VERDICT
An awesome air cooler that can easily
tame the most powerful desktop CPUs,
although it’s very expensive.ICE T
+ No leaks or noisy pumps
+^ Excellent cooling
on most sockets
+ No need for a radiator mountVANILLA ICE-^ Expensive
- No lighting or software control
-^ Liquid coolers better
in some situations
stock backplate on Socket AM4, which is suspended by a
quartet of pins.
The mount for Intel sockets uses a similar arrangement,
although it took us a few tries to get right with our LGA1200
system. The pins can be tricky to secure fully, and any
unevenness is magnified with such a tiny area to cool. The
cooler only secures using two screws, and we’d prefer to see
a four-point mount for the cooler itself given its weight.
We can’t argue with the included tube of Thermal Grizzly
Kryonaut thermal paste, though, and the instructions were
simple to follow, with the components bagged up according
to the socket you’re using.Performance
In our LGA1200 system dealing with a Core i9-11900K, the
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite managed a delta T of 70°C with two
fans and 68°C with four fans strapped to the already imposing
heatsink. It performed similarly to the be quiet! Silent Loop
2, which managed a delta T of 66°C, but with slightly lower
noise levels. However, the Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Capellix
did a better job of handling this CPU’s high heat density, with a
CPU delta T of just 61°C, albeit with considerably more noise at
full speed.TEMPERATURE RESULTS
The performance differences were much closer in our
Socket AM4, with the ProSiphon matching the Corsair cooler
with two fans and beating it by one degree with four fans
installed. However, this result was only a couple of degrees
cooler than the far cheaper Antec Neptune 240, while the
Corsair cooler also sports RGB lighting and software control.
Finally, as the ProSiphon is kitted out with an enlarged
contact plate, we strapped it to our Threadripper 3960X
system, where it managed a delta T of 62°C with two fans and
59°C with four fans installed. This was cooler than the Corsair
H100i Pro XT we used in our last group test on a Threadripper
system, although the NZXT Kraken X63 and X73 were cooler
still, thanks to their large radiators.Conclusion
The IceGiant ProSiphon Elite can compete with the best
240mm liquid coolers out there, and it has plenty of appeal
with no liquids or pump noise, and you don’t need a radiator
mount in your case either. The price is high, though, and with
no change from £150, there are much
cheaper options, especially if you’re
dealing with a mainstream CPU and not
a high-end Threadripper monster.
Performance on LGA1200 was
lacklustre, and even the £80 Antec
Neptune 240 bettered the ProSiphon
here. For a hassle free, air-cooled
way of getting awesome cooling
on other sockets, though, especially
those with larger heatspreaders, the
ProSiphon Elite is an innovative cooler
that air-cooling purists with love, as
long as your memory fits underneath
it of course.
ANTONY LEATHERAMD SOCKET AM4 DELTA T
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite (four fans) 50°C
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite 51°C
Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Capellix 51°C
Lian Li Galahad 240mm 51°C
Antec Neptune 240 53°C
be quiet! Silent Loop 2 53°C
0255075100
Lower is better
INTEL LGA1200 DELTA T
Lian Li Galahad 240mm 60°C
Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Capellix 61°C
Antec Neptune 240 65°C
be quiet! Silent Loop 2 66°C
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite (four fans) 68°C
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite 70°C
0255075100
Lower is better
AMD SOCKET TRX4 DELTA T
NZXT Kraken X73 53°C
NZXT Kraken X63 54°C
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite (four fans) 59°C
IceGiant ProSiphon Elite 62°C
Corsair H100i Pro XT 63°C
0255075100
Lower is better
OVERALL SCORE
72 %
COOLING
32 / 40FEATURES
13 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20VALUE
13 / 20
FITTING
MediumLGA 1 2 0 0OVERALL SCORE
79 %
COOLING
36 / 40FEATURES
13 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20
VALUE
16 / 20FITTING
MediumSocket TRX4OVERALL SCORE
82 %
COOLING
39 / 40FEATURES
13 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20
VALUE
16 / 20FITTING
MediumSocket AM 4