Zero Infinity Free Flow+ CPU Cooler Review

👤by Sahil Mannick Comments 📅23-01-12
Closer Look


The Zero Infinity Free Flow+

Our initial impression of the Free Flow+ is mostly a positive one. Three fans and five 8mm heat pipes combined with the cooling potential of two radiator stacks screams extreme performance. The three 140mm purple and black fans dominate the aesthetics of the cooler as well as its airflow focussed design. In some ways, it differs to other dual tower coolers in that it relies more on airflow than merely surface area. Aesthetically, the Free Flow+ isn’t as easy on the eye as the like of the K2 or the Phanteks. It’s not so much the purple and black colour scheme (very unique in its own right) as it is the dull finish of the heatsink and the protruding fan wire clips.


The heatsink

Removing the fans to show the heatsink on its own reveals a very quirky looking design. The two radiators feature laminar fins that are characterised by a convex upward bulge in the middle. Strangely, the symmetrical nature of the heatsink means that this feature appears on opposite sides of the cooler which begs the question as to what purpose it serves and how it helps with airflow given that the latter is unidirectional (ideally).


The front face

From the front face, the shape of the fin array is more distinguishable and the central upwards curvature is more apparent. These appear as half-hemispherical shape and yet on either side, the fins are perfectly flat. The real purpose of this feature is unknown, other than increasing the fin surface area but then we ask ourselves why this isn’t consistent across the whole fin rather than localised in the centre. In effect, it is possible that it forces cool air from the front ‘push’ fan down on to the rest of the fin such that turbulence is generated. On the other radiator, the opposite happens due to the opposing orientation of the curvature promoting a more aerodynamic flow. From the front, we can also see the five U shaped heat pipes distributed closely across the centre.


The side profile

The side view reveals a perfectly symmetrical design with both radiators being identical but orientated in opposite directions. In total, the Free Flow+ radiators feature 46 fins separated by a 2mm gap. Each stack is 39mm deep and 140mm wide to produce a fin surface area of around 5460mm squared, although this is a conservative guess due to the convex bulge further increasing it. The surface area is less than other dual tower coolers but we have to remember that the Free Flow+ is a more compact design.


The fins

The fins are interlocked at the side as indicated by the closed fins running down the centre of each stack.


The fin array

And again from a different angle, we see the distinctive shape of the fins. The spherical protrusions extend less than midway across the depth of the fin.


Closer look at the fins

Taking a closer look at the surface of the fins, we see regularly distributed ‘dimples’ that further contribute to the surface area and promote turbulence.


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