SilverStone Tundra TD02 AIO CPU Cooler Review

Introduction

With what we were witness to with the Tundra series of coolers first entry, the TD03, it wasn't the stereotypical AIO that one would have expected to be looking at. The trend up until then was to just use the basic plastic and stamped steel components that Asetek and CoolIt had been offering for years, of course with many variations along the way. When I first unboxed the TD03, I finally realized why it was so weighty, and the aesthetic wrapping that is put into the Tundra series of coolers is something I think other manufacturers and modders are going to be coming up with their own versions of similar designs from this point forward.

We have also seen that the performance is right near the top of what we can get out of a single, thick, 120mm radiator, even though the noise levels were high. Part of that was due to the fact that it utilized a push/pull orientation to those fans, and the second fan was not muffled by the radiator. We will find out soon enough if that would make a huge difference in the audio testing, as this latest version from the Tundra series brings forth a dual 120mm radiator for SilverStone, and with two fans being sent with it, these will be oriented strictly as push fans and that may limit the noise levels down to where I can tolerate them long term. My guess is that this new radiator layout won't be doing much muffling since the idea here it to increase the contact of the fins to the tubes, but also to allow more air flow to pass through the fins, elevating the efficiency of these units.

What I really like about the Tundra Series, be it the previous TD03 we reviewed, or the TD02 we are going to be looking at today, SilverStone has made certain that they raised the bar to all other companies offering these sealed AIO units.

Delivering an AIO with aluminum used for all of the structural components of the head unit and the top mounting hardware, using a solid steel back plate, and even offering a very dressed up looking aluminum radiator, where everyone else leaves you with a plain Jane design, there is no doubt that SilverStone dove in with both feet and plans to take the market head on with these Tundra coolers.