Nesteq Silent Freezer 1200 Cooler Review

Results Analysis

We first installed the NesteQ in our LGA1366 test rig. With its Core i7-965 Extreme Edition overclocked to 3.6GHz and overvolted with a vcore of 1.3V, the NesteQ was going to have its work cut out for it. With the CPU idle, the NesteQ managed a respectable delta T of 19°C. However, when we fired up the smallfft test in Prime95 to load the CPU, things went rapidly downhill. The cooler managed a delta T of 68°C, just a 4°C improvement on the Intel reference design, and 20°C worse than the Titan Fenrir at low speed.

Things didn’t get much better when we moved on to our LGA775 test rig, which features a 2.13GHz Intel Xeon X3210 at 2.66GHz using a 1.41V vcore, a processor handpicked for its toasty qualities. The idle delta T of the NesteQ was 25°C, 1°C worse than the Intel LGA775 reference cooler. Putting this CPU under load produced a delta T of 67°C, making it a tragic 11°C worse than the reference design.

Finally, our Socket AM2+ test rig sealed the fate of NesteQ’s new HSF. Under load, the delta T was the same as that of the AMD reference design at 46°C which is another bad result. With its 120mm fan, the oversized NesteQ cooler was a good deal quiter than AMD reference design, but that's far than enough to justify the £35 price tag.


The Scythe Mugen 2 is a couple of quid cheaper than the Silent Freezer 1200 and will cool your CPU 10°C cooler. The NesteQ was quiet throughout testing, but this is of little consequence, as the Mugen 2 is also whisper-quiet.

Conclusion

At first glance, the NesteQ SilentFreezer 1200 seemed like a decent bit of kit. Having four 8mm-thick heatpipes running through the contact plate is often a good approach in HSF design, as is having a sizable heatsink and a 120mm fan. The cooler fits most CPU sockets, and is a cinch to install on most of them. In spite of all this, whether it’s the unusual wasabi-like TIM, the materials, or the issues with the mounting mechanism - the NesteQ's cooling abilities are abysmal.

In some cases, the NesteQ actually gave us inferior cooling to the reference cooler that ships with a CPU, something that we can’t forgive of a cooler costing £35 – even if it is very quiet. We’ve seen plenty of quiet coolers that far exceed the cooling ability of this free cooler, such as the Titan Fenrir and the Scythe Mugen 2. What’s worse is that both of these coolers are cheaper than the SilentFreezer 1200.

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Build Quality
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

Score Guide