CoolIT Freezone Elite CPU Cooler

[Rob Williams]

During CoolIT's CES-presence this month, the Freezone Elite was unveiled. In addition to offering stellar performance comparable to the original, the new MTEC control center is thrown in as well. This self-regulating module proved to do a fantastic job, making the Elite a superb cooling solution.

You can read Bill's full review here and discuss it here.

 

[Merlin]

I have the manual adjusting circuit board on mine, set in the middle and has been working great. It's not the Elite, just the Freezone.
Works great, I would get another

Merlin

 

[Unregistered]

Comparison

I was hoping someone out there could compare performance to the other Coolit systems already out there. How is this new Elite compared to the "regular" one?

 

[Rob Williams]

As far as I am aware, the Freezone component in the Elite is absolutely identical to the original, minus the black guard. It becomes the "Elite" because of the included MTEC control module.

 

[Greg King]

The original used a 92mm fan where as the Elite now uses a 120mm. That gives a bit more airflow which could possibly aid in cooling performance but more than likely it simply keeps the noise level under that of a Boeing.

The biggest difference is the cooling capacity. The Elite can dissipate something like 250 watts where the original Freezone can do something just under 200 watts. I do not know the exact amount but it's something along those lines.

 

[Rob Williams]

Thanks Greg, I had no idea there were such notable changes like that. Talk about misunderstanding...

 

[b1lk1]

I wanted to let you guys in on this. I installed the test PC into an Antec 900 case which is much more airflow friendly than the iSolo I used. With the Antec fans on their lowest settings and the rest of the settings that I used for the system during the review, I got the load temps down 8C+ lower!!! The system stayed around 60-63C!!! I even let Prime run for over 3 hours to see if the temps would creep up anymore, but they never went over 63C and stayed pretty much around 60C.

 

[Spike99]

Hi,

I've have had Freezone Elite for about 2-3 Months... and I've been waiting for reviews to come out so that I can compare my results with others... The only difference is that I don't have MTEC Controller... I have VISTA 64BIT and it is currently not supported so I did not get MTEC Controller. Since I don't have MTEC Controller, I manually set fan speed to High/Medium/Low. I normally set it to Medium... I find that High fan is a bit loud for me...

Checking TechGage review, this is their results:
QX6850 @ 3GHz Room Temp 18C
High fan core#1 20 idle, 51 load. Increase of 31C
CPUZ Core Voltage = 1.280

QX6850 @ 3.66GHz vcore ? Room Temp 18C
High fan core#1 42 idle, 70 load. Increase of 28C
CPUZ Core Voltage = 1.376

Below are my results:
QX6850 @ 3GHz vcore Auto Room Temp 20C
High fan core#1 28 idle, 57 load. Increase of 29C
CPUZ Core Voltage = 1.328v

QX6850 @ 3.66GHz vcore 1.4875 Room Temp 20C
High fan core#1 33 idle, 70 load. Increase of 37C
CPUZ Core Voltage = 1.36v

When I OC my CPU, I raise the multiplier from 9 to 11 and set vcore to 1.4875v. Does anyone know what Author: William Kelley, had set his vcore at ? Judging from his CPUZ core voltage... It may be possibly higher than 1.4875v. I know that all CPU's are not the same.... but I was just curious about his vcore...

My PC configuration is shown below
VISTA 64bit
Asus Striker Extreme
QX6850 @ 3.66Ghz (1.4875v)
4 GB Mushkin Xtreme
Thermaltake ToughPower 850 Watts
EVGA 8800 Ultra GTX
BenQ FP241W
CoolIT Freezone Elite
CM Stacker 830
150GB Gaming Western Digital Rapter 10,000RPM

 

[b1lk1]

I (William Kelley) had the Vcore set to 1.4V in bios which settled to 1.376V in Windows using CPUZ. I also achieved better results by using a case with better airflow than the case used in the review. I am kinda surprised you need that much Vcore for that overclock, but as you said yourself, they are not all the same. The MTEC is awesome to use because it takes care of that noisy fan. I too run Vista Ultimate 64, but dual boot it with Windows XP and XP was used for the testing since it is compatible with the Mtec software. You can still use the MTEC even without the software running since it will still keep the coolant below 30C I believe. What happens is that the MTEC controller senses USB power and does it's own thing. The MTEC software just allows fine tuning. Either way, it is a powerful cooler. How many fans are you running?

 

[Spike99]

I (William Kelley) had the Vcore set to 1.4V in bios which settled to 1.376V in Windows using CPUZ. I also achieved better results by using a case with better airflow than the case used in the review. I am kinda surprised you need that much Vcore for that overclock, but as you said yourself, they are not all the same. The MTEC is awesome to use because it takes care of that noisy fan. I too run Vista Ultimate 64, but dual boot it with Windows XP and XP was used for the testing since it is compatible with the Mtec software. You can still use the MTEC even without the software running since it will still keep the coolant below 30C I believe. What happens is that the MTEC controller senses USB power and does it's own thing. The MTEC software just allows fine tuning. Either way, it is a powerful cooler. How many fans are you running?

Cool... Exactly the person I want to speak to

I have been told before that my vcore is a bit high... I consider myself a noobie when It comes to OC'ing... But In order to OC, I raise multiplier from 9 to 11 and incrementally increase vcore until my PC is stable... I believe i started just below 1.4v and increased vcore incrementally... After stressing my PC with software Everest Ultimate for about 9 hours... I found that it is stable at 1.4875v. Although we have different MOBO's, I'd greatly appreciate if you have any suggestions on any BIOS changes in order to lower my vcore...

When testing my temps... I laid PC on its side with side case open... so that airflow would not be a factor for me... Besides the fan that comes with Freezone Elite, I have 1 fan at the top of my Coolmaster 830 case. The case comes with side panel for additional side fans... But when I got my PC, it didn't come with side fans... I'm gonna check if I can fit fans on the side... with Freezone Elite installed.

I have considered dual booting... but if I'm only going to use VISTA, what's the use of me dual booting... You mention that I can still use MTEC with VISTA and not use the software.... And that it will keep the collant temp below 30C... When you say the collant temp... are you refering to the liquid inside the Elite ?

Thanks in advance for your reply

 

[b1lk1]

Yes, I was referring to the coolant temp. That would probably keep your load temps roughly the same you have now, but it would regulate the fan speeds and make your PC nearly silent until it is under load and warming up. Plus, the guys at CoolIT are prepping a 64-bit compatible version so we will have the best of both worlds. I also agree that since you are only using Vista there is no need to dual boot.

As for your VCore, try turning up your chipset voltage by .1V and lower the VCore a touch. Quads tend to really stress the Vregs so many times bumping up the chipset voltage will allow lower Vcore. Also, make sure you are giving the ram proper voltage as well. If your ram is rated for 2.1V, make sure that is what it is set to. You could even up it by .1V with no worries. DDR2 is pretty safe passively cooled up to that.

You will probably get better results with the case side panel on and running the fans you have. You will get better airflow over the Freezone and also the motherboard. If you can add any fans to the front or top, that is where I would concentrate. Add any to the side you can as well. They don't need to be loud, just 30-40CFM would be fine to stir up the airflow and keep the hotspots cooled off.

 

[Spike99]

Yes, I was referring to the coolant temp. That would probably keep your load temps roughly the same you have now, but it would regulate the fan speeds and make your PC nearly silent until it is under load and warming up. Plus, the guys at CoolIT are prepping a 64-bit compatible version so we will have the best of both worlds. I also agree that since you are only using Vista there is no need to dual boot.

As for your VCore, try turning up your chipset voltage by .1V and lower the VCore a touch. Quads tend to really stress the Vregs so many times bumping up the chipset voltage will allow lower Vcore. Also, make sure you are giving the ram proper voltage as well. If your ram is rated for 2.1V, make sure that is what it is set to. You could even up it by .1V with no worries. DDR2 is pretty safe passively cooled up to that.

You will probably get better results with the case side panel on and running the fans you have. You will get better airflow over the Freezone and also the motherboard. If you can add any fans to the front or top, that is where I would concentrate. Add any to the side you can as well. They don't need to be loud, just 30-40CFM would be fine to stir up the airflow and keep the hotspots cooled off.

Yes, I'll see if I wait for 64-bit version....

As mention, I'm somewhat of a noobie when OC'ing.... Not sure which chipset voltage you are referring... but I checked my BIOS settings and below is current settings:
Memory Voltage: 2.1v
1.2v HT Voltage: 1.2v
NB Core Voltage: Auto
SB Core Voltage: Auto
CPU VTT Voltage: Auto

I have checked some ASUS forums and I have seen below sample setting:
Memory Voltage: 2.1v
1.2v HT Voltage: 1.3v
NB Core Voltage: 1.4v
SB Core Voltage: 1.55v
CPU VTT Voltage: 1.4v

I never made these changes... because I have not seen settings with my CPU.... So I wasn't sure if it was okay.... Do you recommend the above settings ?

In regards to the fans... The side panel for fans... definitely does not fit on the side with the Elite installed... The only place I can possibly add fans is at the bottom of the case.....

 

[b1lk1]

Those voltages should be fine and I would add a fan to the bottom of the case. make sure it is pulling air in. You probably don't need to adjust the SB Core Voltage, but again, bumping it up 1 notch won't hurt.

 

[Spike99]

Those voltages should be fine and I would add a fan to the bottom of the case. make sure it is pulling air in. You probably don't need to adjust the SB Core Voltage, but again, bumping it up 1 notch won't hurt.

I bumped SB Core 1 notch... It's not looking good... I'm up to 1.45625v and I got BSOD... I need to continue to increase vcore...

 

[b1lk1]

Well, you probably are gonna be stuck using your original settings. You're temps were well within limits so I wouldn't worry. 75C and less is fine for these CPU's under 100% load. Unless you manage to load it up that much 24/7 it won't get that high under regular use, especially gaming. You could also try lowering the CPU multi and raising the FSB and see if it will go further with lower voltage that way.

 

[Spike99]

Well, you probably are gonna be stuck using your original settings. You're temps were well within limits so I wouldn't worry. 75C and less is fine for these CPU's under 100% load. Unless you manage to load it up that much 24/7 it won't get that high under regular use, especially gaming. You could also try lowering the CPU multi and raising the FSB and see if it will go further with lower voltage that way.

OK, I think I may need to go back to original settings... I think it's like you say... As long as the temp is below 75C... Then it should be fine... Since finding the right vcore is time consuming... I think I'm going to check how much I need to go higher with vcore and leave there or go back to original settings...

Thanks so much for your assistance !!

 

[Spike99]

b1lk1,

Someone suggested to further increase NB & SB volts... . He suggested to increase NB to 1.75v & SB to 2.0v and then attempt to lower CPU vcore.

Since I have no idea what are safe or the limits for voltages... just wanted to check with someone if this was okay...

Thanks in advance for your advise...

 

[b1lk1]

That is an AWFUL lot of voltage. If a small increase had no effect, I doubt such a large one would. If it was my motherboard, I'd not feel comfortable setting them that high. If you are confident with your case airflow, you could try maybe .1V higher than I suggested before, but usually you only need to raise these voltages for a high FSB. I would not suggest using those very high voltages.

 

[Spike99]

That is an AWFUL lot of voltage. If a small increase had no effect, I doubt such a large one would. If it was my motherboard, I'd not feel comfortable setting them that high. If you are confident with your case airflow, you could try maybe .1V higher than I suggested before, but usually you only need to raise these voltages for a high FSB. I would not suggest using those very high voltages.

I have a feeling that the person who suggested me raising NB & SB thought I had modified FSB instead of multiplier.

Thanks for the heads up on this... I'm going to stop worring about my temps and use my PC as it was intended... For gaming of course

Thanks alot for your suggestions.

 

[Unregistered]

Freezone Elite vs. Bigwater 760i?

Anybody have any thoughts on the above comparison?
Tyring to see if I should spend the money.