Standard CPU coolers, while adequate for managing basic thermal loads, often fail to provide noise reduction and improved cooling performance. This limitation leads advanced users and system builders to seek aftermarket solutions tailored to their specific needs. The market for high-end aftermarket coolers is very competitive, with manufacturers striving to offer products with exceptional performance.
Endorfy, formerly known as SilentiumPC, is a Polish manufacturer that has undergone a significant transformation to expand its presence in global markets. The brand is known for providing high-performance cooling solutions, with a strong focus on balancing performance with affordability. By changing its brand to Endorfy, the company aims to enter the premium market segments while continuing to offer reliable, high-quality cooling products.
SilentiumPC has become very popular in the budget/mainstream segments of the PC market with its products, perhaps pioneered by the Fera 5 cooler, which we reviewed a little over two years ago and which offered incredible value for money. Today’s review puts Endorf’s largest CPU cooler, the Fortis 5 Dual Fan, on our lab test bench. The Fortis 5 is the largest CPU air cooler the company currently offers and is significantly more expensive than the Fera 5, but is still a single-tower cooler that strives to strike a balance between value, compatibility, and performance.
Endorfy Fortis 5 Dual Fan CPU Cooler Specifications |
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Type | Air cooler (single tower) | ||
Dimensions | 159 x 144 x 131 mm (H x W x D) 760 grams |
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Fans | 1 x 140mm Fluctus FDB fan
1 x 120mm Fluctus FDB fan |
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RGB | NO | ||
Supported sockets | Intel: LGA20xx, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x
AMD: AM5 / AM4 |
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Guarantee | 6 years | ||
Price | 49 PLN |
Packaging and package
We received the Fortis 5 Dual Fan in a brown cardboard box with diagrams and text printed on it. There is a lot of information about the cooler on all sides of the box, as well as a few marketing slogans. Additional cardboard and foam packaging protects the cooler inside the box.
Unpacking the cooler reveals the necessary mounting hardware and clear instructions, with no unnecessary parts. The only noteworthy item is a syringe of Pactum PT-3 premium thermal paste, enough for at least three applications. The supplied mounting hardware supports a wide range of CPU sockets, making the Fortis 5 Dual Fan compatible with several Intel (20xx/1700/1200/115x) and AMD (AM5/AM4) processors.
Fortis 5 Dual Fan CPU Cooler
The Fortis 5 Dual Fan cooler is built around a solid 159mm single-tower design. This dimension ensures compatibility with a wide range of PC cases, from mid-tower to larger ATX builds, without the risk of clearance issues that are common with taller coolers. The cooler weighs in at around 800 grams, providing a balance between effective cooling and manageable weight. This design choice is especially important for users who are concerned about the strain on their motherboard or who often transport their systems.
The foundation of the Fortis 5’s cooling performance is six high-performance copper heatpipes. The heatpipes are designed to efficiently draw heat away from the CPU, evenly distributing it across the cooler’s large aluminum fin array. The heatpipes are arranged to maximize the contact area with the fin stack, which should improve heat dissipation while maintaining a relatively compact form factor. The fins are serrated, a method used to reduce air turbulence and noise. A plastic shroud covers the top of the fin array, mainly to improve the aesthetics of the design. While it doesn’t feature RGB lighting, a common trend among modern coolers, its clean design appeals to users who prefer a more understated look. It’s important to mention that the build quality is exceptional, meaning there are no thin fins or sharp edges anywhere around the cooler.
One of the defining features of the Fortis 5 Dual Fan cooler is its asymmetric dual-fan setup, which includes two Endorf Fluctus PWM fans (140mm and 120mm). These fans are optimized for static pressure, which is key when pushing air through dense fin arrays. Both fans range from 250 to 1400 RPM. The unique serrated blade design of the Fluctus fans is said to minimize turbulence and vibration, reducing noise.
The base of the Fortis 5 is relatively simple, with most of the case made of aluminum, and a steel spacer mounted on top. The case provides the mechanical strength needed to hold the copper heatpipes together, which are molded to make direct contact with the processor. The aluminum portion of the base has fins that create a tiny heat sink, but they do very little compared to the rest of the case. You can see that the base is offset to one side of the case, to keep the case away from the RAM slots.