Introduction and Features

Universal air-cooled heatsinks supporting 220w TDP have taken center stage in 2010 thanks to new six-core CPU platforms from AMD and Intel. The combination of aluminum fin arrays, heatpipes, and copper bases make for outstanding cooling solutions for today’s hottest and fastest processors. Thermaltake stepped up to the plate and developed a dual-fan universal heatsink called the Frio to give power users a proven design that chills out different types of processors and looks good doing it.

Thermaltake Frio creates CPU wind tunnel for rejoicing overclockers

 

 

Thermaltake Frio Universal Heatsink Review - Cases and Cooling 34
Courtesy of Thermaltake

Universal air-cooled heatsinks have taken center stage in 2010 thanks to new six-core CPU platforms from AMD and Intel. The combination of aluminum fin arrays, heatpipes, and copper bases make for outstanding cooling solutions for today’s hottest and fastest processors. Today’s latest six-core processors require almost 220 watts of power, so many vendors have had to modify their heatsink’s size, weight, and temperature threshold to match the latest hardware. Thermaltake stepped up to the plate and developed a dual-fan universal heatsink called the Frio to give power users a proven design that chills out many types of processors and looks good doing it.

 

Thermaltake Frio Universal Heatsink Review - Cases and Cooling 35
Courtesy of Thermaltake

The Thermaltake Frio was built from the ground up with overclockers in mind. The Frio uses two 120mm fans that max out at 2,500 RPMs to create a wind tunnel effect over the CPU and pulls heat away from the fin array. This heatsink was built with a combination of plastic, copper, and aluminum to make it lighter and more effective at cooling four and six-core processors.

 

Thermaltake Frio Universal Heatsink Review - Cases and Cooling 36
Courtesy of Thermaltake

The Frio weighs in at around 1,042 grams, which puts it in the same realm as many of today’s top heatsinks that can be universally used with different CPU socket types. It includes eight heatpipes to dissipate heat generated from processors pulling more than 220 watts of power. Each fan is plastic, has white internal fins, and the copper and aluminum base should easily handle any processor on the market at stock conditions. What will be tricky is evaluating how this heatsink matches up against our Intel i7-860 running at 4GHz.

 

Thermaltake Frio Universal Heatsink Review - Cases and Cooling 37
Courtesy of Thermaltake

Here’s a quick diagram to showcase Thermaltake’s Smart Thermal Management System that uses the heatpipes to pull heat from the CPU and two 120mm fans to push and pull the heat away from the fin array.

 

Thermaltake Frio Universal Heatsink Review - Cases and Cooling 38
Courtesy of Thermaltake

 

Features

  • Ultimate Overclocking Thermal Structure Design
    – excellent cooling capacity – supports 220W
    – 0.5mm aluminum fins with large surface for heat dissipation
    – 5 x Ø8 mm-U-shape copper heat pipes for accelerated heat conduction
    – tower side flow design efficiently optimizes cooling performance.

  • Ultra Powerful Dual 120mm VR™ Fan and Eye-Catching Cover
    – 120 mm VR™ Fan, adjustable between 1200 and 2500 RPM max. for best overclocking performance
  • – additional 120mm Fan enhances cooling performance
    – black and red cooler top add aesthetical appearance

  • Universal Socket Compatibility & Accessory Package
    – universal socket support:
    Intel: LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA775
    AMD: AM3, AM2+, AM2
    – premium thermal grease maximizes heat transfer from the CPU into the cooler copper base for rapid dissipation


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