Arctic's New Freezer 33 CO Is A Semi Passive Cooler With A Twist

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The Freezer 33 CO is a semi passive tower-style CPU cooler based on the company's Freezer i32 CO and is specifically designed for continuous operation. The semi passive cooler features four 6mm copper heatpipes with a sintered wick design that utilizes deionized water as thermodynamic working fluid. The direct touch copper heatpipes are attached to forty nine 0.5mm thick aluminum fins. The company claims that the layout of the aluminum fins creates micro vortices that boost airflow and create better circulation around the heatpipes.

The F12 PWM fan comes with a fluid dynamic bearing designed with an extra oil reservoir for longer life. The 120mm fan is, as its name suggests, PWM controlled but with a twist. Arctic stated that the fan controller was developed by German engineers and allows passive cooling when the PWM duty level falls below 40%. Above that, the fan starts spinning until it reaches its maximum 1,350RPM at a 100% duty cycle. Fan set up is a simple matter of plugging the cooler into a PWM-capable header. This design allows for passive cooling during tasks such as web browsing, office and video and continuous fan use during processor intensive tasks such as gaming.  

The heatsink weighs 641g and measures 150mm tall, 123mm wide and is 95mm thick including the fan. The cooler’s maximum recommended TDP is 150W, and comes with enough MX-4 thermal compound for several applications. The Freezer 33 CO mounting system is compatible with Intel 1151, 1150, 1155, 1156, 2011-v3, 2011 and AMD AM4 sockets.

Arctic lists the key features of the Freezer 33 CO as:

  • Compatible with Intel Sockets & AMD Ryzen (AM4)
  • Passive Operation up to 40 % PWM
  • Offset heat pipes ensure optimal heat dissipation
  • Improved fan controller made in Germany
  • Anti-vibration rubbers for quiet operation
  • Installation in all four directions possible
  • Transport-proof mounting with backplate
  • MX-4 thermal paste included

The Arctic Freezer 33 CO has a six year limited warranty and retails for $50 USD.

Paul Alcorn
Paul Alcorn
Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech

Paul Alcorn is the Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech for Tom's Hardware US. He also writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage, and enterprise hardware.

7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • RazberyBandit
    The last time Arctic's website actually functioned correctly, the Warranty page clearly stated that Arctic products only have a 6-year warranty if purchased through Arctic direct, Arctic webshop, or via the official Arctic Amazon or eBay stores. If purchased elsewhere, such as Newegg, Arctic products typically have only a 1- or 2-year warranty.

    It's a real shame Arctic's website is so incredibly bad when it comes to the Warranty page. The Click here for ARCTIC Products Limited Warranty Period at https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/warranty/ doesn't work any longer. The page itself used to explain all of this in detail. And the other link, Learn more about ARCTIC Warranty Policies and Procedure, takes you to Arctic's Switzerland main page.

    It's just shady...
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    19674748 said:
    The last time Arctic's website actually functioned correctly, the Warranty page clearly stated that Arctic products only have a 6-year warranty if purchased through Arctic direct, Arctic webshop, or via the official Arctic Amazon or eBay stores. If purchased elsewhere, such as Newegg, Arctic products typically have only a 1- or 2-year warranty.

    It's a real shame Arctic's website is so incredibly bad when it comes to the Warranty page. The Click here for ARCTIC Products Limited Warranty Period at https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/warranty/ doesn't work any longer. The page itself used to explain all of this in detail. And the other link, Learn more about ARCTIC Warranty Policies and Procedure, takes you to Arctic's Switzerland main page.

    It's just shady...
    Yeah I'll likely be sticking with Noctua for high-end air cooling for the foreseeable future. CM and Arctic make decent entry/mid level coolers though.
    Reply
  • Fiqar_
    "The company claims that the layout of the aluminum fins creates micro vortices that boost airflow and create better circulation around the heatpipes."

    Is this just a claim or does it hold true to their word? Last time i checked, aluminum wasn't the way to go with such hardware but what do i know, eh?
    Reply
  • derekullo
    Woah the fan controller was developed by German engineers.

    Only German engineers could create a fan controller that allows passive cooling when the PWM duty level falls below 40%.

    They better patent it before Corsair creates a psu that ... o darn ... they already did it.

    http://www.corsair.com/en-us/~/media/91605A7F21914665885B97BF7DEE8882.ashx?w=625
    Reply
  • tunaphish6
    19676969 said:
    "The company claims that the layout of the aluminum fins creates micro vortices that boost airflow and create better circulation around the heatpipes."

    Is this just a claim or does it hold true to their word? Last time i checked, aluminum wasn't the way to go with such hardware but what do i know, eh?

    Copper has always been the go-to material for cooling--at one point, entire heatsinks were made out of it. However, because it's heavy, expensive, and prone to corroding, manufacturers usually supplement it with tin(?), nickel or aluminum, which conversely, aren't as effective, but are cheaper and more durable.

    Not all airflow is the same--it's possible their fins are designed to condition air to flow more effective across the fins, but it's always a matter of whether that constitutes a possible price premium. After all, there's a reason why 90% of heatsinks use the same, basic tried-and-true design, and more times than not, if you want better performance, you simply got a bigger heatsink,
    Reply
  • andreas73
    I buy a Freezer 33 on April and it comes with a fan pwm failure. I wrote an email to the Arctic support and the reply me within 24 hours. They ask me to send a copy of the invoice and send me a new fan immediately. I think that for a $ 35.00 cooler is an optimal support.
    Reply
  • kinney
    I only buy MX4 from Arctic now. I had a cooler of theirs and the fan was broken, exact opposite of Andreas73's experience.. they responded to my first email then when I provided my receipt they never replied again. I do think there's no replacement currently for MX4, it performs as good or better than anything else that's not electrically conductive, doesn't dry up and need reapplying for 8+ years and comes in 20G tubes (65G if you go for MX2).. but won't be buying another one of their heatsinks again.

    They're a German company and likely put Germans and Europeans first. I'm in the US. I figured that's why they didn't want to send me my fan.
    Reply