X-bit labs

Air-, Liquid- and Thermo-Electrical Cooling Technologies in One: CoolIT Freezone Review

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 08/24/2007 | 12:54 PM ]

Today we would like to introduce to you a $300 cooling solution that combines the principles of air-cooling, liquid-cooling and thermo-electrical cooling in a single product. Find out more details about this unique product in our new review.

Table of contents:

• Package and Accessories
  
• Design and Working Principles
  
• Installation Tips
  
• Specification
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Thermal and Acoustic Performance
  
• Conclusion
  

Today you can choose from several types of cooling systems for PC components: air passive, air active, liquid, thermoelectric, liquid nitrogen, and phase-change systems. Air coolers are the simplest to install and use and, consequently, the most widespread type of cooling devices. Liquid cooling systems are less popular, yet off-the-shelf and custom-made coolers of this type can often be found in an overclocker’s system case. Liquid nitrogen and phase-change solutions are even rarer and only utilized by PC enthusiasts for setting new records.

There also exist hybrid solutions when one device incorporates features of, for example, thermoelectric and air, or liquid and air, or thermoelectric and liquid cooling. We already tested systems that embodied the first two combinations: the thermoelectric cooler Titan Amanda TEC (or Ultra Chill-TEC) and the liquid cooling system Gigabyte 3D Galaxy, respectively. Systems of the third type exist as well, but we haven’t had a chance to test them. We are going to fill in this gap by means of this review in which we’ll examine and test the air-liquid-thermoelectric cooler Freezone from CoolIT Systems.

The developer’s official website advertises two CPU coolers: Freezone and Eliminator. The Eliminator, released later than the Freezone, is meant for CPUs with a total heat output of 125W or lower. The more expensive Freezone is intended to dissipate up to 175W. Of course, the Freezone looks the more interesting solution of the two in the overclocker’s eyes, so we took it for our tests. Let’s see how efficient and quiet this hybrid of three cooling technologies is and if the CoolIT Freezone can beat one of the best air super-coolers in these two parameters.