Silverstone, the company that really makes creating products an art, this is the TD02.
Here's the spec:
Water Block:Dimensions Material Socket Compatibility Pump:Motor Speed Rated Voltage Rated Current Radiator:Dimension Material Tube:Length Material Net Weight | 60(L) x 55(W) x 33.5(H) mm Copper base with nickel plated aluminum unibody Intel: 775/115x/1366/2011 AMD: AM2/AM3/FM1/FM2 2500RPM ±200 12V 0.28A 278(L) x 124(W) x 45(H) mm Aluminium 310mm FEP 1501g (inc fans) |
For the full product specification click here.
Design:
Radiator:
Before we start the review I need to state that we seem to have lost the photos taken of the TD02 prior to it's testing and involvement in Project Prodigy. Due to this all photo's shown are taken after use and any bent fins, paint damage or the like is purely due to use, the product came in pristine condition with no basically no bent fins.
| I wanted to start the review with the radiator because for once it hasn't been neglected by the company designing the product. I think we can all agree with the explosion of AIO water coolers, most companies went with practically the same 3rd party design and those that didn't, still neglected the radiator. It was seen as almost like the back end of the product, the ugly server room that does all the work but you hide away in a room at the back of the building. Silverstone have totally redesigned the standard radiator, incorporating a new fin design, tons of aluminium and gloss white plastic accents. Taking a similar approach to what a conventional heatsink does, the TD02 has straight fins that pass across 11 total channels. This should be smoother for airflow. |   |
The TD02 achieves a density of 12 thick fins per inch which isn't dense for a conventional radiator which would be 30+ to be dense but I would hazard a guess that each fin on the TD02 is worth at least two conventional fins. The fins are solidly built and have a wavy style edge that is soft on the eyes and nice to look at from almost any angle. They are also painted all the way through the thick radiator so no bronze shine at all.
Another area Silverstone have added a little touch to that is simple but nice is the aluminium panels surrounding the radiator. On the sides they show a slightly lighter shade of grey than the ends which coupled with the well placed black screws is a nice reminder that even though it is a beautiful piece of tech, it is still tech. I definitely like the rounded corners too.
Another area Silverstone have added a little touch to that is simple but nice is the aluminium panels surrounding the radiator. On the sides they show a slightly lighter shade of grey than the ends which coupled with the well placed black screws is a nice reminder that even though it is a beautiful piece of tech, it is still tech. I definitely like the rounded corners too.
Now Silverstone are generally good at moulding metal and plastic components into an appealing product and while YES they have still done that with the white plastic end tanks, I have started to notice little gaps as you can see in the photo above. They would probably be the weak spot in the TD02's classy expensive looking armour if there ever was one.
Plastic aside the end tanks give the radiator a bit of colour just like the tubing does which lightens the cooler up a little.
Plastic aside the end tanks give the radiator a bit of colour just like the tubing does which lightens the cooler up a little.
CPU Block:
Yes yes we have already covered the pretty radiator but this is where things really get beautiful, the CPU block, the centrepiece of any system and SilverStone really couldn't have done a better job.
Aluminium is a very popular material at the moment and that's probably down to the fact its not ugly by any stretch of the imagination and it's also a metal. SilverStone's use of an Aluminium unibody block with hex screws in the right places and the hexagonal Silverstone logo attracts the attention and never lets go. It should be against the law to put this in a system that doesn't have a window and lights.
Aluminium is a very popular material at the moment and that's probably down to the fact its not ugly by any stretch of the imagination and it's also a metal. SilverStone's use of an Aluminium unibody block with hex screws in the right places and the hexagonal Silverstone logo attracts the attention and never lets go. It should be against the law to put this in a system that doesn't have a window and lights.
  | From the side you can see the main unibody has a shiny polished look in comparison to the brushed style top which is nice as unibodies are cool and everything but they are also kind of boring and unimaginative. The block doesn't come without its downsides however. The cables are very flexible and trying to get them to go the way you want without crossing over means a lot of twisting and turning at the block which puts pressure on the stiff connection. It always worries me that they might just snap. It confuses me too why the tubes come out one side of the cpu block yet the pump power cable comes out the opposite. This just makes things a little confusing when trying to oreintate it for the best look. |
| Finally we have the copper base and mounting tools. Mounting the TD02 was both simple, easy and something you could do one handed thanks to the spacers which help clamp the bolts to the board. I've mounted easier coolers in the past but this is something even a newbie could do, you cant really over-tighten it either which is a bonus. |  |
Performance:
Test Bench:
| Component: Case Processor Cooler Fans Motherboard Ram Power Supply Storage | Product: (Reviews linked) BitFenix Prodigy Intel Core i5 4570 Silverstone TD02 Silverstone AP123 Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Corsair Vengeance LP 2x4GB Cooler Master V450S Samsung 840 EVO 120GB | Sponsor: BitFenix HZmedia Silverstone Silverstone Gigabyte HZmedia HZmedia HZmedia |
For testing methodology click this.
Temperature Results:
Our results showed the TD02 never went over 31 degrees celcius delta, this means had we chosen to overclock (unfortunately we can't due to CPU Sku), with a 20 degree average ambient temperature we would have SO much buffer room to work with in regards to temps. What I like the most about going this route with cooling is that having such a high performance cooler, even though in our testing we run fans at max 100% of the time for the temp test, had we chosen some quiet fans and put some speed reducers on so they were silent, I wouldn't even have to bother worrying about CPU temps at all.
Replacing the stock fans with our test NF-F12 fans for cooler only comparison shows how good the stock fans actually were (for temps that is).
Noise Results:
The stock fans are awfully loud and noticeable even when turned down. I would want to replace them straight away even though they are both highly spec'd and perform amazingly well with the TD02. The TD02 is used in a system project we have done called Project Prodigy, in this system we used SilverStone AP123's and I would recommend replacing the stock fans with those as the stock fans were almost unbearable.
Conclusion:
The SilverStone TD02 is by far the most beautiful CPU cooler on the market regardless of type and this really matters if you care even the slightest bit about how your system looks. The CPU block is the systems centerpiece and SilverStone knows that more than other manufacturers do it seems.
Build quality up and down the product is outstanding and despite the fact we can't give it a rating yet or performance based award based on the fact we don't have enough to compare it too, the TD02 will receive our EDITORS CHOICE award.
To sum it up, the TD02 is so beautiful and such an amazing piece of manufacturing that we have put it in our test bench and featured it in our test bench's project log which you can check out here.
Build quality up and down the product is outstanding and despite the fact we can't give it a rating yet or performance based award based on the fact we don't have enough to compare it too, the TD02 will receive our EDITORS CHOICE award.
To sum it up, the TD02 is so beautiful and such an amazing piece of manufacturing that we have put it in our test bench and featured it in our test bench's project log which you can check out here.
Verdict:
| Performance: Build Quality: Features & Compatibility: Aesthetics & Packaging: Value For Money: | 38/40* 15/15 11/15 9/10 17/20 | Total: |
*Please note that these ratings are in comparison to the entire CPU AIO Cooling market including both air and water coolers.
Awards:
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