ARCTIC Freezer Extreme Rev. 2 CPU Cooler Review

👤by Sahil Mannick Comments 📅07-04-12
Closer Look (Continued)


The front of the fan

The 120mm fan is rated to operate at 800-1500RPM thanks to PWM functionality. The fan itself however is unique in design. The arms holding the rotor and propeller to the circular shroud is actually on the front of the fan rather than the back where it should typically be found. To make sure that this was definitely the front of the fan, I checked the direction of airflow and it was certainly strange to see such a strange design feature. The fact that ARCTIC themselves don’t indicate the direction of airflow on the fan means that users may get confused and mount it incorrectly. The fan is also integrated to the top cooler cover so it is impossible to use other fans.


The back of the fan

On initial impressions, this side of the fan looks like the front but we can see that the fan blades are orientated the wrong way.


Standard fan VS ARCTIC fan

On the right, we have a standard fan for comparison. Unlike conventional fans, the ARCTIC fan rotates clockwise rather than anti-clockwise due to the opposing orientation of the blades.


The 4 pin PWM enabled header

The fan features a 4pin header for added PWM functionality. Unfortunately, the cable isn’t pre-braided like their standalone fans, and therefore less visually attractive. It’s nothing a bit of cable management can’t sort out.


Installing the fan

The top cover has tabs on either side which simply slip into the side of the cooler when installing. Removing requires those tabs to be pressed and for the fan to be simply lifted out. The method is much easier than using fan clips and there is no need movement from the fan itself that may lead to unnecessary cooler vibrations.


The cooler installed

The Freezer Extreme Rev.2 looks very compact once installed and certainly doesn’t have the same towering look of the higher end coolers we usually encounter. It makes the cooler ideal in smaller cases and situations where space isn’t readily available.


Memory compatibility

At only 100mm wide, there are no memory compatibility issues. There is a small gap present between the heatsink and the adjacent memory slot so users are free to choose any sized memory modules.



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