The Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan may not "wow" anyone with their performance, but once you look at overall noise output, that will change. Compared to its smaller siblings in the Fera 5 series at the same noise levels, the Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan show a 4% improvement in overall performance. With the fans allowed to spin at maximum RPM, the Fortis 5 series loses about half of its gains; however, that includes stock and overclocked performance. It should also be noted that the Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan hit 44 dBA and 45 dBA respectively at maximum RPM, while its smaller siblings come in at 52 dBA and 53 dBA respectively. So while performance between the two is fairly close, the Fortis series focuses more on a low noise operation. That said, the performance it delivers in that context is quite good.

On our AMD Ryzen 3900X, the Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan both had a 2 °C improvement over their Fera 5 counterparts with both operating at maximum RPM. With all four coolers operating at 45 dBA, the Fortis 5 series held a 4-5 °C advantage in the Blender OC tests. Taking a look at other competitors shows the Fortis 5 series competing with Scythe's Fuma 2 and the NH-U12A from Noctua in the same noise-normalized Blender OC test. Looking at the OC FPU noise-normalized test shows the Fortis 5 Dual fan beating the Scythe Fuma 2, while the Fortis 5 ties it, peaking just below the CPU's thermal throttle point. It even gives the Noctua NH-U12A a run for its money here.

Intel performance was a bit lacking compared to AMD performance. On the AMD 3900X, the Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan coolers managed to compete with some heavy hitters; however, on the Intel Core i9-10900K, performance falls off pace. Now, in some situations, this is due to various coolers being better-optimized for either Intel or AMD, but in the end, the Fortis 5 series simply doesn't perform as well as I had hoped here when compared to the competition. With that said, it is not all bad as the Fortis 5 series offers a massive uplift in performance compared to the Fera 5 series, so while the latest offerings are bigger, they also do perform better. I guess we can consider that the silver lining.

As for build quality, it is good, albeit not top-tier for this price range; along with the improved mounting hardware, I would say it's above average. Considering it's also backed by a six-year warranty, I find little to be upset about, be it performance, build quality or value. This means both Fortis 5 coolers are pretty similar to the Fera 5 series in that regard. The major difference is the improved mounting hardware; while similar, it has received some quality of life improvement to the design that make installing it even easier. My only gripe with SilentiumPC now is their lack of availability in regions outside the EU.

In summation, the SilentiumPC Fortis 5 and Fortis 5 Dual Fan provide excellent value and low-noise performance, and are both backed with a stellar warranty, making them a great value that won't make your ears bleed, at least if you are in the EU.