Introduction
Founded in 2003 and based in Taiwan, SilverStone prides itself in its case, power supply cooling and other accessory devices for PC enthusiasts and other end users. SilverStone is no stranger to the cooling business as it sports a large variety of air and water coolers for your toasty CPUs in desktop, workstation, and server realms.
On our test bench, today is the IceMyst 420mm AIO CPU Cooler that we first got a glimpse of last year at Computex. The additional fans that you see with it are the IMF70 ARGB fans. We’re currently seeing the iceMyst 420 for around $163 in etail and the IMF70 ARGB Fans for $16. Check our pricing widgets for current pricing on the market.
We will again be using our second-generation AIO test platform that is capable of putting out enough heat to make even the devil sweat. We do this to test AIO liquid cooling solutions that are likely to be used with some of today’s most demanding CPUs.
SilverStone IceMyst 420 AIO CPU Cooler (SST-IM420-ARGB)
The SilverStone IceMyst 420 is an all-in-one (AIO) CPU cooler that is designed to work on a wide variety of sockets. These include Intel’s LGA 1700/115x/1200/1366 and AMD’s AM5/AM4 sockets. No word yet on the upcoming Intel LGA1851 socket. Overall, the SilverStone IceMyst 420 covers all current-day sockets.
While we have the 420mm radiator version that we’re reviewing today, this AIO is also available with 240mm, 280mm, and mm radiator sizes. Due to the laws of thermodynamics, expect the rest of the family to perform a little worse than the 420mm version we’re reviewing today.
iMF70-ARGB Fans
The iMF70-ARGB fans are designed to stack on top of the water block to provide extra cooling around the CPU socket that you might not have otherwise. The fans are rotatable which allows you to direct them in a pattern or in the areas that you need additional cooling. There is not a current limit for the number of fans that can be stacked, but we suspect it will no longer be funny once you hit about 10 fans.
Water Block & Pump
The cold plate on the SilverStone IceMyst 420 is made out of copper and sports 73mm x 70mm dimensions. On top of the cold plate sits an RGB-powered SilverStone logo. The pump utilizes a three-phase, six-pole design for smoother and quieter operations than the typical single-phase, four-pole design.
The pump operates at 3100 RPM (+/- 10%) with an unstated water pressure and flow rate. SilverStone claims it should be quiet but does not quantify that in terms of decibels. It pushes the water through 460mm of cooling hose to and from the radiator.
Radiator
The liquid CPU cooler radiator is designed to hold three 140mm fans and measures 456x140x28mm. From a thickness perspective, this is about regulation depth. By our count, the aluminum radiator sports a density of 22 fins per inch in a rectangular design and is attached to 460mm of tubing.
Fans
The included fans are a modified version of SilverStone’s VISTA 140 ARGB fans that appear to have a slightly higher RPM capability that brings along with it a higher static pressure and airflow. In an interesting observation, the fans included with the AIO sport superior RPM, airflow, and static pressure characteristics compared to the VISTA 140 standard specifications, however, they both appear to have a maximum rated noise generation of 30.8 dB(A). Based on the laws of physics, we do not believe this to be possible unless the maximum sound levels were not measured at the maximum RPM level.
They feature hydraulic bearings and a rather proprietary power and RGB cable connector that is designed to allow fans to be chained to each other to reduce wiring clutter. The RGB LEDs can be controlled through your favorite RGB application du jour. SilverStone does not list an expected lifespan in its specifications and the fans are rated for 400 to 1,750 RPM at a reported 30.8 dB(A). The stated maximum airflow is 93.29 CFM with a static pressure of up to 2.39 mm/H20.
The proprietary cable adapters allow you to connect the fans with each other in series to help keep your wiring job tidy. On the downside, if you were to have fan issues down the road, you may end up having your cheese grated when swapping with a standard cabled fan.
Test Setup
We will use our second generation AIO test rig which we will publish further details on in the coming weeks. It is based on the Intel i9 13900K CPU running on an ASUS Z690-based motherboard. We will set up each cooler in the same manner with the radiator attached to the case and the fans blowing into the radiator. The water blocks will be mounted per the manufacturer’s instructions except that we will use Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal paste. We will utilize ASUS FanXpert to control fan speeds, setting the fans at a fixed RPM for each test. We will also compare it to the other coolers we have tested thus far.
For our comparison, we’re comparing its performance against the other 420mm AIO that we’ve tested, the Corsair H170i ELITE, and one of the better-performing 360mm AIOs that we’ve looked at, the Cooler Master 360 ATMOS. We’re also comparing the stock SilverStone IceMyst 420 configuration to one that is enhanced by three iMF70 fans.
Installation
Installation of the SilverStone IceMyst 420 was a straightforward installation that went as well as it could have. We also received three iMF70-ARGB fans, so we mounted those and spread them out to benefit our VRMs and memory for testing purposes. Note that we tested in both the “stock” configuration and with the three iMF70 fans installed.