Introduction:

ASUS Arctic Square CPU Cooler

There was a time that users were completely consumed with finding the best CPU cooler to get the lowest CPU temps. Often, noise, aesthetics, and installation techniques were sacrificed just to get that ever so low temperature. Nowadays, we no longer have to sacrifice anything of the sort. Things have improved greatly and CPU coolers like the ones in this test round up are testaments to advanced thinking. CPU coolers have grown and now come with 92mm or 120mm fans that can move much more air than anything in the previous generations at much less noise levels.

There are plenty of CPU coolers to choose from these days aimed at the dual core systems. A few months ago, there were a mere handful worthy of buying. One thing you can count on is that large scale manufacturers like ASUS will always come out with their vision of a CPU cooler that can fit a near perfect wide range of motherboards, but they will especially work well on their own platforms. A couple of their most recent coolers were the Silent Square (Rev 1) and Silent Knight CPU Coolers. The Silent Knight was on display at CES 2007 since is was a preferred modified choice in coolers with its copper, heat pipe, and LED features.

The Silent Knight is pretty cool to to see at work inside a window case. It's also their most expensive aftermarket cooler in their product line coming in at around $70 to $80 USD. Not everyone is going to want to spend that kind of green on a CPU cooler if their only goal is to sufficiently cool their CPU. This is the void that the Silent Square starts to fill in. It can pass as a much more efficient, affordable, and yet flashy cooler all at the same time. The first revision can still be seen on ASUS' product page with the partially, black aluminum shroud. My first impressions of that particular cooler were that the shroud kind of makes it look busier and bulkier than necessary. However, it's stock blue LED fan did erase any fore mentioned impressions once it was lit up and under operation.

The Arctic Square is the latest CPU cooler to be added to the series. The cooler offers up a more finished and well rounded look with less breaks in the design. After getting to know some of the ASUS personnel at CES, it makes sense that what seemed like a finished design would get a whole new look and some improvements. And if something can't be improved upon feasibly, then it only makes sense to add the finishing touches afterwards. Take a few minutes to see how the ASUS Arctic Square CPU Cooler performs.

Specifications & Features:

CPU Support
Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Intel® Core™2 Quad
Intel® Core™2 Duo / Pentium® processor family
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2/ FX
AMD Athlon™ 64/ Sempron™
Fan Speed 2300 rpm ± 10% with PWM control
Material Cu. Base + Al. Fin + 4 Copper Heat Pipes

Powerful Performance for Overclocking
Copper base with 4 heat pipes provide excellent heat dissipation, efficiently transfer heat to the fins and maintain the temperature for high-performance computing

Compact and Reliable
The Arctic Square incorporated with "Ladder-Shaped" fins on both sides to enlarge heat exchange area for effective cooling and remain its compact design as well

Balance between Performance and Acoustic
PWM function automatically adjusts fan speed according to CPU temperature and delivers a quiet cooling operation

Multiple Application
Universal retention module designed for Intel® LGA775 and AMD™ K8 939/940/AM2 platforms support

Inner Fan Technology
The fan positioned inside the frame for maximum airflow and VRM shield guides cool air to critical components around the CPU for stable operation