Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
Even with two fans, this cooler is a very good option. Compared to similar and typically cheaper designs with four heatpipes, it can handle significantly higher loads. This is true on both the latest Intel platform (LGA 1851) and AMD Ryzen 9000 processors (AMD AM5). There is also a certain benefit to these things around cooling performance in mounting via a custom retention bracket (ILM) around the processor socket.
Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
Spectral analysis of noise
Why is there a missing value in the chart? The reason is that the cooler could no longer handle the load in the specified mode. Control to lower noise levels fails for reasons such as an overly noisy liquid cooler pump or a whining fan motor.
Continue: Results: Lower noise level (39 dBA)
- Contents
- Details of the Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB (White)
- Testing methodology
- Results: Maximum cooling performance
- Results: Higher performance (45 dBA)
- Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
- Results: Lower noise level (39 dBA)
- Results: Low noise level (36 dBA)
- Results: Very low noise level (33 dBA)
- Results: Threshold of audibility (31 dBA)
- Conclusion
“If you don’t care too much about noise … can also be paired … with Ryzen 9 or Core Ultra 9.”
I agree with the conclusion on the Intel side, but not on the AMD side. The difference in clocks of 9950X @ 31 dBA mode (4594) vs. max fan speed mode (4638) is only 44 mHz. You can run it extremely quietly while maintaining 99% performance. The difference between running it at 31 dBA vs the best tested 360 mm AIO cooler @ max speed (4707) is only 2.5%! It seems that the performance of Zen 5 (or at least the 9950X) is quite insensitive to cooling requirements. Perhaps it’ll show more performance decreases when low profile coolers start being tested.
“Although especially in the latter case, it will be advisable to set the power limits so that the performance of the processors does not decrease due to “overheating”.
In fact, I advice not setting power limits if you are after best performance. By artificially setting power limits to avoid hitting thermal limits, the CPU will throttle due to power even if it has thermal headroom to boost further.
You’re right, it’s good to discuss this and different perspectives on the same things are definitely welcome. 🙂
The Freezer 36 is not really suitable for the most powerful processors. But all this is meant in the context that the cooler is at the limit at which there is no dramatic drop in performance due to the available cooling power. Even in 31 dBA mode, the difference from the Fera 5 is bigger, and the Freezer 36 is the cooler that still handles this situation relatively well. Sure, the performance of the R9 9950X is lower with it too, but it is still clearly higher than with the Fera 5. Cooling Ryzen 9000s with the highest possible performance in mind will not be as difficult as with the Intel platform anyway.