It has been a long time since the world first learned of OCZ’s Cryo-Z phase change cooling unit. Announced all the way back in 2006, we got to sit down with a retail model in 2008 when LGA775 was still the king of the land. Jumping ahead through 19 more months of incubation, and we arrive at today’s announcement that OCZ has teamed up with FrozenCPU to update the Cryo-Z for modern Intel systems.
Under the arrangement between the two outfits, FrozenCPU has picked up the rights to sell the unit in exchange for creating custom mounting plates and collars for Intel’s LGA1156 and LGA1366 sockets.
“We are thrilled to continue to breathe new life into the Cryo-Z with the addition of the Core i5/i7 compatibility,” commented Mark Friga Jr., President of FrozenCPU.com Inc. “We have found with our testing at our office as well as testing in the enthusiast community that the Cryo-Z operates perfectly on the latest chipsets from ATI and Intel featuring our new 1156/1366 hold-down collar. This gives the Cryo-Z the compatibility across many socket types and platforms that PC Hobbyist and Enthusiasts desire.”
The OCZ Cryo-Z is a cooling unit designed to push CPU temperatures below 0°C through the rapid evaporation and condensation of a refrigerant called R-507A. The R-507A is piped through a compressor, not unlike those found in a refrigerator, and cooled until it takes an ultra-cold liquid state. The liquid is then pumped to a copper plate known as the evaporator head which makes contact with the processor like a heatsink. The evap head uses the heat of the CPU to change the phase of the refrigerant back into a gas which draws heat away from the CPU, and returns to the coolant tank for another cycle. This process is in constant effect in the Cryo-Z, meaning that the CPU is constantly (and safely) in contact with coolant that’s colder than -46.7°C–you can imagine what that might do to a processor’s temperatures.
Looking back on our experiences with the Cryo-Z, we were definitely impressed with the unit’s performance. Despite a few hangups with the LCD and a faulty evap head, we were pleased with the installation, temperatures and hardware protections offered by the unit. It can be had from FrozenCPU starting today for $379.99.
Articles RSS