I was noticing some thermal throttling on my Ryzen 5 3600 with its stock cooler, and I heard good things about the Arctic 34 eSports DUO.
First, let's get the most important part out of the way: The cooling is excellent and the price is great! Extremely happy with the performance and it's whisper quiet at normal speeds -- a huge upgrade in both sound and cooling over the stock Ryzen 3600 cooler.
SOME GRIPES:
- Fans' spring mounting system and mounting screws can make things a bit difficult if installing within the chassis, which I tried to do. It was somewhat of a nightmare, but I can see how it would be easy if you took your board out first. I didn't have to remove it, but it was a fight.
- There is no written manual included, or even a descriptor of the multiple screws supplied. Instead, the manual comes in the form of a QR sticker that you scan to deliver you to an online PDF. It worked fine, but it took a while before I realized the instructions came through the QR code and I hadn't simply misplaced them somewhere when opening the box.
- Size of the heatsink was very slightly taller than I'm used to, and it was just enough to prevent me from using the side fan in my case. That's my fault for not measuring, of course, but I didn't expect it'd be an issue. Even still, having removed my side panel fan, my temps were far cooler!
- Thermal paste comes in a small packet instead of a syringe, though it worked just fine despite a nervously uneven application -- remember to apply the paste along each heatpipe, and not simply a small dot on your chip like you might be used to.
- The heatpipes on the heatsink don't cover the entirety of my Ryzen 3600 chip, which was a little concerning at first but it doesn't impact temps at all, so this isn't really a gripe as much as a PSA. Apparently all the bits that matter inside the chip are under the heatpipe.
SOME PROS:
- Cooling has been outstanding over my stock cooler. Previously I had been idling a bit hot at 50c and gaming at 70c+, but now I'm idling around 35c, and gaming barely cracks 50c -- that, despite the fact that I used the new cooling to overclock while gaming. So I'm now performing better, and cooler!
- Despite my complaints about spacing difficulties while installing inside the chassis, the mounting system itself is wonderfully easy on an AM4 board. Simply screw the wings onto the Arctic, and then screw it through the board and into the backplate. I've never installed a cooler before with such an easy mechanism -- no fussy X-shaped mounting monstrosities like on the Hyper 212s. Any and all issues I had were simply space related having installed while still inside the case.
- Fans are VERY quiet at normal speeds. They are so quiet that I actually went back and checked the fans after starting up because I thought they weren't spinning! They do get respectably loud at max speeds (2100 RPM), but it hasn't been necessary to use that much speed yet.
- Pull/push dual fan setup has really improved the overall airflow in my case, helping to kick the hot air out to my computer's rear exhaust fan. Everything has been cooler, not just my CPU!
- I got the white and black version, and I personally think it's gorgeous. No RGB is a shame because you can't as easily see how pretty this cooler is in the case, but fresh out of the box it looks great!
| Product Dimensions | 6.18"L x 4.88"W x 3.46"H |
|---|---|
| Brand | ARCTIC |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Wattage | 200 watts |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Compatible Devices | AMD Socket: AM5, AM4, Intel Socket: 2066, 2011(-3), 1155, 1151, 1150, 1200, 1700 (please see the note below!) |
| Noise Level | 0.5 Sones |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 2500 RPM |
| Series | Freezer 34 eSports Edition |
| Item model number | ACFRE00057A |
| Item Weight | 1.38 pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 6.69 x 5.12 x 3.94 inches |
| Color | White |
| Manufacturer | ARCTIC |
| ASIN | B07MC8BLC3 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | January 10, 2019 |
