Arctic Freezer 50 TR

Introduction

With the 3rd-generation AMD Threadripper processors, you might be eying one up as part of your next HEDT build. This is a pretty hefty processor (with a TDP as high as 280w) you're clearly going to need a pretty hefty cooler to keep it running nicely. Arctic has come out of the gates early by formally presenting their Freezer 50 TR high-performance air cooler. The Arctic Freezer 50 TR has been specifically designed for AMD Threadripper processors and, in terms of functionality and performance, packs some impressive features. We have to admit that the "slot in" central fan design already gets a pretty big thumbs up from us! With thirteen autonomously controllable addressable RGB LEDs, however, this is definitely also a solid option for those looking for that impressive level of eye-candy.

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For a bit of a hint, let's take a look at those all important Technical Specifications shall we. The manufacturer does not disclose the cooler's rated TDP, but says that it can cool down Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX as well as CPUs of 32 cores and beyond. So as we've seen with some other air coolers of this size (which can handle upwards of 340W) it's a reasonable bet that the 50 TR can dissipate at least 250 W of heat, leaving some additional headroom for overclocking and/or future processors with a higher TDP.

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Packaging & Contents

The Freezer 50 TR is packaged in a black box. The front side of the packaging is covered by a profile photo of the cooler with the warranty and name of the product printed on the left side. On the right side of the box is a list of key features in various languages. The left-hand side of the box shows what Arctic call a function diagram detailing the various components of the cooler, with full specification and dimensions below.There is an chart outlining performance under them. Printed on the rear, there are various images of the key feature of the cooler.

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The scope of delivery also includes two metal plates for mounting on an AMD and some MX4 thermal paste.

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Arctic supply an compliments leaflet and a card with a QR code, which you can scan to take you to the support page online where you will find a digital version of the installation manual.

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A Closer Look

This is what the Arctic Freezer 50 TR cooler looks. The first impression of this Arctic Freezer 50 TR is truly impressive.

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A massive cooler with dimensions of 149.5 x 147.8 x 165 mm (L x W x H), that weighs 1.2 kg.The Arctic Freezer 50 TR borrows its design from other so-called "mega coolers": it has a massive dual-tower heatsink featuring 104 aluminum fins.

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We like how the fan/s are integrated into a slightly chunky shroud, which extends over the top of the radiator to hide some of its more unsightly aspects. The plastic casing can be easily removed from the cooler, as they are held by plastic hooks. The radiator itself is located directly below them.Using a 120mm fan in front and a140mm sandwiched between its cooling towers, the Freezer 50TR makes use of a push/pull-push configuration. While the mismatched fans are unusual, Arctic says that using two fans of different sizes increases airflow and therefore improves performance. Depending on the load, the fans will rotate at 200 ~ 1800/1700 RPMs. On the opposite sides of the radiators, Arctic chose a smooth fins profile. Arctic's fans using fluid dynamic bearings. The fans are not replaceable, since it they are integrated into the frame itself.

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The upper part of it is closed and boasts an ARGB LED system that will illuminate two longitudinal lines and the brand's logo in up to 16.8 million colors. As is increasingly customary for enthusiast-grade cooling systems these days, the Arctic Freezer 50 TR comes with 13 addressable RGB LEDs. These can be controlled using software from leading motherboard makers as well as a standalone controller.

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The 140 mm fan is equipped not only with a PWM plug, but also with a PWM socket.

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Eight U-shaped 6-mm heat pipes that form the base cover the part of the IHS of the Ryzen Threadripper CPU.

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All of them come in direct contact with the CPU. The contact plate is wider than usual, to fully cover the enlarged heat spreaders of Threadripper chips.

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Installation Process

Two complete brackets are simply screwed onto the mounting holes of the TR4 socket.

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Two centrally threaded holes are provided for spring-loaded screws on the cooler mounting bridge. The massive cooler looked beautiful on the test motherboard. From there, you can simply connect to the motherboard's 4-pin CPU fan connector to get things going, but the Freezer 50 TR also has addressable RGB lighting support.

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With the low-profile memory, the Freezer 50 TR had no problems. Recommended is a maximum memory module height of 37.5 mm. This stipulation is mainly due to the tip on the underside of the Freezer 50 TR, which means modules that exceed this height could still be compatible if they have V-shaped or centrally recessed heatsinks.

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Test System & Methology

Test System:

Cpu:AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
Motherboard:Gigabyte Aorus Master
Memory:G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNova 1200 P2
Storage Drive: 3TB Seagate Barracuda
Boot Drive: SSD 850 PRO 2.5" SATA III 2TB
Chassis: Dimastech Bench Table Easy V2.5
Windows 10 64-bit


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Software:

Speedfan
CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
Prime 95

I am testing the performance as follows:

Ambient temperatures are kept at 23C throughout my tests.
The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
Load temperatures are obtained after running Prime 95′s for 30 minutes.



Temperature Results

Obviously, we haven't got much to compare to here. What we are looking for, however, is how well the Freezer 50 TR performed on our 3990X. It's a 64-core 128-thread monster, and AMD says it should be kept within 68c at full load. Easier said than done on such a powerful CPU, I can tell you! Because I didn't want to test one cooler on its own, leaving it all alone, I decided to track some other TR4 coolers for comparison. Run at stock, the 3990X's 280TDP is no obstacle for either cooler.

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The Freezer 50 TR air cooler from Arctic perform very well considering how hot this processor can get under full load. Overall fine results, remember this is a 64-core part here.


Noise Level Results

At full load, it topped out at 45 dBa, which is audible, but when you're cooling a 64-core CPU, you need to move some serious air to do so.

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Final Thoughts

There's not a huge market for the Freezer 50 TR, at least I don't think there is. The Threadripper CPUs are a huge success, but they're not exactly targeted to huge numbers of consumers. Even then, how many are happy with the coolers they have already, as many do lean towards liquid cooling too. Personally, I'm a bit fan of air cooling, as it doesn't tend to heat up over time and retain heat as liquid does. Liquid is great for some things, but quality air cooling I find more reliable for prolonged CPU load scenarios, even more so for those rendering none stop all day, and longer. The Arctic Freezer 50 TR is a bit of an interesting cooler. Arctic has gone all out on the construction and design of this cooler. It looks way fancier than it likely needs to, but with the performance we've seen today, it's not all show and no go. It looks like some crazy RGB alien craft, which I absolutely love. However, everything is bolted firmly together, reinforced where it matters, and the chunky heatpipes are very nicely designed too. The whole construction of Arctic's Freezer 50 TR measures 147.8x149.5x165 mm and leaves a RAM clearance of 37.5 mm. While the cooler certainly cannot be called compact, it should fit into most enthusiast-grade PC chassis. While the 3990X is the most extreme Threadripper on the market today, the Freezer 50 TR did a superb job of keeping it running perfectly, even with a bit of overclocking. Of course, if you're looking further down the TR4 range, the performance will be even better from this cooler. If it can handle the most extreme Threadripper, the rest should be a breeze. In this area, you are sacrificing a little audible noise as well.

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Honestly, I did not think that a heat pipe cooler would be sufficient to cool down a 280w processor with 64 cores stressed. Well, Arctic proofed me wrong here today. Arctic Freezer 50 TR is the cooler for the most demanding users. You won't find anything better under $80 and that isn't expensive water cooling kit. Also if you love RGB and want your system to light up dramatically when powered on then this cooler should be on your shortlist.

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