ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports Edition CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts
During our time with the ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports Edition, we were never able to figure out why the eSports designation was given to this cooler. Other than a bit of flashy color on the fans that might indicate what eSports team you might be a fan of, there is nothing to set this aside in a gaming category all to its own. And with only four colors of fans to choose from, there is no way to include more than a handful of team colors to start with.

With the confusing naming convention out of the way, we can focus on our findings related to the cooler itself. The all-black design of the cooling tower is a very nice look, and the build quality was great. The four 6mm heatpipes come in direct contact with the CPU heatspreader, which is a great heat-transfer design, though we would have liked to see a bit more of a polished finish to the base.

The two 120mm fans that sit on each side of the cooling tower provide a good amount of airflow across the cooling fins, and their rubber mounting pads knock out any vibration buzzing that might come from a different type of fan.

With regards to cooling performance, the Freezer 33 eSports Edition left us wanting a bit more. Our idle temperature results placed the cooler a whole 10 degrees above our other coolers, which is a bit concerning, considering all of the time a processor spends below a 10-20% load. When it comes to load results, the Freezer 33 eSports Edition still had the highest temperature, but it was much more in line with the competition. We would be interested to see a design with a single fan and a thicker cooling fin section for a bit more heat dissipation, as we really think it would improve the cooling performance of this product quite a bit. ARCTIC does offer a single fan version of the Freezer 33, but with the same cooling fan depth.

At the end of the day, the ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports Edition was a bit of a let down. That’s not to say that it isn’t a capable cooler, but the idle temperatures we encountered were higher than we would have liked to see. Thankfully for this cooler, the load temperatures were closer to the rest of the pack. With easy installation for multiple mounting configurations, and quiet operation with dual fans, the ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports Edition could be just what you are looking for out of your next cooler. With a price of $55 on Amazon, this cooler isn’t a bargain, but also won’t break your wallet. We give the ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports Edition a 7 out of 10.

rating7 10

Pros:

  • Looks Great
  • Easy Installation
  • Quiet

Cons:

  • Rough Base Surface
  • Performance Left Us Disappointed