Final Thoughts

Update: GELID have responded in regards to the rattling issue and claim the reason for this was that the cooler was damaged in transit. You can read our response to this in the Right of Reply section at the end of the review.

The GELID Silent Spirit enters the market admirably for the size and cost of this cooler. While the general idea of this type of cooler is nothing new, GELID takes the idea many steps further in their design. At the bottom the heat pipes are soldered in for better thermal transfer, an extra step not taken by most manufacturers. These then go up to the nickel plated lower heat sink, similar to the SkiveTEK® heatsink on the Nexus I just reviewed. All of this heat is then taken away by the pipes into the textured fins.

I alluded many times the fact of all this science and math that is involved in the production of the Silent Spirit; here is what I was getting at. GELID started by angling the cooler as Nexus did, but with a less severe angle to the motherboard; both of which are designed to increase the cooling to the vital components surrounding the CPU socket, nothing really new here. Upon closer inspection I found that the fan is designed to actually stay off of the fins by a certain set measurement, which is to maximize the turbulence of the airflow that reaches the fins. That leads me to the final engineering trick, the textured fins. I have a feeling that this has to do with the same principle of a golf balls dimples. Instead of the surface being flat, the texture actually creates mini pockets of air to reduce drag, effectively speeding the airflow along through the Silent Spirit.

Update 2: After GELID having issued us with a fixed retail sample that well surpassed our expectations, I sit here typing, having to eat my words for tonight's sustenance, as GELID was right on the money with their assessment of my findings. Again, no matter why the original cooler was producing such a racket, GELID has in my eyes redeemed themselves and produced one of the best solutions for both the temperature control of the CPU, as well as being the quietest solution money can buy on air.

For the HTPC users and those who just need the sound of, well, nothing, the Gelid Silent Spirit CPU cooler should be at the top of your list.