Arctic

Arctic Freezer 36

Ranked #8 in CPU Coolers

543 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

PC Gamer's top air pick with outstanding thermals and noise, and the same no-nonsense build philosophy that makes it nearly maintenance-free for its lifetime.

Consolidated from 43 cited sources across 25 outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

4 glowing sources
33 positive sources
6 mixed sources

See the sources

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Pros & cons

✓ Outstanding across the board, with impressively low temperatures and noise levels
✓ Simple single-tower air cooler with no software
✓ Arctic's strong warranty record makes it one of the safest long-term ownership bets
✓ Well-made and performs exceedingly well in testing
✓ A good budget option, especially if you want silence

✗ Suited to mid-range CPUs rather than flagship chips

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 10 articles, 32 video reviews and 1 community source

4 glowing sources

TechPowerUp crazyeyesreaper (TPU) · reviewer · May 2026

The Arctic Freezer 36-S A-RGB is the CPU cooler on the bench today. This single tower air cooler sticks to a tried-and-true design, ensuring reliability. With dimensions of 126 (L) × 88 (W) × 156 (H) mm, its compact size promises compatibility with a wide range of cases. The sleek black design paired with ARGB lighting is sure to catch the eye, and the impressive 6-year warranty adds peace of mind. Priced affordably, Arctic aims to secure a strong position in the entry-level CPU cooler market.

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TechPowerUp crazyeyesreaper (TPU) · reviewer · May 2026

Installing the Arctic Freezer 36-S A-RGB is a straightforward and easy process on the AM5 test bench. First you need to remove the default AMD motherboard brackets. Next install the included AMD brackets and then apply thermal paste. While Arctic usually recommends an X pattern, I would definitely recommend spreading the paste before mounting as that gave me the best overall results.

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TechPowerUp crazyeyesreaper (TPU) · reviewer · May 2026

The Freezer 36-S A-RGB heatsink is outfitted with 54 aluminium fins, which efficiently receive heat through four heat pipes. The outer corners of each fin are folded down, improving both spacing and rigidity. Thanks to the compact size it should be a solid entry-level option for more space constrained builds.

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Creatus Jonayet Pranto · reviewer · Oct 2025

The Arctic Freezer 36 ARGB is designed for enthusiasts who want both performance and style. It combines advanced cooling technology, ARGB lighting, and ultra-quiet operation to keep your system cool and efficient during intense workloads or gaming marathons.

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33 positive sources

PC Gamer Article · Sept 2022

The Arctic Freezer 36 is unbeatable, and an easy pick for the best air cooler. There's not much more you could want than this; it delivers superb performance for a very low cost. The Freezer 36 includes two P12 PWM PST fans. These aren't anything special, and maybe in need of an upgrade to the newer P12 Pro, but they're surprisingly quiet. As a result, this is the quietest cooler we've tested recently.

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Tech Notice Tech Notice · 290K subscribers · Mar 2024

I've tested a lot of different coolers and this is the most impressive one so far, it's called Arctic Freezer 36.

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Vortez Article

Despite its compact footprint, the Freezer 36-S packs four direct-touch copper heatpipes, a dense aluminium fin stack, and a P12 Pro 120mm fan capable of reaching up to 3000 RPM. Supporting AMD AM5/AM4 and Intel LGA1851/LGA1700 sockets, the cooler offers a balance of performance, compatibility, and value, complete with MX-7 thermal paste and a six-year warranty.

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Tech for Techs Tech for Techs · 227K subscribers · Mar 2024

Best Air Cooler Yet by Arctic - Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB (White) Review and Testing

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Basic Tutorials Article

With the ARCTIC Freezer 36-S, the cooling specialist is expanding its popular Freezer series with a new model that combines high cooling performance with a particularly attractive price-performance ratio. The new single-tower cooler is aimed at price-conscious PC builders who do not want to compromise on modern features and solid performance.

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Mike's unboxing, reviews and how to Mike's unboxing, reviews and how to · 158K subscribers · Apr 2024

At the moment (March 2024) the Arctic Freezer 36 range is on sale at promo prices, and that makes this cooler impossible to beat when you consider all the boxes it ticks!

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WELSHYTECH alihd6773 · owner · Mar 2024

I’m using an Arctic Freezer 36 Black air cooler with MX-6 thermal paste (the one that came with it). My case is a Cooler Master H500, and I’ve even tried removing the side glass panel and lowering the FPS limit, but the temperature only dropped by about 2–3°C. Idle temps are around 37–41°C.

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PC Crazy PC Crazy · 113K subscribers · Mar 2024

Quite a refreshing approach and something completely new in the CPU tower cooler department. This is the all new ARCTIC FREEZER 36 A-RGB that comes in black and white. Two P12 PWM PST A-RGB fans to accompany the really solid passive heatsink with a nice subtle design.

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STS villho · owner · Mar 2024

Firstly, it keeps the Ryzen CPU easily cooled (even with 100 % benchmarks the package temps get to 77-78, when gaming 60-62 and idle 44-46) and secondly, it looks awesome in my complete black build. Installation is a breeze.

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Nicolas11x12 English Nicolas11x12 English · 72.1K subscribers · Apr 2025

I believe this air cooler offers unbelievably good cooling performance at a very competitive price.

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Gamers Nexus 802Garage · owner · Mar 2024

"It's fine." Is like an 8/10 for Gamers Nexus, so I'd say it's pretty good. Slots in just above a 7/10 rating "Just okay." and right under 9/10 "Actually decent." which is of course just shy of "It's good." for 10/10.

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ThisBytesForYou ThisBytesForYou · 62.8K subscribers · Jun 2024

I hope you enjoy this Arctic Freezer 36 Installation, this has to be one of the Best CPU Air Coolers 2024. This will help anyone that is looking for how to install the Arctic Freezer 36 ARGB CPU Cooler.

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Ashwin Chandran Ashwin Chandran · channel

Since the AMD Wraith Stealth cooler provided with AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is not upto the mark as a cooling solution, I decided to replace it with Arctic's new single tower dual fan cooler Arctic Freezer 36.

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Machines & More Machines & More · 45.5K subscribers · Mar 2024

This new air cooler from Arctic is sure to shake up the single tower market.

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ARCTIC reinulf656 · owner · Mar 2024

Good stuff coming from Arctic, as always. First Arctic Cooling product I bought many many years ago was the VGA Silencer Rev 3 cooler for a ATi 9800xl in an Aldi PC from 2003.

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STS STS · 34.5K subscribers · Mar 2024

After a mediocre Freezer 35 lineup, Arctic went back to the drawing board and improved upon what was good about the Freezer 34 to create what seems to be the best single-tower air cooler we have seen so far!

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ThisBytesForYou Ladioz · owner · Jun 2024

Great cooler. Im just gonna buy 3 of those fans that are attached to the freezer 36 and use them as intake on my case. Thanks alot for providing the name of them in the video!

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Odin Hardware Odin Hardware · 21.7K subscribers · Apr 2026

Best price-per-performance air cooler from arctic.

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ARCTIC AdamB4255 · owner · Mar 2024

Amazing cooler, especially at 23yr anniversary –50% discount. Full black matches my PC perfectly. Super quiet, great performance, top quality.10/10⭐, I highly recommend this.

Watch B Bartosz Szwedkowicz Review unit from Arctic Bartosz Szwedkowicz · 6.4K subscribers · Nov 2025

Arctic Freezer 36 trafił na testy - i powiem jedno: to chłodzenie, które totalnie zaskoczyło mnie wydajnością w tej cenie

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STS Kimmejoe · owner · Apr 2024

I have a Arctic Freezer 36 Black with 2 Phanteks D30(Regular & Reverse) in a Phanteks NV7 Case with Phanteks D30 Casefans.i like the Freezer 36 😊.

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WELSHYTECH WELSHYTECH · 5K subscribers · Mar 2024

This Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB Black CPU Cooler is not only functional, but it also has a sleek and stylish design that will enhance the look of your PC. Keep your processor cool while also adding visual appeal with this high-quality cooler.

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Hardware Busters Article · May 2026

The ARCTIC Freezer 36-S is a CPU air cooler with four 6 mm direct-touch heat pipes and a 120 mm fan for efficient cooling.

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Jack's Hardware Jack's Hardware · 3K subscribers · Mar 2025

The Arctic Freezer 36 ARGB packs a lot of cooling power in a small package.

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Club386 Fahd Temsamani · reviewer

Thankfully, aside from the missing second fan, none of the other changes should have a negative impact on performance.

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Jack's Hardware Jack's Hardware · 3K subscribers · May 2026

This is pretty good value for what you get based on the new pricing.

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Jack's Hardware indrahaseo · owner · May 2026

this compact air cooler is perfect for my smaller case than original freezer 36 air cooler and including MX-7 as well!

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Tosnad Tech Tosnad Tech · 2 subscribers · Feb 2026

Both fans feature RGB lighting, which offers vibrant and stunning colors. It also offers various lighting effects as is typical with RGB lighting.

Watch A r/arcticcooling u/HuygensCrater · owner

I don't think people realise how superior the Arctic Freezer 36 is to almost any other cooler.

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Tech for Techs YouTube review · Mar 2024

Best Air Cooler Yet by Arctic - Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB (White) Review and Testing

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PC Gamer Article Read T

Tech Notice YouTube review · Mar 2024

SHOCKING 👉 The Best AIR-COOLER I've tested YET!

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Dannys Tech Channel Maximus_penetrálius · owner · Mar 2024

I have one and is true, is very good

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6 mixed sources

Jack's Hardware theaverageplayer1656 · owner · Mar 2025

While doing some Cinebench runs, the CPU reached around 120W and was hitting around 92-94C. I even gave it a repaste but almost 95C at less than 120W feels awful, especially since it was rated for around 220W. Given I live outside the US, ordering a replacement or buying a new cooler might prove difficult.

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Machines & More Machines & More · 45.5K subscribers · May 2026

Arctic's Freezer 36-S is a new iteration of their Freezer 36 coolers. These coolers are budget friendly and offer generally good performance.

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Ashwin Chandran gonicro2540 · owner · Nov 2024

I bought one but it didn’t come with any standstills for AM4 so I exchanged it back to micro center and they got me a new one in box, and I’m dealing with the same issue with no stand stills

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Machines & More themarketgardener · owner · May 2026

Great review, I don’t think Arctic can compete with Thermalright or other budget brands with this product at this price range.

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ARCTIC LFilippidis · owner · Mar 2024

It all looks good and great but the thermal paste that was included in the box seems to have dried up! (Freezer 36 rev. 6!

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Nicolas11x12 English sirwillemgaming9686 · owner · Apr 2025

I wanted to change my ID Cooling CPU cooler to Arctic Freezer 36. Looks like I gotta order one ASAP.

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Frequently asked questions

It ranks #8 of 24 on our CPU coolers tier list, in B tier. That placement draws on 43 cited sources across 25 outlets.

None of the 43 sources with a clear view is critical of it. Suited to mid-range CPUs rather than flagship chips.

On our cpu coolers board, Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ranks #5 (B tier) ahead of Arctic Freezer 36 at #8 (B tier). Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE: Tom's Hardware and PCGamesN both crown it, and its utter simplicity - a heatsink plus two cheap fans - means almost nothing can fail unfixably, which is exactly what long-term ownership rewards.

On our cpu coolers board, Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ranks #3 (A tier) ahead of Arctic Freezer 36 at #8 (B tier). Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE: The Peerless Assassin's higher-capacity sibling with the same pump-free, software-free simplicity. Only its slightly lesser direct citation coverage keeps it just below its twin-tower stablemate.