The Freezer 50 has been available as a TR variant for the large AMD Threadripper platform since last year. Arctic Cooling is now bringing the twin tower cooler to the market for mainstream sockets from Intel and AMD. The massive design and RGB lighting are retained, but now six instead of eight heat pipes are used. Can the cooling performance still convince? We tested the Arctic Freezer 50 for you.
Arctic Freezer 50 Test
The Arctic Freezer 50 TR was presented in October 2019 at an RRP of 59.99 euros; the cooler is currently around 56 euros. The “Non-TR” version for current Intel and AMD sockets is now also being launched with an RRP of 59.99 euros. For users without an ARGB connection on the mainboard, the cooler is still available with a corresponding LED controller, then the price rises to 69.99 euros. Further details can be found on the Arctic Website.
Arctic Freezer 50 Scope of delivery
- Freezer 50 – cooler
- 140 mm + 120 mm fan (pre-installed)
- Mounting accessories for Intel and AMD sockets
- Thermal compound MX-4
- QR code for online operating instructions
Arctic Freezer 50 Design & features
As a basis, the cooler uses the Freezer 50 TR, a cooler that was specially developed for large Threadripper processors. However, Arctic decided to make minor changes to make the Freezer 50 usable for mainstream processors. The asymmetrical “double tower” measures 148 x 149.5 x 166 millimeters and has a total of 104 aluminum fins, each 0.4 mm thick. Instead of eight, six 6 mm heat pipes are now used. These are in direct contact with the CPU heat spreader via “Direct Touch” and can thus dissipate the heat more effectively. Arctic’s own MX-4 thermal compound is included in the scope of delivery, but this is not applied at the factory.
The Arctic Freezer 50 cooler can be mounted on the current sockets from AMD (AM4) and Intel (LGA 1200, 115X, 2066, 2011 (-3)). Unfortunately, Arctic does not specify a TDP, but due to the size and number of heat pipes, we estimate the output to be approx. 250-300 watts. A 120 mm (200 – 1,800 rpm) and a 140 mm PWM fan (200 – 1,700 rpm) are used for cooling.
Both fans are connected to the mainboard using a 4-pin PWM cable. While some CPU coolers attach the fans with brackets, Arctic installs the two fans in combination with black plastic elements and this makes the Freezer 50 look like it was made from one piece. The free space for RAM is approx. 37.5 mm, so be careful with larger RAM bars. In our case, the cooler is already in contact with the HyperX bars.
A highlight of the cooler is the integrated LED lighting on the upper cover. In addition to the Arctic logo, two stripes are illuminated by colorful RGB LEDs. In addition to the classic control via a 3-pin ARGB connector, the LEDs can also be controlled via the Arctic ARGB controller. In addition, the cooler can be synchronized with ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync and Gigabyte RGB Fusion.
The Arctic ARGB controller is included in the scope of delivery, depending on the variant. It is supplied with power via a SATA power connector and must be connected to the mainboard via a 3-pin ARGB connector. It can control the lighting of the Freezer 50 as well as other Arctic ARGB fans, a special A-RGB 8-pin connector is used for this.
Technical specifications
| product | Arctic Freezer 50 |
| material | Heat sink: aluminum Contact surface: no details Heat pipes: no details |
| dimension | 148 x 149.5 x 166 mm |
| Weight | 1,160 g |
| Fan | 1x 120 mm (200 – 1,800 rpm) 1x 140 mm (200 – 1,700 rpm) |
| Fan connector | 4-pin PWM |
| Maximum cooling capacity | no information |
| compatibility | AMD AM4 Intel LGA 1200, 115X, 2066, 2011 (-3) |
| price | 59.99 euros |
Arctic Freezer 50 Cooling capacity
To test the performance, we put the Arctic Freezer 50 on our test system. The assembly is explained in an online operating manual, which can be accessed via the enclosed QR code. The assembly itself is done in a few minutes and without major complications. We then tested the cooler, in this case on an Intel Core i9-7900X, both in idle and under full load with the standard speed curve. We used the processor to capacity with the CPU-Z stress test. The temperature curve (room temperature: approx. 22° C) was recorded with the software HWMonitor and CoreTemp.
Arctic Freezer 50 Test system:
- Processor: Intel Core i9-7900X, 10 cores (20 threads), 3.3 GHz (standard), 4.3 GHz (turbo), Turbo Boost & Hyperthreading activated
- Mainboard: ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore
- RAM: 32 GB Kingston HyperX Predator RGB DDR4-2933
- System drive: 512 GB ADATA XPG SX8000 PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 SSD
- Graphics card: ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC
- Operating system: Windows 10 Professional x64
The Freezer 50 can impress with top values both in idle and under load. The “double tower” is at a very good 31° C in idle, while the cooler now tops the list at 62° C under load, a great result. For a little more quiet, even under load, we reduced the fan to 1,000 rpm. The Freezer 50 achieves around 72° C, i.e. around 10 degrees Celsius more. So if you focus on “full-silent”, you can also install the cooler.
The noise level can also be described as very pleasant. The two fans are almost imperceptible in idle and the volume level is also within limits when the fan is running at full speed. The Arctic Freezer 50 is not only powerful, but also surprisingly quiet.
Arctic Freezer 50 Conclusion
The Arctic Freezer 50 achieved new top scores in our practical test and was able to push itself ahead of the competition from Zalman, Corsair and be quiet. The twin tower cooler can apparently dissipate the heat very effectively, and the two fans also work comfortably quietly under load.
The workmanship is at a high level, but the design is, as always, a question of personal taste. We think the RGB lighting is pretty chic, if necessary it can of course be synchronized with other components. The assembly is done in a few steps, caution is only required with larger RAM modules.
With a price of 59.99 euros, there is not only a very powerful, but also silent-compatible CPU cooler including stylish RGB lighting. For users without an ARGB connection on the mainboard, we recommend the variant with the ARGB controller included for 69.99 euros.