Instead of using mechanical cooling (such as a heatsink and fan) or traditional water cooling technology, the Freezone uses several Thermoelectic Coolers (TECs or peltiers). A peltier is a ceramic substrate with two sides; a hot side and a cool side. The underlying concept is that heat is related to the difference in the voltage potential between the two sides, and heat is transferred from one side of the plate to the other when energy is applied. The cold side gets below room temperature, and the hot side gets very hot, which is usually cooled with a fan.
The CoolIT Freezone is an all-in-one liquid cooling system. All the tubes, pumps, fan, and heatsink are pre-assembled, and the unit is built like a brick. The pump and reservoir is attached to a the copper water block via vapor-resistant hoses. The copper block is then attached to the heatsink/peltier unit block. The heatsink is flanked by two blue peltier units, and each peltier unit contains 3 individual TECs, for a total of six. Strong wire is wrapped around the tubing to prevent kinking or inadvertant damage to the tubing. The tubes are also clamped off very securely with brass fittings, where the protective wire is neatly tucked.
The unit is also pre-filled with the proper amount of coolant, and the plastic tubing are a high-quality vapor resistant type so there is no need to worry about potential leaks or having to re-fill the unit. The tubes are ¼ inches, and are filled with an “environmentally friendly liquid coolant, which is a mixture of polyproplene glycol and distilled water. Thanks to the PPG, no organisms can grow or propogate in the solution, meaning that the tubes will remain clean and free of fungus or bacteria. Furthermore, since the tubing is vapor resistant, the liquid will not evaporate over time, so the unit never needs filling.
The Fluid Heat Exchanger (FHE) is a single-channel, multi-cell monolithic copper block with nickel plating. This water block is what actually transfers the heat from the CPU to the liquid coolant, and comes with silver thermal compound pre-applied. The block’s dimensions are 42x42x17mm, so it can cover even today’s large processors.
The attached pump is a 12 volt coreless outrunner type with an integrated expansion vessel, and features dual fluid-in sapphire bearings. The pump’s dimensions are 50x50x75mm, is practically noiseless at 15dBA, and has a life cycle of 50,000 hours (5.7 years). The pump is powered by a small black fan cable that is attached to the motherboard’s CPU fan lead.
The pump is mounted to a black block of anodized alloy that functions as a heatsink to cool the hot side of the attached TEC units. The TEC units are attached directly to the heatsink. The mounted 92mm fan then draws the heat from the heatsink block outside the case.
The exhaust fan is made by Young Lin Tech, and is a 12 volt, 92mm fan, rated at 26dBA – 37dBA and has 50,000 hours of life. The bearing is enhanced life ceramic. The 92mm fan is an unusual choice, as most cases today either have an 80mm or 120mm exhaust fans. Since the unit is about as tall and wide as a 120mm fan, your case should have enough clearance to accomodate it, anyway. You could modify the unit to utilize a 120mm fan, but the Freezone includes an adapter plate to allow for mounting to a larger port.
