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Arctic's Freezer i32 Plus CPU Cooler Has A Zero-RPM Mode

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Arctic's new CPU cooler has a native zero-RPM passive mode.

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.  

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • hdmark 30 January 2017 15:40
    Any chance Toms will be able to do a full analysis of this cooler?
    Reply
  • cin19 30 January 2017 16:59
    You can check out other reviews from bit-tech or hexus.
    http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2017/01/30/arctic-freezer-i32-plus/1
    http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cooling/87785-arctic-freezer-i32/
    Reply
  • ButtStallion 30 January 2017 17:22
    I have a simple i32 (one fan) for a year now, working perfectly, overclocked 6600k is always below 65 celsius and only spinning when I'm playing around 750-800 rpm.
    Reply
  • laststop311 30 January 2017 23:50
    My favorite is still the noctua nh-d15s. It's literally the maximum size you can make an air cooler without blocking features since its slightly offset it doesn't block the first pci-e and since it only uses 1 fan in the center and the heat sink has a slight cutout on the ram side it also doesn't block DRAM. You can keep the fan at stupidly low RPM's even with a moderately OC'd CPU and the center 150mm fan just keeps things cool and completely silent. Should never need more than 800 rpm can run it close to its minimum at 400 rpm and have perfectly fine temps and zero noise. Longer warranty better quality construction. Nope still king of air and you can add a second 120mm fan and still fit it above the fam for even better cooling for extreme OC that rivals custom water and beats many AIO water while being more reliable and making less noise. Just don't move the tower around harshly or u may crack the mobo.
    Reply
  • Gilles_2 31 January 2017 08:38
    do you provide wrong pictures, or is it hard to count, because I see 4 heat pipes, not 5
    Reply
  • robodan918 09 March 2017 11:12
    For the price, the i32 is unbeatable. 25 quid on amazon.co.uk. I added a second Arctic F12 PWM fan (the same as the first one that comes with the i32) for an extra 5er... not that it really needed it. Used Arctic Silver 5 (as I have for years). My i7-6700 CPU idles around 30C and never even touches 60C even overclocked 5% on a Z170 board (yes, I'm a very safe overclocker). One year on it's still performing like a champ
    Reply