1. Introduction
ARCTIC initiated the trend towards quiet cooling systems for desktop PCs in 2001 and has given distinction to it ever since. Today ARCTIC is one of the leading manufacturers in computer cooling and has acquired profound know-how in consumer electronics.
Up until 2009, ARCTIC COOLING focused solely on cooling solutions. In 2010, we became ARCTIC with the additional aim to provide a comprehensive set of innovative consumer electronics and peripherals. ARCTIC’s long term goal is nothing less than being present in everybody’s home.
Official product link:
https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/liquid-freezer-240.html
2. Packaging and accessories
The product comes packaged in a white box with blue accents. The front side of the box shows the product, the name of the product, a QR code and the manufacturer’s name “Arctic”. Here we also have the carbon free green logo.
The sides of the box provide an in-depth overview of the cooler’s specifications and the bearing type used on the included fans.
The back side showcases the cooler and its dimensions, also presenting the mechanism of the pump.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 1x Back-plate Intel
– 1x Intel Retention Ring
– 1x AMD Retention Ring
– 4x Arctic F12 Fans
– 4x Thumb Nuts
– 4x Flat washers
– 16x Screws
– 1x MX-4 Thermal Compound (0.8g)
– 4x Standoffs Intel LGA 115X
– 4x Standoffs Intel LGA 2011
– 4x Standoffs AMD
3. Specifications
Model: Liquid Freezer 240
Colors Available: Black
Supported sockets:
Intel: LGA 2011(-3), 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156
AMD: AM2(+), AM3(+), FM1, FM2(+)
Pump:
Voltage: DC 5V – 12V
Power Consumption: 2.0 W
Pump Dimensions (w/o tubes): 120 x 272 x 25 mm
Radiator:
Radiator Dimensions: 120 x 272 x 38 mm
Radiator Material: Aluminum
Cold Plate: Micro Skived Fin, Copper
Tubes:
Length: 326 mm
Diameter: Outer 10.6 mm, inner 6.0 mm
Fan(s):
Model: F12
Dimensions: 120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm
Fan Speed: 500 – 1350 RPM (PWM)
Bearing Type: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Fan Airflow: 74 CFM / 126 m³/h per fan
Fan Noise: 0.3 Stone
Voltage: DC 12 V
Connector: 4 Pins with PST
Weight: 776g
Features:
Outstanding CPU cooling performance: through Water Cooling Solution with 4 x F12 PWM PST fans, 38 mm deep radiator and efficient water pump.
Extremely Powerful yet Quiet: The Liquid Freezer 240 is not just the most powerful AIO Water Cooler in its class but also the quietest.
Most Efficient Pump: Latest motor technology and smooth tubes offer top performance at only 2 watt power consumption.
Optimal Heat Dissipation: Four low noise 120 mm fans mounted on opposite sides of the radiator provide a great airflow. The first two fans push air through the radiator, the second two fans pull the air through it. Controllable with PST function to adjust the fan speed based on CPU temperature.
4. Visual inspection
The Liquid Freezer 240 model is the first AIO cooling system from the Arctic AC range. It has a simple & efficient design using black tubes and a 240mm radiator which has a width of 38mm. The cooler is accompanied by four 120mm F12 fans with a maximum speed of 1350 RPM and PWM capable.
The CPU block has a minimalist look: the top side has a matte texture, here the two tubes are connected to the pump of the cooler, the lower side has a glossy texture also here is the Arctic logo.
The base of the cooler is mounted on the pump assembly with the help of 8 metallic screws, the base itself is made out of copper and evenly polished.
The cooler uses two rubberized tubes, each having a length of 326mm and an outer diameter of 10.6mm and inner diameter of 6.0mm.
The pump uses a 3-pin Molex connector, the cable of the connector is black, without sleeving.
Included in the accessories bundle there are four 120mm fans, F12 model, they have a minimum speed of 500 RPM and a maximum speed of 1350 RPM, these fans use PWM. Each fan uses a 4-Pin Molex connector which features a splitter to power another fan, the cable of the fan is covered in black sleeving.
5. Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical @ 2133MHz
– GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 Armor 2X
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
– PSU: Antec Edge 550W Gold
– Display: AOC i2769VM
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– Thermal compound: Arctic Cooling MX-4
Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 5.80.4000 (10/24/2016)
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 28.5
The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.187 V.
Also the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:
Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 28.5 – small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.
The test results are as follows:
Idle
Full Load
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.
6. Final thoughts
The ARCTIC AC Liquid Freezer 240 is a cooler which stands out through its good performance and very good price-performance ratio. The build quality starting from the tubes to the radiator & pump is very good, the accessory bundle is rich and the four included fans increase the value & performance of the cooler. The fans are pretty silent at their maximum speed.
Being the first AIO CPU cooling system from Arctic, the Liquid Freezer 240 is a promising start being easy to install even without tools, while maintaining the quality and performance of the Arctic products.
In the future the plastic backplate can be replaced by a metallic one and the packaging can be modified to offer a better protection for the cooler.
