Review: Silent cooling for €20
We tested the Igloo 5750 CPU cooler, packing two fans but still classified as silent. It’s not common for a twin-fan cooler to be quiet, but GlacialTech made sure that things are done properly. Igloo 5750 comes in two versions: Silent, that we tested, and Igloo 5750 PWM with automatic fan speed control. You can use this cooler for both Intel and AMD processors.
The cooler comes in a box with a plastic see-through panel, so you can take a look at what you’re buying, and you’ll find plenty of info written on the box. The back of the box features a list of supported AMD and Intel processors, and the worst possible case scenario recommended by GlacialTech would’ve been cooling Core 2 Extreme QX6850. This CPU’s dissipation is 130W, but since we didn’t have one, we turned to Core 2 Extreme QX6850 for our testing. Igloo 5750 is quite tiny, and we found it online for only €21. Low price and silent operation are proof that it’s not aimed at overclockers, but apart from that, it should prove to be enough for anyone.
Don’t get confused if this is the first twin-fan cooler you’ve seen. While there are many different ways to try and improve your cooler’s performance, GlacialTech decided on using two fans with a heatsink between them.
Igloo 5750 cooler looks nice and has quality finish with no sharp edges. The fans are low profile, but if you’re not happy with them any 92mm fan will fit.
Igloo silent has a fixed fan speed around 1400RPM, with 10% tolerance. A glance at specs reveals that the cooler makes up to 15.2 dBA of noise per fan, and our testing revealed that these fans are very quiet. We still think that this noise is more than 15db, but since the cooler was silent enough, we wouldn’t get bothered with that. Non-standard cooler design is quite interesting, and four heatpipes form a shape of a letter C, whereas most other coolers have the U-shape. Starting from the base, heatpipes end in the heatsink surrounded by two fans.
The fans work together, and the upper fan blows air to the heatsink, while the fan below the heatsink draws the heated air and blows downwards. You can see that for yourself on the picture above, where you can see that both fans’ power cables are placed on the bottom side, so the air flows in the same direction. One power cable is used for both fans, and it features a 3-pin connector, so fan speed regulation is out of the picture.
Four heatpipes route the heat from the core to the upper heatsink, as well as keep the whole construction fixed and stable. The cooler is only 507 grams heavy, and the heatpipe is strong enough to bear the weight of both fans together with the heatsink.
A view of the heatsink without the upper fan shows that the heatpipe stretches through the heatsink.
The lower fan cools the smaller heatsink that’s in direct contact with the processor, but also the components around the socket.
Heatpipe is placed between the heatsink and the cooler’s base that already has thermal paste applied to it. The cooler comes with a pre-mounted push-in mechanism for socket 775, and it makes setting up a breeze. GlacialTech took care of AMD lovers too, and in the box you’ll get a mechanism for mounting your cooler on Sockets 754, 939, 940, F and AM2. There’s no additional thermal paste included.
GlacialTech logo is etched on the sides, and looks quite stylish. One side features the cooler’s name, Igloo 5750. Igloo is a name of snow-houses used by Inuit population on the Arctic, and model 5750 is the most advanced design that GlacialTech currently offers.
With 96 x 120 x 121 mm dimensions, this cooler will fit in any case, and it won’t get in the way of components surrounding your processor. We had no trouble with it, and even Corsair’s quite tall M2X2048-6400C4DHX memory didn’t touch the cooler.
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Testbed:
Motherboard:
EVGA 780i SLI (Provided by EVGA)
Processor:
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770, 4x 3.20GHz (Provided by Intel)
Memory:
Corsair Corsair M2X2048-6400C4DHX 4-4-4-12 (4x2GB) (Provided by Corsair)
Graphics Card:
XFX Geforce 9800 GX2 (SLI) (Ustupio XFX)
PSU: CoolerMaster Real Power M 1000 (Provided by CoolerMaster)
Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Provided by Seagate)
CPU-Cooler:
GlacialTech Igloo 5750 (Provided by GlacialTech)
Case:
CoolerMaster Cosmos S (Provided by CoolerMaster)
Results:
Igloo 5750 Silent cooler proved to be a nice bang for your buck. We used a QX9770 processor that’s not officially supported by Igloo 5750 Silent cooler, but it still kept this quad-core’s temperatures beneath critical. We used two 9800 GX2 cards in SLI mode that additionally made this cooler’s job more difficult in the large Cosmos S case. GlacialTech says that if you’re using Extreme QX6850, you must make sure that the inside of the case is appropriately ventilated, or else Igloo will not be able to cool it well. We had no problem with airflow within our Cosmos S case, since we have three fans, and Igloo 5750 handled its task well.
Prime 95 test put our processor through some serious paces, and it proved to be too much for this cooler, and it couldn’t keep CPU temperatures under 105 degrees Celsius. However, bear in mind that this is a high-end processor with 136W TDP, so let’s not be picky and demand wonders form a cooler that costs just €21.
Conclusion
This is the first time that our lab played a host to a GlacialTech product, and it’s a cheap CPU cooler that has a lot to offer. The special thing about this cooler called Igloo 5750 Silent is its design. It packs two fans, and C-shaped heatpipe. Heatpipe starts from the base that leans on the processor, ending on the other side with a heatsink that carries two 92mm fans. The fans are quiet and the cooler’s dimensions are such that you can mount them on any motherboard with no trouble whatsoever. Push-pin mechanisms are used for mounting it on socket 775, whereas AMD systems will require special mechanisms included in the box.
Igloo Silent 5750 isn’t intended for extreme overclocking, but it will be sufficient for any mainstream processor, as well as some high-end ones that feature TDP less than 120W. Priced at an affordable €21, it’s a great deal, especially if you’re looking to make your rig silent and don’t plan on overclocking.