A Closer Look

The Grandis 2 XE1436 from SilentiumPC is without a doubt large and in charge. It's not quite as big as the NH-D15 from Noctua, but is still a hefty dual-tower design weighing in at 1030 g. Both towers are comprised of forty-seven fins including the black top plate. The fins themselves have holes punched into them, which should improve air turbulence and thus cooling.


The overall build quality of the heatsink is fairly good with no serious issues to speak of, and considering the price, it is better than expected at first glance. However, the cooler lacks a lot of the smaller gimmicky sounding features and design elements of more modern heatsinks, which may hinder its performance to some degree. Technology moves ever forward after all.


The top plate is black with the SilentiumPC logo dead center on both. It's nice to see the black heat-pipe caps as well. They may be a minor addition, but the heatpipe caps definitely make the cooler look a great deal better, improving its perceived quality. The six Ø6 mm heat pipes make contact with a solid copper base. Speaking of the base, it is slightly convex, and machine marks are very evident and rough enough to be noticeable to the touch.


Like be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro 4, the Grandis 2 XE1436 by SilentiumPC also uses mismatched fans. A 140 mm and a 120 mm fan are used with this design. The 120 mm has a PWM RPM range of 500–1600, while the 140 mm has a PWM RPM range of 500–1000.