INTRODUCTION

   If you've been reading our news then you probably know that a few hours ago EK Waterblocks announced a recall of their EK-XLC Predator 240/360 Pre-filled CPU Xpandable Liquid Coolers since according to their stats 1 out 10 showed signs of leakage due to faulty O-Rings. We know it will not be easy for EKWB to recall all these units but what really matters is that they didn't try to sweep this issue under the rag so a big bravo to them for this. Leaving out such unfortunate and rare incidents however AIO liquid CPU coolers are not only very safe and have gone a long way since their initial introduction in the market roughly 7 years ago but they are also considered especially ideal for use in small cases with not so good airflow levels. ARCTIC is one of the very first companies to enter the PC cooling market back in 2001 (back then it was Arctic Cooling) and perhaps the only manufacturer that has been providing air and liquid GPU cooling solutions to a large number of graphics cards manufacturers. Today with us however we have their latest AIO Liquid CPU Cooler for overclockers called the Liquid Freezer 120.

   The increasing heat emission of modern CPUs and graphics cards has gone beyond the capability of most manufacturers to design powerful enough yet quiet coolers. An increasing noise level was the result, which had a negative impact on productivity. A quiet computer is the basis for pleasant working conditions. 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 knowhow in consumer electronics. ARCTIC is a privately-owned company with its headquarters in Switzerland and offices in Hong Kong and the USA. ARCTIC contributed significantly to the development of computer cooling solutions, created a number of patented technologies leading to greater efficiency and remarkable noise reduction. Within the cooling industry ARCTIC is recognized for offering innovative solutions with a fair price tag. Our products are sold in over 45 countries across the globe. 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. Our philosophy is still the same since the very beginning - offering consumers value-for-money, innovations at affordable prices.

   Much like most if not all of their AIO Liquid Coolers (both CPU and GPU) ARCTIC has once again tasked our friends over at Asetek (everyone does that not just ARCTIC) with the manufacture of their latest AIO cooler so if you think that the Liquid Freezer 120 looks a lot like some other 120mm AIO models we've seen over the years then you're probably right. Of course that's not a bad thing since Asetek is the leader in everything related to liquid cooling and on top of that the Liquid Freezer 120 is also a slightly upgraded version of what we've seen so far by them (at least according to them and their internal tests). So this time over we have a 49mm thick 120mm aluminum radiator, two 120mm PWM CFD (computational fluid dynamic) high-airflow fans, 5V/12V high-performance pump that only uses 2W at load and an all-copper base. How do all these translate in performance remains to be seen however.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The small box has a large product picture at the front, 2D barcode and the company logo.

On the left side of the box ARCTIC has printed the product specifications.

The main product features are showcased on the right side via 3 pictures placed right above the bundle contents list.

At the rear of the box ARCTIC has placed a few words about the pump and base and a fast comparison between the Liquid Freezer 120 and other 120mm models.

Packaging is quite good (we've seen better ones however).

Placed inside the box you will find the Liquid Freezer 120, two high airflow 120mm PWM fans, small bag with MX-4 thermal compound, two cable ties, installation instructions, backplate and three clear bags with all the necessary bits and pieces to mount the product onto Intel LGA1150/1155/1156/2011/2011-3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ compatible mainboards.

THE LIQUID FREEZER 120

Nothing new in terms of appearance since once again we see a radiator connected to a pump/base combo via two long tubes.

The Liquid Freezer 120 features a 120mm wide, 155mm tall and 49mm deep radiator which as you can all see is much thicker compared to the usual 28mm thickness models.

Fin quality is quite good and the radiator used has an FPI count (density) of 20.

The radiator is attached to the pump/base combo via two 326mm long and flexible rubber tubes.

Asetek has used one of the largest pump/base combos we've seen to date with the Liquid Freezer 120 (82x82x40mm) but unfortunately the tubes are fixed and thus you can't rotate them from the base as with other models.

Some machine marks are visible on the copper base but other than that it's smooth and even.

ARCTIC has used two 120mm PWM CFD (computational fluid dynamic) bearing fans which can spin up to 1350RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 74CFM with just 22.5dBA of noise.

One good feature these fans have is that they also have 4pin cables attached to them so you can attach both fans together with the pump and use a single 3/4pin spot (if you don't want to control their speed).

With both fans installed the radiator thickness increases to 99mm.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   With most manufacturers focusing in the release and promotion of 240/280/360mm AIO models it’s been a while since we’ve actually had a 120mm unit in our lab so when ARCTIC send the Liquid Freezer 120 I didn’t know what to expect. I’m saying this cause back then I thought that the 240mm variant would be a better choice since it would be able to compete directly with other larger AIO models but as you can see from our charts the performance of the 120mm model is also quite good and indeed better compared to other similar size models. We didn’t really meet the same performance gaps ARCTIC reports on the box (vs the Kuhler H2O 950 by Antec for example) but there’s no doubt that the Liquid Freezer 120 is better. Still it’s not perfect since the choice ARCTIC made (or Asetek) to skip on the rotating tubes may result in harder installation for some people. True the FEP tubes are very flexible so I doubt this will be a real issue to whoever decides to get one (we had no problem mounting it) but still some people may consider it to be a drawback. On the bright side the two 1350RPM fans are almost completely inaudible even at full speed and matched only by the fans used in the Alphacool Eisberg 240 (between AIO solutions) so ARCTIC did this right too (plus if you decide to use 2000/2500RPM fans you will most certainly get better cooling results).

   Right now the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer 120 retails for just USD69.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 55.89Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Of course if the Liquid Freezer 120 was surpassed by any of the models we’ve tested to date then you’d have many choices at around the same price but since it doesn’t and the price is quite good (although if your case can hold the 240mm model i suggest going for that since it retails for just USD10/14Euros more) it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Asetek)
- Very Good Performance (For The Size)
- Almost Inaudible Fans
- Compatibility (120mm AIO Model)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Fixed Tubes