By: Jadon Lee
November 6, 2020
Lately, I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping for some unknown reason, so I decided to invest in a weighted blanket. When I was ordering the blanket, I decided I wanted to order a queen-sized blanket. What is received was the correct dimensions, but those dimensions were not that of a queen-sized bed. To paint the picture clearer, my blanket fits my double sized bed perfectly. Given how the blanket fit my bed perfectly, I did not mind too much. This blanket was able to keep me warmer than my past blankets, while also being breathable. When you think about your CPU, the blanket is kind of like the cooler you place on top of it. In most cases -- if you see what I did there -- that nice CPU of yours will be too warm as it snuggles into your motherboard just like a hot sleeper. The job of the CPU cooler is to cover up and dissipate the heat away from the CPU itself. Some may argue the purpose of blankets is to keep things warm, and my response to that is my analogy is not perfect and I am sorry, but for the sake of this review just go with it. After taking in my very bad analogy, we get to try out the ARCTIC Freezer A13 X. Will this CPU cooler perform well enough to maintain my CPU performance while not snoring too loudly? Keep on reading to find out!
Today’s review unit was shipped to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via UPS Standard shipping from Southern California, USA. The shipping box was in relatively good condition with the small scuffs and dents on the side of the box. Even though the shipping box sustained some minor damage, the retail box maintained practically no marks for the cooler by having plenty of paper to help cushion it. The included thermal paste box was slightly squished up, but I was not too concerned about the condition of the actual products.
The retail box design is simple and clean using primarily a white and blue color scheme. The front of the box ARCTIC’s logo on the top right, the name of the product being the Freezer A13 X while also calling it a compact AMD CPU cooler, 6-year warranty on the left badge with a QR code for additional information directly below it, and finally an image of the cooler itself. The top of the box again has the ARCTIC logo alongside ARCTIC’s site and a carbon-neutral tag. The sides and back of the box share some additional information and specifications. In my personal opinion, the retail box design of the Freezer A13 X is very nice and simple; getting straight to the point, which is something I appreciate. There are no gimmicks about the product; only stating the necessities.
Before we continue, here are the specifications for the ARCTIC Freezer A13 X, as posted on the manufacturer’s site:
AMD Socket: AM4
Ram Clearance: Unlimited
Warranty: 6 Years
Heat Pipes: 3
Fin Material: Aluminum
Number of Fins: 44
Fin Thickness: 0.4 mm
Thermal Paste: MX-2 pre-applied
Fan Size: 100 mm
Fan Speed: 300 – 2000 rpm
Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Noise Level: 0.3 Sone
Current: 0.09 A
Connector: 4-Pin
Length: 86 mm
Width: 109 mm
Heigh: 137 mm
Weight: 443 g
Tucked inside of the box, you will find the cooler itself alongside another box containing the mounting supplies and two cards. One of the cards being a thank you for choosing ARCTIC note and the other being a QR code and site link to the installation guide. This is a very effective way to prevent the waste of paper. There is not much cushioning within the box to soften any of the bumps the box may take, leaving the protection of the cooler to the box itself. ARCTIC opted to use plastic to shield the pre-applied thermal paste on the Freezer A13 X.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
