CoolIT Freezone Elite CPU Cooler

CooIT has once again built a very capable high quality CPU cooler. Pairing it up with the MTEC controller is the final piece of the puzzle for total control over the unit in a Windows environment. Without the MTEC, users are only able to adjust the Freezone to 3 settings.

You were also required to open your case to manually set the switch on the unit itself. With the MTEC, you are a few mouse clicks away from near silence or maximum cooling. The MTEC’s firmware is also upgradable which means future improvements are easy to apply. I upgraded my units’ firmware to the latest and I also used the latest software that was available on CoolIT’s site. They have a very friendly and helpful user forum which I found extremely helpful with all my questions.

I was very impressed with the performance and functionality of the Elite with the MTEC unit. The software is easy to use and highly adjustable. It’s also completely ESA-certified, which is a huge plus if you plan on going that route.

Everything is clearly identified and the readings are quite accurate. While the temperature displayed was probably a few degrees lower than the hottest core of my processor, the difference was not enough to cause me a moments concern. The updated software even installs a service which will keep running your settings without keeping the window open.

The overall flexibility of this system is was what impressed me the most. You have the ability to control just how loud and at what temperature your system is. You also have the ability to add an additional cooler to the MTEC whether it is the upcoming dual GPU system or another Elite system if you run dual CPUs.

Anyone looking for a very efficient and simple to use cooler should take a long hard look at the Elite. I certainly recommend it and I am looking forward to some long term testing with it in my own system.

As for an overall rating, I’d have to give it a 9 out of 10 seeing that it met and exceeded every expectation I had. I did expect it to perform well which it did. What I didn’t expect was just how well it worked with the MTEC and how quietly I could run my system. I could hear my hard drive spinning up over the Freezone during normal usage.

During long gaming sessions, I could barely hear the fans spinning up over my sound, even with the sound kept at moderate levels. Only during full load testing did the system get loud. Under normal use, whether gaming, playing music or any other task, you would never load your processor this much. I just had a very hard time finding any faults with it.

Pros
• Very easy installation
• Highly adjustable
• Efficient and effective at cooling even with the hottest CPUs
• Well built

Cons
• Price
• Noise at high heat loads

In all fairness to CoolIT, I found the price to performance was quite acceptable. Same with the noise levels. Any cooling solution will generate the same noise level in order to compete with it. As for the price, if you are spending thousands of dollars building your next killer computer, skimping on a cheap CPU cooler is the last thing to consider. You do get what you pay for. With the added functionality of the MTEC, this cooler has fully been taken to the next level.

If you have a comment you wish to make on this review, feel free to head on into our forums! There is no need to register in order to reply to such threads.