Thermalright Strikes Again: $56.90 360mm Liquid Cooler - Frozen Prism Review
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Date: 2024-07-01
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Comments and reviews: 20
gamefreez3r317
Sorry to ask this, but could you potentially swap the fans for Arctic p12 fans (or use many fans for a comparison to be honest) and review it again Normally noone would swap the fans, but with the AIO being this cheap it could be worth it to just get it and swap out the fans to fit the needs.
Thermalright probably has an AIO at that price point anyways with better and quieter fans, though it would be interesting how swapping the fan would affect the performance and noise levels. Arctic p12 fans are like 4 or 5 bucks a piece and the modification would cost something around 15 bucks, potentially making it worth it as the total cost would be only 70 bucks, which is/could be still cheaper then most AIOs, the only one close is/was like Arctic's own LF3 360 during the sale, going for 80 bucks on their own website.
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Sorry to ask this, but could you potentially swap the fans for Arctic p12 fans (or use many fans for a comparison to be honest) and review it again Normally noone would swap the fans, but with the AIO being this cheap it could be worth it to just get it and swap out the fans to fit the needs.
Thermalright probably has an AIO at that price point anyways with better and quieter fans, though it would be interesting how swapping the fan would affect the performance and noise levels. Arctic p12 fans are like 4 or 5 bucks a piece and the modification would cost something around 15 bucks, potentially making it worth it as the total cost would be only 70 bucks, which is/could be still cheaper then most AIOs, the only one close is/was like Arctic's own LF3 360 during the sale, going for 80 bucks on their own website.
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CalgarGTX
The amount of products they have is truly insane. I ended up going with them for a dual 120mm CPU aircooler, but the amount of products they have in and around that segment alone is ludicrous. Was really hard to decide on which model you have to go with.
And they also come out with refresh of these products left and right. I got a (I think ) phantom spirit, and they were already replacing it with an 'EVO' version by the time I was done looking at comparison benchmarks, which had new fans slightly more silent than the V1. I have no idea how they do it.
If they were pushing out garbage you would understand, but no they are pretty good, and the fans on the phantom spirit are the only ones I didn't feel like replacing with noctuas in new build.
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The amount of products they have is truly insane. I ended up going with them for a dual 120mm CPU aircooler, but the amount of products they have in and around that segment alone is ludicrous. Was really hard to decide on which model you have to go with.
And they also come out with refresh of these products left and right. I got a (I think ) phantom spirit, and they were already replacing it with an 'EVO' version by the time I was done looking at comparison benchmarks, which had new fans slightly more silent than the V1. I have no idea how they do it.
If they were pushing out garbage you would understand, but no they are pretty good, and the fans on the phantom spirit are the only ones I didn't feel like replacing with noctuas in new build.
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madant7777
I went for a relatively expensive NZXT Kraken Elite 360 White RGB last year, but it is not just the bling I wanted (metal round pump casing with a great rounded LCD screen), it is also the control on the more expensive models, i.e. I wanted the full control through the software that can use liquid temperature for the RPM of the fans.
That is the only way to get the fans spinning when really needed (hotter liquid), not only dependent on the current CPU temp - that spins the fans far more frequently and randomly compared to the actual liquid temp.
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I went for a relatively expensive NZXT Kraken Elite 360 White RGB last year, but it is not just the bling I wanted (metal round pump casing with a great rounded LCD screen), it is also the control on the more expensive models, i.e. I wanted the full control through the software that can use liquid temperature for the RPM of the fans.
That is the only way to get the fans spinning when really needed (hotter liquid), not only dependent on the current CPU temp - that spins the fans far more frequently and randomly compared to the actual liquid temp.
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Kraaketaer
Have to say those prices and margins make me kind of wary of wages and working conditions at Thermalright's factories. It's hard to imagine they're squeezing margins that hard and not taking that out in terms of low pay and high pressure.
If that isn't the case, this seems like great value. And if you want it more quiet, just buy a 5-pack of Arctic P12s for $50 and stick them on there, and you'll get two great case fans on top of it. Still cheaper than most AIOs! (Or just buy the three you need for around $30, obviously.)
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Have to say those prices and margins make me kind of wary of wages and working conditions at Thermalright's factories. It's hard to imagine they're squeezing margins that hard and not taking that out in terms of low pay and high pressure.
If that isn't the case, this seems like great value. And if you want it more quiet, just buy a 5-pack of Arctic P12s for $50 and stick them on there, and you'll get two great case fans on top of it. Still cheaper than most AIOs! (Or just buy the three you need for around $30, obviously.)
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Dextrizzle
I have been running a 240 Frozen Prism in a build since October. It easily keeps a 7700X cool under any conditions that my son has tortured it with. I have it in a 011D Mini and used Thermalright fans only in the build, I tried to keep the fans similar. I have been really impressed with it. I found it really easy to install, even though I installed it upside down the first time. I have a Thermalright fan that scares me, but not one on the AIO, hoping that it is a one-off and not indicative of future issues or failures.
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I have been running a 240 Frozen Prism in a build since October. It easily keeps a 7700X cool under any conditions that my son has tortured it with. I have it in a 011D Mini and used Thermalright fans only in the build, I tried to keep the fans similar. I have been really impressed with it. I found it really easy to install, even though I installed it upside down the first time. I have a Thermalright fan that scares me, but not one on the AIO, hoping that it is a one-off and not indicative of future issues or failures.
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Schtoinkus
They are worryingly cheap, to the point where I feel like it impossible to ignore that they could be made with slave labor, somewhere in the production chain, be that African ore mines ran by slaves or Chinese Uyghur slave camp labor for manufacture or assembly, if the price is so low that the competition is mind boggled trying to figure out how they could have a margin, I think it is more likely that they are cheating in an evil way than that they are just being so kind as to sell products for so cheap they lose money
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They are worryingly cheap, to the point where I feel like it impossible to ignore that they could be made with slave labor, somewhere in the production chain, be that African ore mines ran by slaves or Chinese Uyghur slave camp labor for manufacture or assembly, if the price is so low that the competition is mind boggled trying to figure out how they could have a margin, I think it is more likely that they are cheating in an evil way than that they are just being so kind as to sell products for so cheap they lose money
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TomHenksYT
With this being the (or one of the) cheapest AiOs on the market and still performing reasonably well, I'd be curious to see one particular AiO near the other end of the price spectrum, that being the Alphacool Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360. I think it will perform very well, firstly because of the large coldplate which will easily cover the entire IHS of Intel's CPUs, and secondly because the HPE version has a high-performance copper radiator with higher fin density than the non-HPE version of the same cooler.
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With this being the (or one of the) cheapest AiOs on the market and still performing reasonably well, I'd be curious to see one particular AiO near the other end of the price spectrum, that being the Alphacool Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360. I think it will perform very well, firstly because of the large coldplate which will easily cover the entire IHS of Intel's CPUs, and secondly because the HPE version has a high-performance copper radiator with higher fin density than the non-HPE version of the same cooler.
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igorzkoppt
I took the risk to buy this generic-looking Assassin cooler a few months ago, it looked super generic, but I thought that as long as it adjusts well, it's just metal mass and a fan after all.
Turns out, not only it's flawless, but also the fan spinning was super smooth, unlike the usual cheap stuff. Massive but like the other said, Overkill is something your enemy complains about - the heat in that case.
Then I saw your reviews - t's great to see I wasn't the only one who was impressed.
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I took the risk to buy this generic-looking Assassin cooler a few months ago, it looked super generic, but I thought that as long as it adjusts well, it's just metal mass and a fan after all.
Turns out, not only it's flawless, but also the fan spinning was super smooth, unlike the usual cheap stuff. Massive but like the other said, Overkill is something your enemy complains about - the heat in that case.
Then I saw your reviews - t's great to see I wasn't the only one who was impressed.
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Meditations2024
Perhaps Thermalright has innovative manufacturing processes I'm sure manufacturing their own stuff allows them to cut costs where they make the most sense to as well.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense to make a high dollar product when it only lasts as long as the low dollar one anyway.
I mean, if they could make something more reliable for more money that would make more practical sense. It's the reason I just went with a custom loop.
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Perhaps Thermalright has innovative manufacturing processes I'm sure manufacturing their own stuff allows them to cut costs where they make the most sense to as well.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense to make a high dollar product when it only lasts as long as the low dollar one anyway.
I mean, if they could make something more reliable for more money that would make more practical sense. It's the reason I just went with a custom loop.
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xlr555usa
Cheap Liquid Cooler just doesn't spill right for me or something. Although I should probably bite the bullet and check it out since it's pocket change. Thanks for the video. I recently installed a monster Thermalright air cooler that doesn't fit on the motherboard. The second fan has to lift up a little on the side of the motherboard where all the usb ports are. Plus I'm testing out thermal pads on the cpu, so those should be easy swap out.
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Cheap Liquid Cooler just doesn't spill right for me or something. Although I should probably bite the bullet and check it out since it's pocket change. Thanks for the video. I recently installed a monster Thermalright air cooler that doesn't fit on the motherboard. The second fan has to lift up a little on the side of the motherboard where all the usb ports are. Plus I'm testing out thermal pads on the cpu, so those should be easy swap out.
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BReal-10EC
You don't have LOSS LEADERS online. Those are just items to get people in a brick and mortar store to hopefully buy other stuff too. So yeah- how is Thermalright able to sell stuff so cheap Do they have subsidiaries that they can play creative accounting Maybe they are using these low priced items to lower their profits on the books for tax reasons, or to move said profits to different countries on the books. Something is actually fishy.
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You don't have LOSS LEADERS online. Those are just items to get people in a brick and mortar store to hopefully buy other stuff too. So yeah- how is Thermalright able to sell stuff so cheap Do they have subsidiaries that they can play creative accounting Maybe they are using these low priced items to lower their profits on the books for tax reasons, or to move said profits to different countries on the books. Something is actually fishy.
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Teste-gp7bm
The mounting for TRs has been pretty bad. If having to take a board out of the case, it is almost worth it looking elsewhere.
On their new coolers, the AMD bracket is so bad I fear for it bending after a while and damaging the HW.
This one looks a bit better but the support bracket of the pump looks very sketchy and looks bent out of the factory.
This is not how TR used to build this stuff, they were much more sturdy.
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The mounting for TRs has been pretty bad. If having to take a board out of the case, it is almost worth it looking elsewhere.
On their new coolers, the AMD bracket is so bad I fear for it bending after a while and damaging the HW.
This one looks a bit better but the support bracket of the pump looks very sketchy and looks bent out of the factory.
This is not how TR used to build this stuff, they were much more sturdy.
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r3tr0c0e3
3$ for a fan and 15 ish for a cooler, not brain shuttering profit but still they make about 20-30$ from each product, basically xiaomi tactics, not too greedy like noctua who asks 100$ for a table fan lmao
your iphones don't cost 1000$ to make, more like 150 a peace, that's assembled, if you only knew how cheap stuff to make in china, ironically for someone who is a frequent visitor still remains clueless
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3$ for a fan and 15 ish for a cooler, not brain shuttering profit but still they make about 20-30$ from each product, basically xiaomi tactics, not too greedy like noctua who asks 100$ for a table fan lmao
your iphones don't cost 1000$ to make, more like 150 a peace, that's assembled, if you only knew how cheap stuff to make in china, ironically for someone who is a frequent visitor still remains clueless
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vlycop7404
Am i the only one who see this as frightening and would actively recommend against
Company with huge investment capital selling product at a lost to crush all the small competition before rising the prices when they are alone in a segment is a HUGE red flag that should not be rewarded !
Like Xiaomi with the SU7, sold at a loss with the explicit and assumed goal to crush the new player in the market.
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Am i the only one who see this as frightening and would actively recommend against
Company with huge investment capital selling product at a lost to crush all the small competition before rising the prices when they are alone in a segment is a HUGE red flag that should not be rewarded !
Like Xiaomi with the SU7, sold at a loss with the explicit and assumed goal to crush the new player in the market.
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gustavhoo
Nice to see a review of a cheaper brand!
I’m using a thermalright edge 360 my self and I love it! It’s my first liquid cooler tho so not much to compare with!
I’m also running 9 120mm fans from them, the TL-s12. They come in both regular and also reverse airflow.
I paid $30 for the 9(!) fans and $50 for the liquid cooler! It’s insane!
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Nice to see a review of a cheaper brand!
I’m using a thermalright edge 360 my self and I love it! It’s my first liquid cooler tho so not much to compare with!
I’m also running 9 120mm fans from them, the TL-s12. They come in both regular and also reverse airflow.
I paid $30 for the 9(!) fans and $50 for the liquid cooler! It’s insane!
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QuantumS1ngularity
I get the notion that Thermalright might be like one of those restaurants which if you visit once, have absolutely gorgeous food, everything tastes sublime, prices are low AF and yet, hardly anyone walks in at all. You know there is something else is going on behind the curtains, but you don't dare you ask what and just enjoy it while you can.
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I get the notion that Thermalright might be like one of those restaurants which if you visit once, have absolutely gorgeous food, everything tastes sublime, prices are low AF and yet, hardly anyone walks in at all. You know there is something else is going on behind the curtains, but you don't dare you ask what and just enjoy it while you can.
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NegativeROG
Thermalright stuff has appealing styles, on top of great prices. If their durability reaches 36 months, I'd be happy to grab an AIO and use it, then would be able to change style every 3 years. If the reliability is there, Thermalright will be a winner.
And I was a HUGE DeepCool fan, too (the ROG Genome is S-Tier). Oh, well.
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Thermalright stuff has appealing styles, on top of great prices. If their durability reaches 36 months, I'd be happy to grab an AIO and use it, then would be able to change style every 3 years. If the reliability is there, Thermalright will be a winner.
And I was a HUGE DeepCool fan, too (the ROG Genome is S-Tier). Oh, well.
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gdbev
I have the 360mm Aqua Elite and it has been great so far. I will say that I did swap out the fans that came with it for Corsair LL fans which I already had. My CPU is a 7950x and it idles about mid 40s and under 100% load it tops put at 95 degrees. AIO pump speed locked at 40% and AIO fans are locked at 50% when running Cinebench R23.
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I have the 360mm Aqua Elite and it has been great so far. I will say that I did swap out the fans that came with it for Corsair LL fans which I already had. My CPU is a 7950x and it idles about mid 40s and under 100% load it tops put at 95 degrees. AIO pump speed locked at 40% and AIO fans are locked at 50% when running Cinebench R23.
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radugrigoras
At 56$ just get the non rgb and change the fans. Even the most expensive water coolers can fail after some time, so why spend 350$ on one when you can buy 4 of these and some really nice noctua fans. Now if they offered one for 65$ with a nickel plated contact that would be a legendary price/performance.
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At 56$ just get the non rgb and change the fans. Even the most expensive water coolers can fail after some time, so why spend 350$ on one when you can buy 4 of these and some really nice noctua fans. Now if they offered one for 65$ with a nickel plated contact that would be a legendary price/performance.
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owen8417
I don't know if I've just never taken notice before but this is the first time I've seen a step by step installation process in a review and it's AWESOME. Installation time, complexity and frustration factors into my buying decision and I usually have to go searching for a separate video. THANK YOU
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I don't know if I've just never taken notice before but this is the first time I've seen a step by step installation process in a review and it's AWESOME. Installation time, complexity and frustration factors into my buying decision and I usually have to go searching for a separate video. THANK YOU
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