ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO - Tower CPU Cooler with BioniX P-Series case fan in push-pull, 120 mm PWM fan, for Intel and AMD socket - White

I have the Ryzen 5, 3600 with 6 Cores, and 12 processing threads bundled with the AMD Wraith Stealth stock cooler with Max Temps 95°C. My Motherboard was the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4. I built this system in December 2019. I was happy with it for a few months, but I consistently watched the CPUID HWMonitor and noted that my CPU temperatures could reach over 80°C. There were a couple of days they even went up to 90°C. I started to research for an after-market CPU fan to replace the stock cooler. I noted that many YouTubers had reviewed the Freezer 34 series of CPU fans and they all gave these fans high marks in the categories of price-to-performance, Noise level, ease-of-installation, ram-clearance, and case fitting. After installation, my CPU’s temperatures from minimum to maximum were reduced by more than 10°C each. I ran Cinebench, and my CPU temperate reached a high of 79°C. I didn’t run it while I had the stock cooler so I wouldn’t know what could the CPU temperate had been.The Freezer 34 cooler came with one fan. I had an old Cougar Vortex PWM 120 case fan lying around. I was able to fit this fan onto the Freezer 34 with the extra set of brackets that were included in the package. I believe this 2nd fan created the push-pull condition that matches the more expensive models in the Freezer 34 series that are sold with dual fans. There was no problem fitting this CPU fan in my case, an Antec Gaming Series Three Hundred Two Mid-Tower case. Also, there was no problem with ram clearance. And this Arctic 34 cooler operates very quietly.I had a few issues while installing this CPU cooler. First, I had to remove the motherboard out of the case before I could install it because there was not enough space to maneuver inside the case frame. Secondly, when I installed the cooler onto the motherboard, I encountered the same problem the other reviewer Aaron had. In his March 30, 2020 review of his Freezer 34 CO, which he titled: “I wanted to like this.”, Aaron stated that “The threads on the mounts for the AM4 socket are too short making threading the nuts onto them for final mounting and tightening impossible unless the metal brackets are bent down a bit. This is difficult to do because one hand needs to hold the backplate for pressure while you need to get the screw into the nut and apply presser on the other end, the slightest slip would lead to stabbing the mobo with the screw quite aggressively. The thread should be about 2 mm longer and the nut should be 2mm deeper so that the mounts can be preinstalled and then the nuts loosely threaded by hand…” This exact thought came across my mind when I was doing the exact same steps during my installation. It took me a few tries to screw in the nuts and I had to press hard to make the nuts to fit and latch onto the threads.And lastly, after the cooler was fixated onto the motherboard with the two above mentioned fans, and it was ready to go into the case, I had a very hard time plugging the CPU power cord into its 8-pin connector! I had to ask my wife for help as she has smaller hands than I do. Even after she lined up the plug with the socket, she wasn’t able to press it all the way down. I had to use two chopsticks to do that for me! Next time, when I need to remove the cooler for cleaning or for any other reason, I would buy a CPU power 8-pin extension cable. This way, I can pre-plug in the extension cable to the motherboard connector, and then I would have all the flexibility to connect it to the cord coming from the PSU - outside of the tight space that was originally limited by the cooler.After the installation, I turned on the PC and pleasantly found that the temperature was lower by more than 10°C, I finally felt relieved and thought to myself all these efforts were worth it. Also, I want to mention: in place of thermal paste, I used a 40mm X 40mm Innovation Cooling Graphite Thermal Pad. I believe it works just as well as any good brand of thermal paste in the market.

In my quest to silence my gaming computer, I decided to replace the Wraith Spire stock cooler that came with my Ryzen 5 3600X. It was loud, even when it was idling.Reading and watching reviews and comparisons of budget CPU coolers, it was clear that the ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports was a good all-around contender: quiet, cool, and budget-minded.And the reviewers and other users out there were right! It's definitely a lot quieter than the AMD stock cooler. And it even seems to do a better job at keeping my CPU temps down. While I forgot to do an immediate before and after of the temperatures, I want to say I'm seeing at least a 5°C difference while gaming (based on what I remember seeing in the past while using the stock cooler).Installation was pretty quick and easy. While there are no paper instructions included, there is a QR-code to the manufacturer website that has instructions and a super helpful video; highly recommend watching it. Since this can be used with AMD and Intel CPU sockets, it comes with a few sets of posts/standoffs for the different sockets. Pay attention to the markings/notches on the included posts so you know you're using the right ones for your socket. It can be a little tough putting the fan back onto the heat sink if you remove it/add another one; it's clasped on with these little wire bars, and the wire bars can sometimes pop out while securing the fan(s), which is annoying to pop-back in.This particularly model does not include RGB. Which I love! I don't turn off my computer at night, so the less light shining from my computer, the better.Happy to recommend this to anyone!

This cooler does its job, and does it well.It keeps my processor very cool, even on ridiculously hot days, during which my room becomes an oven.It's also incredibly quiet. Even when the fans are spinning at a high RPM, it's hardly noticeable. Of course, that's with my fan on and pointing towards me, but the fan is also like fifteen feet away because the only available outlet is on the other side of the room, so take that how you will. Even with the fan off though, it's practically silent. I'd say that they're trying to go after the big dogs like noctua, and they're doing great.Installation was kind of a pain at first because I didn't feel like removing any of my components before trying to install it, but once I removed my graphics card and rear exhaust, it was pretty smooth. If you don't want to take the whole pc apart and install it with a bare motherboard on a table, have someone hold the backplate in place or tape it there temporarily so you can screw the stand-offs in to mount the cooler. Short ones with one line are for amd boards, specifically AM4. The ones with two lines are for intel hoards, and it comes with an intel backplate, though it's not much of a plate, more like a bracket. I don't know what the long ones with no lines are for though, but there's a QR code that comes with it that you can scan for the online installation manual. Why they didn't just include a physical one is a wonder, but it's not hard to install it anyway, as long as you use the right standoffs (and remove some parts for room to work).As for the build quality, it's sturdy, doesn't rattle at all, and is overall very solid. It comes with thermal paste, but you may be better off getting better paste. I'm not sure what the pastes quality is, but I used their MX-4 that I got months ago with my cpu, and it's doing just fine.This is a great cooler, for a good price, especially when compared to the closest noctua cooler that offers about the same performance and low noise for about ten to twenty dollars more, depending on price fluctuation. Get this thing.