Arctic Freezer i32 Review

Performance Analysis

As expected, the fan did indeed switch off at low loads although with our overclocked CPUs, it didn't take much for the temperature to rise enough for the fan to start spinning. It's still a nice little perk to have though.

On our LGA1150 system, the Freezer i32 managed to get within 2°C of the SilverStone AR01, which isn't bad considering the latter's taller heatsink. Under full load, though, the fans on the Arctic cooler did spin up to be audible, although less so than the rest of our system.


Moving on to LGA2011, the Freezer i32 managed a delta T of 59°C, which is actually 2°C cooler than the SilverStone, although Cooler Master's Hyper 212X with its 2,000 RPM fan managed to knock a further 6°C off this temperature, despite being warmer than the Arctic cooler in the LGA1150 system - an interesting result revealed by testing on multiple sockets.

Conclusion

We still prefer the SilverStone AR01, which is easier to install and also a fair bit cheaper than the Freezer i32 too, and a better choice as a budget heatsink for LGA115x owners. However, its slightly better temperatures on LGA115x systems come at a price - it's noisier thanks to its higher spinning fan - a similar story for Cooler Master's Hyper 212X, so the Freezer i32 is definitely worth considering if you'd trade a couple of degrees for less noise.

With LGA2011 systems, the Freezer i32 managed to tame our overclocked hex-core CPU, which is a fantastic result for such a small cooler. However, it's also worth noting that spending a little more here can yield huge benefits in terms of cooling - yes, the Freezer i32 is cheap, but Arctic's own Liquid Freezer 120 was nearly 15°C cooler, so while it did cope with the CPU, we don't really consider it an ideal choice. The passive mode is certainly a boon too, although a lot will depend on how you use and set up your system.

There is one other benefit with the Freezer i32, though, which is its height. At 150mm it should squeeze into systems such as the Parvum Systems X1.0, NZXT Manta, SilverStone Raven RVX01, Raijintek Metis or Corsair Graphite Series 380T - all cases with frustratingly restricted CPU cooler heights that mean many popular tower coolers are a few millimetres too tall. As a result, the Freezer i32 is a good cooler in its own right, but could also be perfect for many smaller cases too.