The stock cooler on my PC died after just a year and I did a bunch of research before deciding on this cooler. I had never replaced one myself before and admittedly was intimidated by the process. I didn't like that the installation instructions live online but was able to get to them easily enough, and they weren't too difficult to follow. Arctic also has a very detailed installation video on YouTube that I followed as I went that was invaluable, so definitely look that up.
The one thing I will say, especially if you don't have a lot of experience installing these things, is note that the mounting rails that go on the motherboard ARE DIFFERENT. When I was taking everything out of the box and separating it I completely didn't notice the round cutouts are different sizes/positions and the outer edges are rounded/squared to help you tell them apart (derp). The first time I put them on I did so backwards, and nearly attempted to mount the CPU block the wrong way. Take a minute to look at how these rails need to be installed for your CPU position and motherboard.
I had also never had to remove or install thermal paste before and while it seemed intimidating it ended up being very easy. The first time I applied it I had it backwards and the good thing about taking it apart is I could see that the method I used (dot x) fully covered the plate on the CPU, so that was encouraging. Once I got things turned around I had just enough paste to do a second application and get it assembled.
Assembly wasn't terrible; however I would suggest that you have another person assist so you have a second set of hands to help hold things in place while you are screwing them down. It took some fiddling to get the base mounting rails attached which would have been pretty tough to do alone, and the radiator in my case is positioned vertically in the front so it was invaluable to have someone to hold it in place for me so I could line up all the screws.
Best of all, the entire works only needs one plug for the radiator fans. My previous cooler had four fans all with their own power supply cords so it was drawing a ton of power and they were loud (something I didn't fully realize until I had the Arctic installed). This made finishing installation super easy, and everything worked perfectly the moment I turned it on for the first time. I was shocked at how quiet the fans are, I have my case two feet from me on the end of my desk and I can barely hear them most of the time. Even when they're spinning up they don't get that loud and I certainly can't hear them if I'm wearing headphones.
Best of all the cooling power has been nothing short of amazing. My CPU was pinning at 91C at startup with the old failing cooler and now it runs at a chill 38C on startup, and even when playing the most intensive games on Ultra settings with my RTX 3070 the max I've seen runs from 77-83C and those spikes are literally momentary before dropping down to an average speed of 65C, while only drawing 30-40W.
Very, very happy with this cooler. Thanks for letting me see every single blade of grass in RDR2 again!
| Product Dimensions | 10.91"L x 4.72"W x 1.5"H |
|---|---|
| Brand | ARCTIC |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Cooling Method | Water |
| Compatible Devices | Intel Socket: 1700, 1200, 115X, 2011-3*, 2066* *Square ILM, AMD Socket: AM5, AM4 |
| Noise Level | 0.3 Sones |
| Material | Aluminum, Copper, Rubber |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 1800 RPM |
| Air Flow Capacity | 55.6 cc/min |
| Item model number | ACFRE00046B |
| Item Weight | 2.63 pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 11.66 x 5.67 x 6.86 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Manufacturer | ARCTIC |
| Language | English, English, English, English, English |
| ASIN | B07WSDLRVP |
| Date First Available | September 19, 2019 |
