Conclusion

The plusses of this unit are obvious, from the moment you pick up the box or read the brochure, and I won’t reiterate them here. Suffice to say that a bad-ass looking, near silent, high efficiency liquid cooling unit that lives 100% inside your case without using a drive bay, or even a PCI slot is a good thing – a very good thing.

The question then becomes whether the unit’s problems, some minor, and some major, outweigh the well-executed, innovative concept behind the Freezone. I must say I have EXTREME reservations about CoolIT’s compatibility claims as to this product. The “easy, bolt-in installation” plastered all over the Freezone box simply will not be there for folks with 80mm exhaust fans. It is clear from the online FAQ that CoolIT is well aware of this fact, yet chooses to make no mention of it on promotional materials or the product packaging (and sadly, these claims are parroted by at least one review in a major print publication, the name of which I won’t mention here).

I actually saw the worst case scenario unfold during my own installation. . .this product simply won’t work in my high-quality, expensive enthusiast case without substantial modification. A consumer not willing or able to do hack into their case is simply screwed... and this is after coughing up a street price of $350 plus for the Freezone. Therefore, CoolIT is either reckless, irresponsible, or worse – I leave it up to you to decide.

In any event, if you are looking for a cooling upgrade, either for overclocking or silencing your PC, and want one of the best quality solutions, I can heartily recommend the Freezone, if you can satisfy yourself that it will be compatible with your current ATX case.

What do these awards mean?