I am a big overclocker, and I thought it was about time I upgrade my cpu cooler up from stock. I looked at beyond a lot of reviews and comparison benchmarks, and I came to the conclusion that the Sunbeam 120mm Core Contact Freezer was my best choice. So here I am today writing this review of it, after having just installed it. As I am writing this sentence right now, my CPU is idling at 19*C, so for starters, this things works. But is it the right heat sink for you? Read on!
Here is the packaging for the CCF (core contact freezer). If it were a car, i would classify it as "no show, all go" Sunbeam doesn't really give a "censored" about being flashy or pretty, they are all about the function.
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Opening the box up, I was amazed at the sheer size of the thing. That's a lot of aluminum and copper!! Here is a picture comparing it to my stock AMD fan.
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Here you can see the bottom of the CCF, which uses heat pipess directly touching the processor instead of connecting them to a plate imbetween.
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
I removed my processor from the motherboard to clean and re apply thermal paste. I usually use isopropyl alcohol and q-tips to clean the thermal paste off. Make sure you clean it enough to read the text on the processor's cover.
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
The CCF comes with a tube of Tuniq TX-2 thermal paste (Tuniq is a subsidiary of Sunbeam). This stuff is top notch! It spreads like butter, and some sources say it doesn't have to cure like other brands. Sorry Arctic Silver, I think I'll be using this stuff from now on!
Installation of the heat sink was a breeze for my am3 setup. If you can install the stock heat sink, then this will be a breeze. The fan on the CCF is held on by those weird wire holder things, which some people might have trouble with.
Here are pictures of the stock cooler vs. CCF
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Boy is this thing big. My case is the Antec 1200, which is full tower atx sized. The CCF makes the case look smaller! The side window fan actually presses up against the CCF when I close the side cover. In this picture you can see how close it is to my RAM. I wouldnt be able to run 2 more sticks of my ram, as the CCF hovers over the 2 closer slots. The fan does suck some hot air off the ramsinks though!
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
And now for its performance! To test temps and stability i use Intel Burn Test. Its fast, easy to use, and effective. On my stock cooler i couldn't complete the full 5 tests because the program detected instability issues related to temperature, so it stopped at 5. With the CCF of course it completed 5 tests. Here are screenshots of the before and after. On the left you can see HWMonitor, which shows match temperature reached on the right. For those that can't find it, idle and load temps for stock vs CCF are [28-41] vs [20-28] . This also will allow me to overclock further without fear of instability.
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
Concluding:
PROS:
• Good price for the performance
• Easy installation
• Comes with quality thermal paste
• 120mm fan with external speed controller
• Quiet
• Fan cools ram as well
• Innovative design
• Its cold!
Cons
• Its freakin huge! - might not fit in a mid-tower case
• Not high quality build, some fins were bent
• Not as good looking as competitors
• Doesnt install itself?
• Its freakin huge
I would give this thing between 4 and 5 stars, and would definitely buy it again. I recommend this to all who have a case that will fit it!
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer cpu cooler Review!
-TehFunk
