Sunbeamtech Core Contact Freezer

The Product

Taking a closer look at the cooler, I was determined to find out exactly how large this thing was.  I say it's a large cooler but in reality it isn't much bigger than most of the other 120mm coolers on the market.  It should fit without too much difficulty in most cases that are out there, however I would still recommend measuring to make sure you've got room before making a purchase.  It sits 155mm tall from the motherboard, is 125mm wide at the widest point, and has a depth of 104mm (this is including the fan -- it's only about 80mm without a fan).

There are four U-Shaped copper Heat Pipes extending all the way from the base to the top of the cooler.  These heatpipes are supported at the base by an aluminum plate.  In the past, I would have considered this a bad thing but with all the success we have seen with coolers having their heatpipes be in direct contact with the processor, this seems like a winning path.  Additionally, the finish on the base of the Sunbeamtech Core Contact Freezer is excellent.

The four heatpipes extend upward through 52 thin aluminum fins providing plenty surface area for heat dissipation.  All in all, I'm impressed with the build quality of the cooler.  Noteworthy here is that there is a small bend in the exhaust portion of the cooler, forcing the air to blow down toward the motherboard and other components.  This will add a little added airflow over the rest of the system and could help with temperatures there as well preventing stagnant hotspots.

The 120mm included fan is a Sunbeamtech fan and claims near silent operation.  It's mounted to the Sunbeamtech Core Contact Freezer with two wire-like mounting pieces.  I like this type of mounting because it's easy to install and remove and typically still holds securely.  In addition to the high quality fan is a fan speed controller that installs into the PCI slot in the back of your case.  This allows you to adjust the fan between 1000 and 2000 RPM and control the noise level and airflow to your liking.  You can install the fan without this controller and the fan will operate by default at 2000 RPM.

  

Now that we've had a good look at all the components, let's pop them into the case and see how they work.

BACK                    NEXT

Pg 1 - Introduction
Pg 2 - The Cooler
Pg 3 - Installation
Pg 4 - Testing & Conclusion