One of the oldest products in today’s comparison, Sunbeamtech’s highly-respected Core-Contact Freezer has recently been updated to support LGA 1156 processors. Priced at around $40 with an LGA 775 adapter and AMD clip, Sunbeamtech’s additional adapter brackets typically cost around $10.

The LGA 1156 adapter includes four mounting screws and a support plate. The long-present LGA 775 adapter still comes with the basic kit and AMD’s clip bracket is supported natively.

The Core-Contact Freezer gets its name from the four heat pipes that interface directly with the processor’s heat spreader, a popular design among several of today’s competitors. The design reduces both cooler weight and latent heat, although claims of better overall cooling are somewhat suspect. Like its competitors, Sunbeamtech sands the bottom of its pipes flat to minimize voids between its base and the processor, requiring a minimal amount of thermal compound to achieve excellent thermal transfer.

As an AMD-style clip-on cooler, the biggest hurdle for LGA motherboard compatibility is the clip itself. Minimal space between one of the adapter’s hooks and some voltage-regulator components forced us to tilt the cooler to install the top clip, before using the bottom clip in the conventional manner.

Because the Core-Contact Freezer uses an AMD-style clip, it can be installed in most recent AMD systems (939, AM2, AM2+, and AM3) without motherboard removal. Similarly, a push-pin style LGA 775 adapter bracket allows easy installation in those systems. LGA 1156 installation is less convenient but more secure, as the adapter’s support plate must be installed behind the motherboard to provide the threaded holes for its screws.
- Lynnfield Can Take The Heat, But Should It?
- Features Comparison
- Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
- Noctua NH-D14
- Scythe Mugen-2 Revision B
- Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer
- Thermalright MUX-120
- Thermaltake Frio
- Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme
- Xigmatek Thor’s Hammer
- Zalman CNPS10X Quiet
- Test Settings
- Thermal Testing Results
- Fan Speed, Noise, And Value
- Do We Have A Winner?
Hey Tom's - what temps are you getting at 3.2 GHz with the Arctic Cooling 7? Did you use arctic silver 5?
no worries there you will be fine
Thermalright sent the MUX-120.
Some companies didn't respond to the invitation. Sorry, I didn't keep a list.
I was surprised the new Thermalright Venoumous X was not included. It's an updated version of the Ultra 120 Extreme specifically designed for the new Intel Core i5/i7 cpu's.
Didn't THG mention in an older article that those extra tall heatspreaders that sort of look like a comb did not provide any additional cooling over stock heatspreaders?