Most CPU coolers have set fan ranges that they run between when engaged, but Arctic has a different idea about this. The company knows that modern CPUs produce so little heat when under low loads that active cooling really isn’t necessary, which is why its new Freezer i32 Plus CPU cooler has a passive mode.
The Freezer i32 Plus has a simple tower-style heatsink made with 84 0.3mm thick aluminum fins, and it spans 150mm. It's 52mm thick (102mm with the two fans installed), and 123mm wide. Heat is fed to the fin stack through five 6mm copper heatpipes.
Contrary to the standard Freezer i32, the Plus model has two 120mm fans instead of one. They feature a fluid dynamic bearing and can spin at speeds of up to 1,350RPM. The passive mode, of course, is zero RPM. The fans are PWM controlled, but they have a rather unusual speed curve: Up to 40% PWM cycle the fans won’t spin at all, and from there they’ll start spinning all the way up to their maximum 1,350RPM at a 100% duty cycle.
Such a curve is particularly useful because of how easy it is to set up. All you need to do is plug the cooler into a PWM-capable header, and you’re set. With other CPU coolers, if you want a passive mode, you’d have to manually change the fan curve through the motherboard BIOS or software, and many boards won’t even allow you to fully switch off the CPU fan.
The cooler’s maximum recommended TDP is 150W, and it comes with a single tube of MX-4 TIM compound. It supports Intel sockets 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011, 2011-3 (although only square 80 x 80mm spacing for the 2011 sockets). It does not support AMD sockets.
Pricing for the Arctic Freezer i32 Plus sits at $49.99, and it's available now.
