Review on ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports Tower CPU Cooler with BioniX P-series Case Fan - Intel and AMD Socket - Grey by Patrick Alexander

Before you buy, please inform yourself especially by watching the YouTube video from Arctic website "Arctic Freezer 34 and Freezer 34 CO – Installation on AMD AM4” and on Visit the Arctic website to see for yourself. compatible. Then I tried to install on the motherboard MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max AMD AM4. Arctic indicates that you are using the backplate that came with the motherboard shown in the first image (note the raised screw holes). Arctic then offers 4 stands (different types - I've tried the ones for AMD and even others when they didn't work) that screw into holes on the back on the other side of the motherboard, 2 brackets that support the metal heatsink on top the stands and 4 knurled nuts, which are probably routed over the struts and are used to attach the radiator brackets. First of all, if you look at the protruding screw holes of the backplate when installed on the back of the mainboard, they are still clearly protruding on the mounting side of the mainboard. When you screw in the standoffs, they don't compensate for the protruding screw holes - hence the bracket wobbles due to the remaining space between the bottom of the standoffs and the motherboard mounting face (hard to tell, but the second photo shows the distance between the motherboard mounting face and the underside of the spacer). It means the bracket is not compatible with this AM4 motherboard. Arctic had to supply their own backplate that sits flush with the mounting face of the motherboard, or supply some sort of washer to place between the motherboard and the stand to keep the bracket from coming loose. They didn't. Second, just to see if there's anything that can be loosened by placing the heatsink on the struts, I've also found that the threads on the tops of the struts that go into the mounting bracket aren't enough to thread more than a small Lot of screwing thumb nuts (third photo). Even if gaps weren't a problem, the mount still wouldn't be very secure. The bottom line is that this CPU cooler is NOT compatible with MSI B450 Gaming Plus AMD4 motherboard. I will return this with great disgust at the time wasted due to Arctic's lack of detail in designing a CPU cooler for this motherboard. While MSI doesn't take it easy with a poorly designed backplate, Arctic can design one or inform the consumer of incompatibilities. As previously mentioned, all of these problems would be easily solved with a simple flat backplate mount and longer threaded posts (at the top of the posts). Although this is not uncommon for CPU coolers. Most of them are poorly suited for installation and have a cheap design. I have to wonder if any of these manufacturers have ever used their products.