Arctic Freezer 34 – Yellow CPU Cooler Review [Updated 2024]

Quiet cooling without performance compromise is their motto. Their product lines include CPU Coolers, Case Fans, Thermal Pastes, Charging solutions, Audio solutions, and monitor stands to name a few. Today, we will be taking a look at their Freezer 34 eSports DUO cooler. The cooler employs CDC (Continuous Direct Contact) technology, ensuring direct contact between exposed copper heat pipe sides and the CPU surface, eliminating gaps between heat pipes. This is likely my first or second cooler with CDC technology, distinguishing it from others

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Key Takeaways

• The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo is designed for users looking for a budget-friendly air cooler that provides reasonable cooling performance.
• The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo is not for anyone who wants to cool high-end CPUs or perform overclocking.
• The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo provides an excellent price-to-performance ratio, maintaining a temperature of 44.5°C on an Intel Core i7-6850K at 4.3 GHz.

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*Thermal paste is not pre-applied.

Freezer 34 eSports Packing and Unboxing

The product is shipped inside a cardboard box in a black and yellow color theme. From the packaging, I am guessing that each color-coded cooler will have the packing box finished in the same color design.

Arctic Freezer 34 Contents

Everything that comes included in the box

Closer Look

The ARCTIC FREEZER 34 eSPORTS DUO is a single-tower cooling solution in 120mm sizing. It comes with two powerful BioniX-P120 fans which are static pressure optimized. Let’s take a closer look at the cooler.

The dimension of the cooler is 124x103x157mm (LxWxH) where 157mm is the overall height of the cooler. I found that the weight of the cooler is 764gm with the fans. The ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO boasts a TDP of up to 210W. Its black-coated assembly, thermal coating, and offset heat pipes improve heat dissipation for enhanced cooling performance.

The top fin plate features the ARCTIC brand logo and name embossed in the middle, with heat pipes terminating at the top. Four screws, two on each side near the corners, secure the fans’ metal clips, which come pre-installed. Although I removed the clips for demonstration, they don’t need removal during regular use.

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo boasts 54 black-coated aluminum fins in an optimized-V shape notch design, minimizing noise and airflow resistance. Its dense, size-appropriate heatsink benefits from high-static pressure BioniX P-120 fans. With 0.4mm thickness per fin, the symmetrical layout maximizes surface area for effective heat dissipation. Heat pipes follow an offset displacement, ensuring even contact throughout the fin stack.

The heatsink’s left and right sides are identical, showcasing a closed and aesthetically pleasing design where fins are joined. The central portion features two cutouts, revealing fan clips that I intentionally left in the picture. The heatsink’s cross-section reveals a well-designed structure with smooth edges and a symmetrical layout. Fortunately, the black coating is uniform, with no uneven impressions, highlighting precise craftsmanship.

The ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO features four 6mm thick copper heat pipes coated in black. These pipes, exhibiting an offset displacement, make consistent contact within the fin stack, as illustrated in the picture. The offset from the cooler’s base aligns evenly within the fin stack.

The cooler comes with a protective sticker on its base (36x30mm) with a warning to peel it off before installation. While it may not fully cover the CPU’s IHS, it does cover the area under the IHS on the die.

When you peel off the sticker, you’ll find out that the ARCTIC FREEZER 34 eSPORTS DUO uses a Direct Contact method. What this means is that the heat pipes make direct contact with the CPU’s IHS, leaving no gaps, which ensures a seamless connection. The uncoated bottom part of the heat pipes also boosts heat transfer efficiency. Plus, the installation process is made even more convenient with the pre-installed mounting plate featuring two holes on each side.

The ARCTIC has provided two BioniX P series fans which are 120mm size with this cooler. Here are the specifications of the Fan:

Dimension	120x120x27mm
Speed	200 ~ 2100 RPM
Max Air Flow	67.56 CFM
Max Air Pressure	2.75 mmH₂O
Noise Level	0.5 Sone @ 2100 RPM
Current	0.13A
Rated Voltage	12VDC
Power	1.56W
Fan Power Connector	4-Pin
Bearing	Fluid Dynamic Bearing

The BioniX P120 fan features specially designed black blades for focused airflow, accented by a silver ARCTIC logo at the center and a yellow ring. The corner mounts also sport a vibrant yellow color, complementing the color customization of the Freezer 34 eSports DUO cooler. The sturdy black frame of the fan incorporates two labeled arrow symbols on one corner for easy identification of airflow direction and blade spin.

Looking at the backside of the fan, there is a 4-arms assembly holding and securing the motor and blades to the frame. One of the arms has power cable routed on it. The power rating of the fan is embossed in the center. The fan is using Fluid Dynamic Bearing for increased life span and operations. 10 years of warranty on this arctic freezer 34 review cooler shows the confidence and trust of ARCTIC in their cooling solution.

The user two BioniX-P120 fans in push/pull configuration result in increased (and focused) airflow ensuring that more cold air is transported into the heatsink for cooling and the heat from the CPU is dissipated even faster from the heat sink.

The rear fan has 4 black color pads on each corner. These pads touch the heatsink and act to reduce the noise from vibration. The metal clips are pre-installed on the heatsink. The user is not required to remove them. Installing/removing the fans is as simple as placing the fans on the heatsink and pushing/pulling these clips on the fans’ frame.

Each fan has meshed sleeve cable with a length of 195+80mm. The main cable has a 4-pin PWM connector. There is a 3-pin socket connector on the extended portion of the cable. I appreciate this simple yet effective idea in which both fans are daisy-chained and connected to a single 4-pin PWM fan header.

In the image, both fans are daisy-chained and connected with a single 4-pin PWM header. This setup is enhanced by PWM PST synchronous sharing. The fans, supporting an extended PWM range, come with an auto-stop function depending on the motherboard’s PWM controller and UEFI/BIOS settings.

Installation

Since the cooler is tested on the Intel LGA2011(v3) socket, here are the steps needed for the installation on this socket.

• Install the Intel LGA20xx standoffs on the pre-drilled mounting holes around the socket.
• Place the Intel mounting brackets on the Mounting plate on the base of the cooler. Use two small size screws to secure the brackets on the mounting plate.
• Make sure that the mounting corners on the brackets are facing out.
• Peel off the transparent warning sticker from the base of the cooler.
• Apply the thermal paste.
• Place the heatsink on the CPU by aligning the mounting holes on the brackets with the standoffs.
• Use the thumb nuts to securely install the cooler.
• Install the fans using the metal clips.
• Daisy-chain the fans and connect the PWM connector to the 4-pin PWM fan header of the motherboard.
• This would complete the installation.

Here are the pictures of the assembled cooler.

Clearance

• The height of the cooler is 157mm. Keep this in mind while planning your build for the PC Chassis as the chassis should have support for CPU cooler’s height of a minimum of 158mm.
• The cooler does not overhang the DIMM slot area hence there is no clearance issue what so ever concerning any height of the RAM. Even on our X99 with quad-channel configuration. Both sides of the DIMM slots are not covered by this cooler.
• The cooler does not block the first PCIe slot.

Here are some clearance-related pictures.

Testing Methodology

The Testbed configuration is:

• Asus Rampage V Edition 10
• Intel i7 6850k
• CORSAIR Vengeance 4x8GB @ 2666MHz
• Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB
• Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
• Thermaltake TP iRGB 1250W PSU
• Primochill Praxis Wetbench

The software used for testing and monitoring are:

• Asus Real Bench v 2.44
• Real Temp GT v 3.70

Here is the settings table for testing:

Intel	Stock Voltage (V)	1.130
	Stock Clock (MHz)	3600
	OC Voltage (V)	1.350
	OC Clock (MHz)	4300
Turbo Boost	Disabled
C-States	Disabled
Speed Step	Disabled
Thermal Paste	Noctua NT-H1
Test Run Time	60 minutes
Idling Time	15 minutes
Fan Speed	1. Manually set to run at 100% PWM cycle. 2. PWM controller testing.

After installing the cooler, we conduct a 60-minute stress test for the first time. Following this, the PC is powered down for a minimum of 15 minutes to allow for optimal thermal paste bonding—utilizing Noctua NT-H1 for standardization. Actual testing is then performed, noting that cure times vary among thermal pastes.

Delta temperatures (average of all cores’ max temps minus ambient temp) are reported on graphs. Testing occurs on an open-air bench system; temperatures may rise inside a chassis, dependent on airflow. Variability in results is expected due to factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application, ambient temperature, and silicon differences

Let’s take a look at the results.

Results

We have seen some impressive performances from the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo. During our PWM auto-controlled testing, the fans were spinning in the range of 1600 RPM. They reached a maximum of 1950 RPM depending upon the range.

The PWM function of these fans is effectively utilized as there is 1.3°C difference between both runs which can be in the margin of error. On 100% PWM cycle one fan was spinning at 2119 RPM. The other fan was spinning at 1989 RPM which is approximately 5% less than the advertised speed of 2100 RPM.

Again the margin of error needs to be taken into consideration but ARCTIC has not mentioned such information in the specification. Normally this information is presented in ±10% or so.

Noise

The sound meter showed the noise level of the cooler to be 45 dB(A) with an ambient sound level of 32 dB(A) which is quite good.

Should You Buy It?

I’ve listed a few points to help your decision when purchasing the cooler.

Buy It If:

You want a value-for-money air cooler: The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo boasts immense value as an air cooler.

You prefer low noise levels: The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo remained fairly silent during our tests, maintaining an auplaudable noise level of 45 dBA at an ambient of 32 dBA.

You want excellent clearance: Thanks to its single-tower design, the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo provides excellent RAM and PCIe clearance.

Don’t Buy It If:

You intend on overclocking: While its performance is reasonable, anyone interested in overclocking their processor will have to look for a beefier cooling solution.

You prefer RGB: The absence of RGB on the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo can make it a dealbreaker for some people.

Conclusion

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo, a proficient single-tower air cooler, boasts commendable performance thanks to its 120mm fan. It features 54 black-coated aluminum fins and 4x 6mm copper heat pipes. The thermal coating creates micro-turbulences, optimizing heat dissipation when combined with offset heat pipes.

Furthermore, the heatsink utilizes static pressure-optimized fans and a V-shape notch design to reduce noise and airflow resistance. ARCTIC is using powerful BioniX-P series 120mm fans with this cooler in push/pull configuration. These fans use a new motor design that is quite power-efficient yet delivers powerful airflow and high static pressure.

The single fan is rated at 0.13A, drawing 1.56W of power. Equipped with Fluid Dynamic Bearing, the fan’s life expectancy isn’t specified, but ARCTIC’s impressive 10-year warranty reflects confidence in its design. I love the simple installation mechanism on this cooler which is a walk in the park. I would also like to add that their mounting hardware is completely in black! I like their attention to detail.

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo has an MSRP of USD44.90/€40 at the time of the review. This cooler in this price range offers what the 140mm good cooling solutions are capable of but at a higher price tag, which is further augmented by 10 years of warranty, pleasing aesthetics, and easy installation.

To put it simply, this cooler not only excels in its price-to-performance ratio but also delivers an impressive acoustic profile. We are thankful to ARCTIC for allowing us to review their Freezer 34 eSports Duo CPU Air Cooler.

Awards Won By The Arctic Freezer 34

Here are the Tech4Gamers awards received by the Arctic Freezer 34 after thorough testing.

1. Best Budget CPU Cooler For i7-12700k
2. Best Budget CPU Cooler For Ryzen 5 3600
3. Runner-Up For Best Budget White CPU Cooler

Recent Updates

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