Testing Results
The IceGiant ProSiphon Elite runs neck and neck with some of the best large heatpipe coolers we’ve tested. Overall size and efficiency are put to the test with a quartet of some of the largest, premium air cooling systems available today.
The IceGiant ProSiphon Elite makes use of four (4) 120mm fans while the remaining coolers make use of 135mm or larger fans, and at most two per unit.
While most large air coolers benefit from large, slow-spinning fans to achieve low noise levels, the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite sees higher registered noise levels with its setup of four 120mm fans.
With very close thermal load results, the differences in noise levels creates some waves in the overall shift of acoustic efficiency. Larger fans that operate more quietly will offer a larger benefit over louder/faster versions.
All things being relatively equal, the retail price of the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite at $170 creates a larger gap between it and other premium air offerings in terms of evaluating performance value.
We couldn’t resist comparing the retail version of the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite and its prototype as well as some other high-performance Threadripper solutions. And this seems to be where the icy best shines. The IceGiant ProSiphon gives us the most thermal headroom on our steamy 2990WX.
Fan speeds between the two IceGiant versions are minor, although each use different fan models, accounting for the differences.
Those small fan differences make a substantial difference between the prototype and retail versions of the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite, although it's still not as quiet as the Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 or Arctic Freezer 50TR.
Even though the IceGiant produced the lowest load temperatures, the noise levels produced by the cooling fans cause a swing in acoustic efficiency to tip the scales a bit in favor of the quieter coolers.
Conclusion
Again, the retail price of $170 causes the IceGiant to slip in overall performance value, but does provide the best thermal results of any cooler we’ve tested on our Threadripper platform to-date.
Thermal imaging from our FLIR ONE Pro camera shows a noticeable difference of heat soak across the primary body of the heat exchanger when fans operate at 50% PWM on our Intel i9-10850k system. By comparison, a cloud of warmer exhaust air can be seen above the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite due to the additional heat buildup.
Taking some thermal observations with the FLIR ONE Pro on the Threadripper 2990WX shows a similar result, although subtle differences exist between the 100% and 50% between AMD and Intel load testing. The AMD system looks to stress the cooler overall more than the Intel testing intervals. This cooler is arguably overkill for anything other than HEDT platforms, unless perhaps you're aiming for the highest possible sustained overclocks on a mainstream Core i9 CPU.
The IceGiant ProSiphon Elite is derived from years of industrial thermal solutions, with a new focus in the performance desktop PC marketplace. It sits just at the bleeding edge of current cooling technology. While most enthusiasts and power users would opt for a traditional heatpipe or AIO liquid cooler, the IceGiant provides an interesting, well-performing third option other than premium AIOs and premium large heatpipe cooling.