advantage of all the space around a typical CPU socket.
September 21, 2012 by Lawrence Lee
| Product | SilverStone Heligon HE02 CPU Cooler |
| Manufacturer | SilverStone |
| Street Price | US$70? |
Known mostly for their cases, SilverStone has ventured into the cooling market in the past with the NT series, a couple of small, passive models optimized to take advantage of airflow in their horizontal desktop and bread box sized cases. The Heligon series is a broader approach, a line of high performance heatsinks to attack the much coveted enthusiast market. The HE01 uses a dual tower heatsink with a fan in the center but we’re looking at the HE02 today, a monstrous cooler designed specifically for fanless operation.
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The HE02 hits both the main criteria for a passive CPU heatsink to be successful. It has large gaps between the fins to minimize impedance in low airflow environments and it has plenty of surface area to dissipate heat into the surrounding air. Its physical dimensions are tremendous, 170 mm across, 130 mm wide, and 160 mm tall with a weight of just under 1 kg. It’s also unusually asymmetric so it can better utilize the space between the CPU socket and expansion slots compared to a conventional heatsink. The shape is also weird with 12 corners pointing outward giving it a very distinct look. The HE02 isn’t available yet for sale but its rumored to be about US$70.
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Those experienced with third party CPU coolers will recognize that the installation gear forms a Prolimatech style mounting system which has been proven to be very effective over the years. Also included are some insulation tape for the backplate, a small tube of thermal interface material, and two sets of wire fan clips in case you’d prefer to use it as a traditional heatsink and fan(s).
| SilverStone Heligon HE02: Key Features (from the product web page) | |
| Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
| Superior silence and performance | Silence is defined as a complete lack of noise, it cannot be “superior” to any other silence. |
| Asymmetric design for optimal positioning on any platform | As the CPU socket is located near one edge of the board on most motherboards, an asymmetric design allows it take greater advantage of the available space. |
| Designed for standard chassis at 160mm tall | 160 mm is under the clearance limit of most ATX towers. |
| For use with CPUs up to 150W+ (fanless-95W) | Though it doesn’t sound like much, 95W is quite a lot for a completely fanless model. |
| SilverStone Heligon HE02: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
| Model No. | SST-HE02 |
| Material | Copper base, heat pipes with aluminum fins |
| Color | Silver |
| Application | Intel Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011 AMD Socket AM2/AM3/FM1/FM2 |
| Heat Pipe Type | 6mm thick powder heat pipe x 6 |
| Cooling System | 1 x 120mm fan (Optional) |
| CPU TDP | Fanless-95W (varies depending on chassis airflow) Fanless with 120mm fan in case > 900rpm – 150W 1 x 120mm fan – over 150W |
| Net Weight | 990g |
| Dimensions | 170mm(W) x 130mm(D) x 160mm (H) |
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The SilverStone Heligon HE02 is composed of a copper base, 6 x 6 mm thick copper heatpipes soldered to 30 aluminum fins, all nickel-plated by the looks of it. By our measurements, the heatsink is 160 mm tall (6.3 inches) but the effective height depends on how high the fans are mounted. According to our digital scale, it weighs approximately 990 grams (2.2 lb).
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BASE & INSTALLATION
The most critical aspect of installation is that the heatsink be securely
mounted. A firm mating results in good contact between the heatsink’s base and
the CPU heatspreader and more efficient heat conduction. Ideally it should
also be a simple procedure with the user having to handle as few pieces of
hardware as possible.
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TESTING
Before thermal testing, we took some basic physical measurements.
| Approximate Physical Measurements | |
| Weight | 990 g |
| Height | 160 mm |
| Fin count | 30 |
| Fin thickness | 0.52 mm |
| Fin spacing | 3.30 mm |
| Vertical Clearance* | 49 mm |
| * measured from the motherboard PCB to the bottom fin of the heatsink | |
| Large Heatsink Comparison: Average Fin Thickness & Spacing | ||
| Heatsink | Fin Thickness | Fin Spacing |
| SilverStone Heligon HE02 | 0.52 mm | 3.30 mm |
| Thermalright HR-01 Plus | 0.45 mm | 3.15 mm |
| Thermalright HR-02 Macho | 0.34 mm | 3.12 mm |
| Scythe Ninja 3 | 0.39 mm | 2.64 mm |
| Noctua NH-U12P | 0.44 mm | 2.63 mm |
| Noctua NH-C12P | 0.47 mm | 2.54 mm |
| Noctua NH-D14 | 0.43 mm | 2.33 mm |
| Thermalright Archon SB-E | 0.49 mm | 2.33 mm |
| GELID Tranquillo Rev.2 | 0.40 mm | 2.30 mm |
| GELID GX-7 Rev.2 | 0.31 mm | 2.25 mm |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE | 0.40 mm | 2.21 mm |
| be quiet! Dark Rock 2 | 0.38 mm | 2.22 mm |
| Prolimatech Armageddon | 0.51 mm | 2.08 mm |
| Prolimatech Megahalems | 0.50 mm | 2.00 mm |
| Zalman CNPS10X Quiet | 0.40 mm | 2.00 mm |
| Scythe Kabuto & Zipang 2 | 0.34 mm | 1.94 mm |
| NZXT Havik 140 | 0.41 mm | 1.91 mm |
| Scythe Mugen-2 | 0.31 mm | 1.89 mm |
| Swiftech Polaris 120 | 0.43 mm | 1.85 mm |
| Thermalright Venomous X | 0.53 mm | 1.84 mm |
| Noctua NH-C14 | 0.38 mm | 1.79 mm |
| Enermax ETS-T40 | 0.40 mm | 1.79 mm |
| Scythe Yasya | 0.32 mm | 1.78 mm |
| Cogage TRUE Spirit 1366 | 0.40 mm | 1.70 mm |
| Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 | 0.30 mm | 1.70 mm |
| Scythe Grand Kama Cross | 0.38 mm | 1.66 mm |
| Reeven Kelveros | 0.47 mm | 1.61 mm |
| Zalman CNPS9900 MAX | 0.16 mm | 1.59 mm |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow | 0.32 mm | 1.57 mm |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | 0.43 mm | 1.54 mm |
| Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C | 0.56 mm | 1.52 mm |
| Zalman CNPS10X Extreme | 0.42 mm | 1.50 mm |
Testing on larger heatsinks are done on our
LGA1366 heatsink testing platform, while smaller coolers tackle our LGA1155 heatsink testing platform. A summary of the test system
and procedure follows.
Key Components in LGA1366 Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel Core i7-965 Extreme
Nehalem core, LGA1366, 3.2GHz, 45nm, 130W TDP. - Asus
P6X58D Premium ATX motherboard. X58 chipset. - Asus
EAH3450 Silent graphics card. - Intel
X25-M 80GB 2.5″ solid-state drive. Chosen for silence. - 3GB QiMonda
DDR3 memory. 3 x 1GB DDR3-1066 in triple channel. - Seasonic X-650 SS-650KM
650W ATX power supply. This PSU is semi-passively cooled. At the power levels
of our test platform, its fan does not spin. - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Noctua 140 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 140x25mm
fans) - Nexus 120 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 120x25mm
fans) - Nexus 92 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 92x25mm
fans)
The systems are silent under the test conditions, except for the CPU cooling
fan(s).
Normally, our reference fans are used whenever possible, the measured details
of which are shown below.
| Reference Noctua 140mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
| Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
| 12V | 1250 RPM | 28~29 dBA |
| 9V | 990 RPM | 21 dBA |
| 7V | 770 RPM | 15~16 dBA |
| 6V | 660 RPM | 13 dBA |
| Reference Nexus 120mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
| Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
| 12V | 1100 RPM | 16 dBA |
| 9V | 890 RPM | 13 dBA |
| 7V | 720 RPM | 12 dBA |
| Reference Nexus 92 mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
| Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
| 12V | 1470 RPM | 16 dBA |
| 9V | 1150 RPM | 12 dBA |
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Extech 380803 AC power analyzer / data logger for measuring AC system
power. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the fan speed during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital
audio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology. - SpeedFan,
used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensors. The sensors are not calibrated,
so results are not universally applicable. The hottest core reading is used. - Prime95,
used to stress the LGA1366 CPU heavily, generating more heat than most real applications.
8 instances are used to ensure that all 4 cores (with Hyper-threading) are
stressed. - CPU-Z,used to monitor the CPU speed to determine when overheating occurs.
- Thermometers to measure the air temperature around the test platform
and near the intake of the heatsink fan.
Noise measurements are made with the fans powered from the lab’s variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements.
Load testing was accomplished using Prime95 to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to ensure that the load temperature is stable
for at least ten minutes. The temperature recorded is the highest single core
reading. The stock fans were tested at various voltages to represent a good
cross-section of airflow and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 10~11 dBA and 21~23°C.
TEST RESULTS
| Test Results: SilverStone Heligon HE02 (Reference 140mm Fan: Noctua NF-P14) | ||||
| Fan Voltage | One Fan | Two Fans | ||
| SPL@1m | Thermal Rise | SPL@1m | ||
| 12V | 29~30 dBA | 42°C | 40°C | 33 dBA |
| 9V | 22 dBA | 45°C | 42°C | 26~27 dBA |
| 8V | 19 dBA | 46°C | 43°C | 23 dBA |
| 7V | 15~16 dBA | 48°C | 44°C | 19 dBA |
| 6V | 12~13 dBA | 50°C | 46°C | 15 dBA |
As a traditional heatsink/fan, the HE02 delivers rather poor performance in relation to its size. With one of our 140 mm reference fans it produced a CPU thermal rise of 42°C~50°C. In comparison, elite coolers easily produce a result of 40°C or less with only moderate fan speeds. Adding a second fan garner predictable improvements of 2~3°C at higher fan speeds and 4°C at low speeds. Our sample emitted an intermittent clanging sound with one fan and the problem was more pronounced with two. It was steady enough to actually affect the dual fan noise measurements, making them slightly higher than usual.
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The noise generated caused a prominent tonal peak with a frequency of approximately 950 Hz, a significant departure from the smooth, broadband profile we typically see with the Noctua NF-P14’s. This won’t be an issue for users who use the HE02 as it was intended, as a fanless heatsink.
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After testing we took a look at the thermal compound left behind by the HE02. The branch-like pattern is indicative of suboptimal contact between the heatsink base and CPU heatspreader. Elite coolers leave behind a very faint smudge of TIM. The physical design of the HE02 exacerbates this issue; due to its odd shape, the distance between the center of the body of the fans is very large, diminishing their ability to exhaust the radiating heat.
Heatsink Comparison Tables
| CPU Coolers (ref. 140mm fan): °C Rise Comparison | |||
| Heatsink | Fan voltage / SPL @1m* | ||
| 9V | 7V | 6V | |
| 18~22 dBA | 13~16 dBA | 11~13 dBA | |
| Thermalright Archon SB-E | 37 | 40 | 42 |
| Prolimatech Armageddon | 39 | 42 | 45 |
| Thermalright HR-02 Macho | 39 | 43 | 45 |
| NZXT Havik 140 | 40 | 43 | 47 |
| Noctua NH-C14 (top mounted) | 40 | 44 | 48 |
| Noctua NH-C14 | 40 | 44 | 49 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow | 39 | 45 | 49 |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE | 42 | 45 | 48 |
| SilverStone Heligon HE02 | 45 | 48 | 50 |
| be quiet! Dark Rock 2 | 49 | 51 | 53 |
| *Note: there are minor differences in measured SPL due to the variety of fan orientations and mounting methods offered by the compared coolers. | |||
With one fan, the HE02 placed a few degrees behind the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, a dual tower heatsink which isn’t really optimized for single fan operation.
| Dual Fan CPU Coolers (ref. 140mm fans): CPU °C Rise Comparison | |||
| Heatsink | Fan Voltage / SPL* | ||
| 8V | 7V | 6V | |
| 18~20 dBA | 15~17 dBA | 12~14 dBA | |
| Prolimatech Genesis | 36 | 37 | 39 |
| Thermalright HR-02 Macho | 36 | 37 | 40 |
| Noctua NH-C14 | 37 | 39 | 41 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow | 37 | 39 | 41 |
| Noctua NH-D14 | 38 | 40 | 42 |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE | 39 | 41 | 43 |
| NZXT Havik 140 | 39 | 40 | 43 |
| SilverStone Heligon HE02 | 43 | 44 | 46 |
| *Note: there are minor differences in measured SPL due to the variety of fan orientations and mounting methods offered by the compared coolers. | |||
With two fans, it was again, a step or two behind the more dominant dual fan heatsinks.
Passive Performance
For our passive test we pitted the Heligon HE02 against the Thermalright HR-02 Macho. We ran Prime95 with only four threads instead of eight (to lower the power demand somewhat) and recorded the temperature at 60 second intervals until the heatsink failed (when the CPU throttled to prevent heat damage). The t HR-02’s through holes on the top fin were also blocked off to prevent any advantage due to the horizontal orientation of our test platform.
| Passive Test Results: SilverStone Heligon HE02 vs. Thermalright HR-02 Macho | ||
| Time Elapsed | CPU °C Rise | |
| Thermalright HR-02 Macho | SilverStone Heligon HE02 | |
| Start | 14 | 14 |
| 1 mins | 41 | 37 |
| 2 mins | 48 | 43 |
| 3 mins | 53 | 49 |
| 4 mins | 59 | 54 |
| 5 mins | 65 | 60 |
| 6 mins | 71 | 64 |
| 7 mins | 76 | 68 |
| 8 mins | 79 | 73 |
| 9 mins | fail | 76 |
| 10 mins | fail | fail |
While the HR-02 is the far superior cooler with fans attached, in passive operation, the HE02 persevered, lasting about one minute longer before failing. Starting at the same thermal rise of 14°C, the rate of temperature increase was noticeable slower with the HE02 taking 6°C to 8°C leads toward the end of the test.
In our HR-02 review, we tested the Macho with a slightly overclocked/overvolted quad core Core i5-2400 inside a Fractal Design Define R3. With its two system fans at 5V for a quiet system noise level of 15~16 dBA@1m, on load, the CPU temperature stabilized at 83°C on load (61°C thermal rise). You can expect a moderately better result with the HE02.
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high
resolution, lab quality, digital recording system inside SPCR’s
own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps
encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation
from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of
what we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn’t hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn’t record it either!
The recording starts with 5~10 second segments of room ambiance, then the fan
at various levels. For the most realistic results, set the volume so that
the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then don’t change the volume
setting again.
- SilverStone Heligon HE02 with two reference fans at 1m
— 6V (15 dBA@1m)
— 7V (19 dBA@1m)
— 8V (23 dBA@1m — metal clanging starts to become audible)
— 9V (26~27 dBA@1m)
— 12V (33 dBA@1m)
FINAL THOUGHTS
As a passive CPU heatsink, the SilverStone Heligon HE02 is very well designed for its purpose, with its wide fin spacing and a massive amount of exposed surface area. Its asymmetrical shape is key for taking advantage of the available space as a symmetrical model would run out of room, surpassing the top edge the motherboard tray on most tower style cases. The mounting system is solid, using a tried and true formula that is found on many of the best heatsinks on the market. There is room for improvement though as we found the contact between the base surface and CPU heatspreader wasn’t optimal. It would benefit greatly from a convex base like those found on Thermalright coolers.
Despite this, in our fanless test, it edged past the Thermalright HR-02 Macho. Paired with a 95W CPU, it shouldn’t have any trouble, assuming some system airflow is available. A fanless cooler isn’t truly fanless — without some airflow passing through it, however little, even the HE02 would eventually succumb to CPU overheating. This isn’t an issue we have with the HE02 specifically, but with the whole notion of passive CPU cooling: if you need to have at least one fan in a system, why not put it on the CPU heatsink where it does the most good?
With fans, the HE02 isn’t nearly as effective, lagging well behind the current crop of top tier CPU coolers. It takes a significant amount of active airflow to achieve good performance due to its substantial width and the distance between the center of the heatsink and the fans. Our sample was also prone to fin vibration, especially when two fans were mounted, making it noisier than competing products. The HE02 is really a uni-tasker compared to the more versatile HR-02 Macho. If you prescribe to the notion of the fanless CPU cooling, the HE02 is a solid candidate for consideration. If you don’t, its rumored price of US$70 combined with its enormous size and lackluster fan-equipped performance makes it unworthy of consideration altogether.
Our thanks to SilverStone for the Heligon HE02 CPU cooler sample.
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SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
Prolimatech Panther CPU Cooler
Phanteks PH-TC14PE Dual Fan CPU Heatsink
GELID GX-7 & Tranquillo Rev.2 CPU Coolers
be quiet! Dark Rock 2 Tower Heatsink
Enermax ETS-T40: Direct-Touch Heatpipe Cooler
Thermalright HR-02 Macho Quiet/Fanless Cooler
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