CoolIT Freezone Elite CPU Cooler Review

[AkG]

Performance Tests (100% on TECs and Fans)

Performance Tests (100% on TECs and Fans)

To see exactly how well this bad boy can really do when we open the throttle up we have purposely turned off the advanced features and set the Predictive cooling temperature to Below Ambient. For testing we stared at 18°C but this was not cold enough to ensure 100% load on the fan and the TECs. We had to further reduce the temperature another 12° Celsius before we could reliably count on the system staying at 100% for both the TECs and the fan. This is not recommended as sustained below ambient temperatures can cause condensation which could damage your motherboard. If you chose to do this, we here at HWC take no reasonability for your actions. Weare just showing you what this cooler can POTENTAILLY do since it is up to you the user to choose which of the myriad of cooling combinations is right for you.

E4600 Temperature Testing

Idle Temperatures

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_idle_24GHz_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_idle_32_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_idle_MAX_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Oh. My. God. Yes those numbers are correct, even when the e4600 was overclocked to 3.5GHz it idle at 4 degrees below ambient. The fact that a $400 piece of kit can get temps that low just boggles the mind.


Average Load Temperatures

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_load_24ghz_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_load_32_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_load_MAX_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Wow, and I though the idle temps were good. At these speeds this Elite simply overpowers anything the dual core can throw at it, keeping the temperature just below ambient. Even at maximum overclock the temperatures are simple scary. Let’s face it: we have seen air coolers beg for mercy at this speed and yet the Elite keeps it to under 40° Celsius. Simply put this has to be an overclocker’s dream come true.


Q6600 Temperature Testing

Idle Temperatures

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_idle_2.4GHz_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_idle_30_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_idle_MAX_FULL.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Once again this CoolIT unit turns in some amazing results. Simply put, these numbers can’t be replicated by water cooling, as no matter how efficient your loop is it can’t ever get below ambient temperatures; and that is exactly what the Freezone Elite does.


Average Load Temperatures

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_load_2.4GHz_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_load_30_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_load_MAX_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Wow, 6½ degrees better than the Swiftech water cooler at 3.4GHz. For anyone who still doubts the power of this CPU cooling solution this has to drive home how good this unit is.

 

[AkG]

Value

Value

The term “Value” is such an amorphous term that it truly has different meanings for different people. For some a CPU cooler is only as good as it overclocking potential, for others it is how quiet it does its job; for others still it’s how effective it is for its cost. We here at HWC try to provide as many answers as possible for the term “Value”. Hopefully by this point in the review people looking at OC potential or loudness levels will have a fairly good idea of what its Value is. For the “best bang for the buck” crowd we have included a chart below showing how much each 1*c less costs when compared to Intel’s FREE stock cooler. No consideration has been made for noise levels, “looks” or any other extraneous factors; this is just raw performance vs. monetary cost. For any cooler which performs worse than the Intel stock cooler a rating of “FAIL” will be given. For any cooler which has a “Value” of more than $10 per 1*C a rating of “FAIL” will be used in the graph but the chart will list its actual “value”.

All prices are based on either their MSRP (if no e-tailer prices were available at review time) or the online price they sold for at the time of their review. IF a CPU cooler does not include a fan the price of a Scythe F has been included ($12).

To make it as easy as possible for you to modify this ratio we have also included the various coolers temperature difference so if you do come across one of them on sale you can easily modify its “Value” rating. We here at HWC are in no way saying this is the definitive answer to “Value”, rather it should be considered another tool to help you make your final decision. After all something is only as “valuable” as what you consider it to be.


E4600 VALUE

Please note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a e4600 @3.2GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with MX-2 TIM) also on a e4600 @ 3.2GHz.

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_value_chart.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/e4600_value.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

This unit is not marketed as a value oriented product and it shows. Quite honestly, this is like looking a fine Ducati bike and asking the salesman what kind miles per gallon it gets.


Q6600 VALUE

Please note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a q6600 @3.0GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with stock TIM) also on a q6600 @ 3.0GHz.

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_value_chart.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/surveillance/NVR1012/q6600_value.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Once again, if you are looking at ways to justify the expense this is not going to be one of them. Though if you really need a reason beside it being a blast to use, just repeat after me: If Silence is golden than this thing is Platinum baby, pure platinum. In addition, these charts don't show the versatility this unit showed us with full control over its cooling potential.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Reviewers Note:

Before getting to the conclusion I would just like to take this opportunity to state that this has been the most enjoyable CPU cooling solution that it has been my pleasure to test. This cooler really is fun to use, and the results speak for themselves. In fact this unit was so impressive it has now taken over from my Thermalright Ultima 90 (with 2 Noctua NF P12 fans) as my cooler for my beloved Q9450. Yes, it now permanently resides in my number one system, and that right there should speak volumes about not only how good it is but how much I trust it.

For those interested, the Q9450 is running with a mild overclock of 3.2GHz and the Elite dropped my idle temperatures from high 40’s to low 30’s (and one core is actually running at 28°C) and my sustained 4 hour prime load temp never goes above 52° whereas it was running in the mid 60’s with the Ultima 90. On days like this I really love my “job”.


Conclusion

When I was told that Coolit was sending us their Freezone Elite to review, my first inclination was one of cautious optimism. Based on the PURE’s level of quality we knew that they could deliver on their promises and walk the walk as well as talk the talk so to speak, but there was still some nagging doubts about how well a so called hybrid cooling system would work. After all, for less money you can build a kick ass water cooling setup that would put any air cooling solution to shame, so really how much better could the Elite really be?

Well we don’t know about you but the numbers that the CoolIT Elite posted are jaw droppingly impressive. Sub ambient temperatures under full load at stock speeds? That is simply impossible to do with water cooling no matter which way you cut it. Even better was the fact that the unit was not that noisy for the amount of performance it was producing. We have be long-time fans (pardon the pun) of Panaflo fans, as they are serious performers that create very little bearing noise and the model used on the Elite is no exception. Yes, it can be considered loud, but the noise it creates is very easy to ignore and more importantly it easily fades into the background. When you contrast this with some other high performance fans the competition use, said competition really are left behind eating dust with a big old side dish of crow.

Another thing that makes this unit so user-friendly is the included MTEC control software. Never before have users had this kind of cooling control at their fingertips and the options you can select are literally endless from extreme cooling to low noise. Even our performance tests were just scratching the surface of what the Elite can do since they just illustrated two seperate ends of the performance spectrum you can select through the software options.

When one gets over the astonishing performance results, other things start to become apparent as well. This unit is not only a great performer with a great fan but it is also pretty darn easy to install. CoolIT obviously takes the time to not only engineer a great piece of kit but also provides great installation instructions. Usually, the more exotic a CPU cooling solution is the more rube goldbergian the installation process becomes, and that is why the elegance and simplicity of the Freezone Elite’s installation process is so refreshing. Speaking of exotic systems, usually the more exotic the more electricity is required to run them and to a certain extent this is also true with the Elite. When Idling it uses about 30 watts more electricity than the same system using air cooling. When under full load the amount varied from 30 to 60 watts (dual stock to quad overclocked) and it was only during our extreme 100% tests that it hit 70W difference. All in all that is not bad for a system that can deliver what this bad boy can.

Now don’t get us wrong, this unit doesn’t take heat and produce golden eggs or dispense Unicorn giggles, and when it comes to the best bang for your buck, exotic systems like the Freezone Elite are not necessarily your best option. When the bottom line is all important, air cooling solutions are usually “good enough”. However, if you take into consideration the amount of overclocking potential it provides over and above that of water cooling things start to change. Then if you include factors like reduced noise levels and ascetics (as there is no external radiator hanging off the back of your case) the Elite becomes a viable option. Heck, when you consider the fact that we have recently seen this model on sale for 369.00 one can actually use terms like “value” in the same sentence as the Freezone Elite.

In the end we could go on and on in describing who impressed we were this CPU cooler, but sometime two little words sum it up better than a dozen paragraphs, those two words are of course: DAM GOOD. If you are in the market for a high performance CPU cooling solution that won’t cause your ears to bleed, yet won’t set you back a grand or more than this should be at the top of your list.


Pros
- Amazing performance
- Easy installation
- Great Fan
- Easy to use software
- Customizable performance to noise ratio


Cons
- Price
- USB header installation may cause confusion
- 1 year warranty

Thanks to CoolIT for providing us with this product to review​

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/water-cooling/7795-freezone-elite-review-comment-thread.html​