Both coolers utilize a heatpipe tower design, in fact the actual cooler part is the same on the Silent and PWM, only the fan is different. The clips for Intel sockets come preinstalled and the base rests in a plastic tray to protect it during shipping. There are screw holes on either side of the tower to mount a 92mm fan, so the option to move the fan or add a second fan for a push/pull configuration is there. A few of the aluminum fins had bent edges as received, but nothing a quick alignment with a straight edge wouldn't fix. The power wire for the fan is sleeved in a rubberized jacket and ends in a standard 3-pin connector on the Silent model, and a 4-pin connector on the PWM fan. Mounting clips and screws for AMD sockets are included along with a single instruction sheet with directions for Intel on one side and AMD on the other. The paper also lists specifications for the coolers. Of particular note is the weight, only 485 grams, and the specs on the fans, 35cfm at 19dB and only 1600rpm for the Silent and up to 51cfm at 29dB and 2600rpm for the PWM version.



The GlacialTech may seem small compared to some modern high-end coolers, but when looked at from the stock AMD heatsink's point of view, it's huge. It's actually pretty funny how tiny the stock AMD cooler is; you just know it's going to get whipped in any performance comparison. The Igloo 5710 utilizes three heatpipes that extend from the base in either direction, yielding six risers that extend up through all 45 thin aluminum fins. The edge of each fin is sculpted rather than straight. This adds more contact surface area but does make them more susceptible to getting bent. The base is a 2-piece design, with a copper bottom plate and a finned aluminum top. The fins on the top cap probably don't add much cooling since the fan blows from the side, not down, but some extra ability to radiate heat here can't hurt. There is some thermal interface paste pre-applied to the base, and the plastic tray the 5710 rests in has done a good job of keeping it from getting smeared while in the box.



A closeup of the base with the thermal paste removed shows that it has a nice smooth plated surface, although not a perfect mirror finish. It also reveals that the copper plate is relatively thin, only about 2mm thick, which definitely helps cut down on weight but less mass may hinder its ability to absorb heat. After removing four screws, the Intel clips can come off and the AMD mounts are installed. GlacialTech has also included these four large hex nuts to attach the 5710 to the AMD baseplate.



Next up, installation.