Installation

Per the instructions in the manual, my first task was to prepare my case and mainboard for the Freezone. As with an X2 system, my LGA775 motherboard required removal for installation of the aluminum standoffs for the CPU block retention mechanism. A tool is provided for this purpose.

At this point, the installation took a bit of a sour turn. Despite the proclamation on the packaging that this product is “universally compatible” and involves “simple bolt-in installation for any standard case,” it would not install as intended in my faithful Lian-Li PC60. The problem lies in the unit’s 92mm exhaust fan, which is actually how the unit is secured to the case – it simply cannot be bolted to an exhaust opening designed for an 80mm fan. A visit to the FAQ section of the CoolIT website led me to this:

Can I add a CoolIT system to any existing case?

The Freezone CPU Cooler can be fitted into any ATX chassis having a 92mm or 120mm rear fan exhaust. An ATX chassis having 80mm rear fan exhaust(s) requires minor modifications.

Arrrgh! Minor modifications? Like what? I took a look again at the area the Freezone needed to occupy in my case, and not even drilling new screw holes around the existing 80mm fan outlet would suffice. The exhaust would need to be relocated completely (a la Dremel), something I suspect nobody would consider a “minor modification.”

Fortunately, I had a spare case available, so the installation went forward, but that bitter flavor and bad attitude remained!

Once I had relocated my mainboard to a server case, I was able to return to the task at hand. The CPU block is retained to the processor with a pair of spring steel clips, attached to standoffs with aluminum thumbscrews. Another caution here. . .aluminum screws and aluminum standoffs can be a bad combination unless threaded very carefully – stouter materials should have been used for these parts.

Once the block is secure, the cooling unit is installed to the exhaust opening. Again, the second case I tried had a 120mm exhaust, and not the odd 92mm of this unit. Fortunately, the kit includes an adapter plate to allow attachment to the larger opening. Unfortunately, the provided screws don’t work, as there is no room for the nuts.

After beating my head against the wall for a few more minutes, I realized that the adapter could be attached to the Freezone fan with standard, self-tapping fan screws, and the above bizarre assortment could be launched over the fence into the neighbor’s yard. On a positive note, the screws provided to attach the adapter plate to the 120mm mounting holes were perfect, and the blue-tentacled beast was finally installed!

The next step was placement of the controller PCB, which comes with very strong double sided tape. The controller needs a 4 pin molex connector, then three cables from the “chiller” unit. Finally, the pump lead power cable is connected to the motherboard CPU fan header. This made me wonder how much juice the pump would draw, and whether the mainboard header would survive the encounter, but everything appeared to be working fine.