After careful consideration I have decided to transfer all hardware review activities to a new domain.  I purchased Hardwareasylum.com in 2012 and have been working hard to build a new and improved Ninjalane on that domain.  If you are reading this you have reached one of the archived articles, news, projects and/or reviews that were left behind during the site migration. 

Please update your bookmarks and be sure to visit the new and improved Ninjalane at Hardwareasylum.com

  • reviews
  • cooling
  • Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer Heatsink Review
  • Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer Heatsink Review

    Author:
    Published:

    Introduction

    A revolution in aftermarket heatsinks is upon us once again this new evolution is not a new cooling method but a different design in how the heatsink contacts the processor. Advancing technology has done away with small aluminum heatsinks and tiny 40mm fans in favor of huge behemoth towers with heatpipes full of liquid to whisk heat away.  All of this cooling power works in conjunction with larger 120mm to140mm fans to cool in an efficient and quite manner.

    Sunbeamtech has given us an opportunity to see the evolution in action with the Core-Contact Freezer heatsink. This new design removes the plate that separates the heat pipes from the processor so now the heat pipes have direct contact with the processor. Is this a more effective way to cool these new multi-core processors? We will be testing this to find out.
    Features
    Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer is a  tower style cooler which has quickly become the norm in aftermarket coolers. The Core-Contact Freezer is a large heatsink standing at little over 6 inches tall and weighs in at around 1.3 pounds. With four 8mm heatpipes running in a U-shape through 53 aluminum fins we have plenty of cooling surface area that leaves plenty of room for proper air flow.
    The fins on the Core-Contact Freezer are cut in a few different strange looking angles. These angles allow for more surface area and to make the heatink a little more compatible with motherboard cooling. On the back side of the Core-Contact Freezer you'll notice that the fins are bent slightly downwards.  This helps to direct airflow down over the motherboard components.
    The fan is a nice high quality 120mm unit that features a Magnetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing. Basically this means it’s going to last a very long time in excess of 50,000 hours, and keep quiet at 16db on top of that.
    Another nice touch to the Core-Contact Freezer is the ability to use open and closed sided fans. This allows you to be able to replace the fan with any standard 120mm x 25mm sized fan. The installation and even the replacement method for the fan are very easy. All you have to do is insert the hooks of the wire clamp into the fan holes, and then wrap it around the Core-Contact Freezers grooved surface.
    The bottom of the Core-Contact Freezer is where the magic happens. As you can see this is where Core-Contact Freezer gets its name. With four heatpipes exposed to the top of the processor for complete contact.

    Now the surface of the bottom looks very flat with very slight grooves where the heatpipes and the aluminum base meet. This is where good old thermal paste is going to do its job.
    Here we get to see the Core-Contact Freezer next to an Intel retail stock cooler. As you can see there is a huge difference in size.